Ep 77- 4 Insights from Brain Science That Can Help You Stop Binge Eating for Good
July 31, 2025
Today I share the top 4 things I learned from a Practical Neuroscience Training I attended in Vegas this week! This will give you a sneak peak into how my coaching works & how I incorporate the latest research to help you stop binge eating.
We’ll be getting a bit more science-y today, but I promise, these insights will blow your mind.
I cover:
Why you don’t need to find the root cause to change your habits
The surprising OCD study that proved “mind over matter” is real
The 3 non-negotiables for neuroplasticity to happen in the brain
How unconscious beliefs (like “I’m addicted to food”) secretly run the show
Why typical overeating advice misses 95% of the problem
Why You Do Not Need the Root Cause
You do not have to spend years searching for the first time you struggled with food. The method I use most is therapeutic memory reconsolidation. We access a specific recent moment where you want change and light up the exact neural network that needs updating.
That is why I ask for specifics. What do you want to change today. When did it happen. Tell me about the last time you overate. If you say I walked into the party and saw the dessert table and felt a swell of anxiety because I thought I would eat it all, that pathway is now unlocked and changeable.
Change the reaction in one real moment and the update ripples out. You do not need to fix every event from the past. When your brain predicts I will feel anxious after dinner and binge and then you stay calm and do not binge, a prediction error occurs and your brain rewrites the document.
The OCD Study that Proved Mind Over Matter
Jeffrey Schwartz showed people with OCD their brain scans and taught them to notice this is my brain making a mistake. Over a few weeks of telling themselves that truth and redirecting, their follow up scans looked different in the regions that were overactive before. Intentional mental activity changed brain function.
This is the same principle in my guided audio to stop a binge. If you are eating consistent meals and nourishing yourself and a strong urge still appears, your brain is running an old loop. Naming it as a mistake helps you step out of it.
The Three Non Negotiables for Neuroplasticity
Your brain can rewire at any age, but it does not change on autopilot. Three ingredients matter most.
Awareness
Know when you binge, what triggers it, and what you want to change. Get specific.
Focused attention
Put your attention on the new behavior. For example today I will leave a few bites on my plate. Attention flags the moment for updating.
Deep rest
Rewiring consolidates during sleep and also during non sleep deep rest. Short periods with eyes closed and a guided visualization help the change stick. Hypnosis and structured imagery place you in a state where the brain is more plastic, so I often guide clients through the exact evening steps they want to take after dinner.
How Unconscious Beliefs Run the Show
About 95 percent of processing happens outside conscious awareness. The conscious mind handles only a small slice. That is why you can know what to do and still not do it.
Your brain has old associations such as I cannot be trusted with food, once I start I will not stop, food is my only comfort. These become self fulfilling. Hypnosis, visualization, and memory reconsolidation help rewrite those beliefs so identities like I listen to my body and I can trust myself around food feel true.
Two fun examples show how the unconscious quietly shapes choices. People holding a warm mug rate others as warmer because warmth meant safety in infancy. Shoppers who pull a basket tend to buy more extras than shoppers who push a cart, because pulling signals bring it in while pushing signals move it away. If you do not address the unconscious, you miss most of the puzzle.
Why Typical Overeating Advice Falls Short
Eat fewer calories, track macros, drink water, go for a walk. These have a place for health, but they do not rewire the brain circuits that drive binge eating. Without updating the automatic beliefs and habit loops, the same urges keep returning.
Putting It All Together
Get specific about one recent moment you want to change. Bring awareness and focused attention to it. Practice a short period of non sleep deep rest or hypnosis where you mentally rehearse the new response. Notice and name the old loop as a brain mistake and choose the new action. Repeat. Small wins create prediction errors that your brain uses to update the pattern.
Ready to Turn Brain Science into Food Freedom
If you want help applying these tools week after week, I would love to support you. In the Confident Eater Program we meet every week, you get unlimited text and voice support, and you get access to my course with daily eating hypnosis and practical exercises. We bring awareness and attention to your exact moments, use guided visualization to accelerate neuroplasticity, and rewrite the beliefs that have kept you stuck so you can feel like a natural eater again.