Craig Lee Counselling and Psychotherapy

06/11/2025

You’re likely pretty familiar with your own inner critic; it’s the annoying, persistent voice in your head that tells you that you need to be smaller, thinner, more muscular, more toned, more disciplined, more attractive, less annoying etc. (the list is pretty endless, right?).

When the inner critic gets loud or irritating, you probably try different ways to deal with it such as ignoring it, challenging it (CBT anyone?), rationalising with it, and distracting from it (more food, less food, exercise, TV, s*x, drugs, rock n’ roll).

The tricky bit here is that sometimes this stuff works, albeit temporarily. So, how do you silence that voice for good?

You can’t. You’re human which unfortunately means you have an inner critic that sometimes is going to pipe up. 

The most effective long-term strategy is to stop trying to silence the inner critic but instead to start noticing it. I mean really noticing it. The next time you’re having some critical thoughts about yourself, take a second to just stop and notice exactly what the critical thought is saying, and then repeat the thought with  “I’m noticing that I’m having the thought that……..” in front of it (you can do this out loud or silently in your head; it works either way).  For example:

“I notice that I’m having the thought that I look disgusting”

“I notice that I’m having the thought that I’ll put on weight if I eat that”

“I notice that I’m having the thought that I’m worthless”

See if you can then notice that little shift which happens when you do this (it’s called cognitive defusion).

Even if you believe that what the inner critic is saying is 100% undoubtedly true, learning how to defuse is the first step in changing your relationship with that inner voice. This is one of the keys to giving you more freedom to do more of the things that actually matter to you and to move towards recovery, whatever that looks like for you.

For a free 20-minute consultation to talk about how I can support you in your recovery, DM ‘RECOVER.

03/09/2025

Soon 🙂

10/07/2025

“Just eat normally” is unhelpful advice when you realise just how much is getting in the way.

Recovery is possible when you identify what’s keeping you stuck and receive individualised, tailored support to move forward.

✨For a free 20-minute consultation to find out how I can help, DM ‘RECOVER’. ✨

25/06/2025

These things can feel much easier said than done which is where working with an eating disorder therapist, coach, and/or dietitian can make all the difference.

24/06/2025

I’m grateful to have been able to provide an endorsement for Liv’s magnificent new book (available now!).

05/06/2025

Understanding that there’s more to this than willpower means recovery isn’t about just “trying harder” to stop; it’s about repairing those neurological pathways through proper treatment, as well as addressing the psychological and emotional factors keeping you stuck.

If you’re ready to overcome binge eating, DM ‘RECOVER’ or drop me an email (hello@craigleetherapy.co.uk) for a free 20-minute consultation to find out how I can help.

07/05/2025

Your body is a survival machine. When it experiences restriction, stress, or perceived threat, it activates primal survival mechanisms. This has nothing to do with willpower and everything to do with your body trying to protect you…it’s trying to STAY ALIVE.

Every time you’ve binged, there’s been an underlying need. This need may be biological or emotional (often both).

Your binge eating is a response and a call to action, not a weakness or character flaw. Once you understand this, healing can begin and you can move towards the life you want for yourself.

For a free 20 minute consultation, DM me ‘BINGE-FREE’ or email me at hello@craigleetherapy.co.uk

05/05/2025

Have you ever felt like recovery must be about more than just changing eating habits? You’re absolutely right!

In my work with clients, I’ve seen how finding meaning becomes the compass that guides us through recovery. It’s not just about the food and body image - it’s about discovering what truly matters to you and living a meaningful, fulfilling life.

Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy is based on three foundational truths (known as pillars):

1️⃣Freedom of Will – We can choose our attitudes and responses, even in the most difficult circumstances.
2️⃣Will to Meaning – Our main drive is to find purpose in life.
3️⃣Meaning of Life – Life always has meaning, even in suffering, and it’s up to us to discover it.

With these pillars in mind, Frankl introduces three powerful pathways to meaning through his Meaning Triangle:
📍 DOING: What you give to the world such as creative work and achievements
📍 EXPERIENCING: What you get from the world through meaningful experiences and relationships
📍 ATTITUDES: The stance you take in response to things you cannot change, including finding purpose in life’s challenges

When we apply these to ED recovery, opportunities open up to start seeing your worth beyond numbers, finding purpose in your pain, and to create a life that’s about more than food, body image, and control.

Your struggle isn’t meaningless. Every step of your recovery, even the most difficult bits, can lead you towards a more purposeful life.

This isn’t about toxic positivity - it’s about recontextualising your experience, and discovering meaning in every moment to empower you in your recovery.

If you’d like to explore what meaningful recovery could look like for you, get in touch for a free 20 minute consultation to find out how I can help: hello@craigleetherapy.co.uk

27/04/2025

Bad body image days happen. However, they don’t have to define you. How you actually respond to yourself and the behaviours you choose to engage in on these days are crucial for developing and maintaining better body image.

If you’re struggling with body image and want to find out how I can help, get in touch for a free 20 minute consultation: hello@craigleetherapy.co.uk

17/04/2025

New blog post:

Do you often find yourself asking “Why can’t I stop binge eating ?”. You might be frustrated at feeling stuck in the same cycle of promising yourself you’ll never binge again only for it to keep happening. There are many psychological and physiological factors which play a part in compulsive...

16/04/2025

Discomfort is an inevitable part of recovery but it’s damn sure an inevitable part of staying stuck where you are. You don’t need less discomfort to move forward and breaking free of the psychological trap that tells you otherwise is your key out of this mental prison.

Get in touch for a free consultation to find out how I can help: hello@craigleetherapy.co.uk

22/02/2025

Binge foods - out of sight, out of mind?

Like many aspects of recovery from an ED, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. This can be frustrating when therapists or other professionals recommend one particular approach, or even when you come across others in recovery describing their own successes or failures with this.

You might be desperately hoping to find an answer to this that will help you overcome binge eating for good. What’s important to understand is that what works for you may not reflect the generalised advice and experience of others…and that’s okay (even if it feels like it isn’t).

Keeping foods out of the home is a form of stimulus control, a concept in behavioural psychology that describes how our environment impacts our behaviour. There is an abundant availability of hyper-palatable foods (such as cakes, biscuits, chocolate, and crisps) which you will have your own complex emotional, psychological, and physiological relationship with and this can mean that having these foods around triggers binge urges. This is a common experience, especially in the earlier stages of recovery, where it can therefore be helpful to keep these foods out of the home until you establish new habits and have addressed the maintaining factors of your eating disorder

On the other hand, keeping these foods out of the home can reinforce the restriction element of your eating disorder. This feeds into a scarcity mindset and increases the psychological value placed on these foods, which feeds into the cycle of binge urges. This may sound familiar to you if you’ve ever went out and deliberately bought or ordered in foods as part of a binge (an extremely common experience for those struggling with binge eating).

Working with a therapist who is able to adapt to your unique needs (which will change at different stages of recovery) is key to figuring out what works for you and developing the psychological flexibility to respond when something is no longer working for you.

For a free 20-minute consultation to find out how I might be able to help, drop me an email: hello@craigleetherapy.co.uk