THE PEACEFUL EATING WAY PODCAST
Introducing the Three Food Trances
Transcript
Hosted by Everett Considine. Recorded live in a Parts Work Practice from The Peaceful Eating Way™. Participants' names have been removed. This transcript was generated automatically and lightly edited, so it may contain small errors.
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Everett: Welcome to The Peaceful Eating Way Podcast. This is Everett. This episode is a live session with my Peaceful Living community, the first time I taught the three Food Trances. There's a short self-assessment and a guided journey, so if you're driving, save those parts for later.
So welcome, everyone. I'm doing a talk on the three primary Food Trances, and this is a whole new area that I'm developing now on Food Trances. And I think it's gonna be quite useful. It's been quite useful for me. Let me actually pull up this graphic.
So, Food Trances. It was Finish Line Anxiety that I did the talk on Food Trances. It's the first time I kind of conceived of it, talking about a Food Trance. And the Food Trances I talked about there were kind of specific to that talk. But the idea of a Food Trance is, I think we all have that experience of having a day where we're feeling really on our food plan, and it's just automatic. It's happening. We have a great breakfast, great lunch, maybe even have a great dinner. And then something happens after dinner when we're watching TV, or something happens in the afternoon where we just find ourself eating, right?
And it's kind of a mystery, right? Like, how do we get from this point to this point? And what's happened is we've had a change in our state of mind. And I've always taught about the Parts that are present in different kinds of behaviors.
But the Food Trances... I think it's a more intuitive way to kind of realize that, wow, something specific is happening that's kind of unconscious. And it's something that happens over and over. We all have certain Food Trances that we have. We all have different Food Trances, right? So let me actually come back to here.
So what are Food Trances? Many people believe their struggles with food are about willpower. They think something's wrong with them because they can stay on track for part of the day or even several days, and then suddenly find themselves eating in a way they never intended. Again and again, people say the same thing: "I was doing fine, and then something happened."
What's interesting is that when we slow these moments down, we often discover that eating didn't really begin with hunger. It began with a shift in awareness. A Food Trance is simply a moment when awareness narrows and eating starts to feel automatic. Instead of feeling present and able to choose, it can feel like something inside takes over for a while.
Often, a small inner sentence appears right before it happens. Something like, "This will make me feel better," "I just want to stop thinking," or sometimes simply, "Screw it." Once the sentence appears, awareness tightens and the eating can begin almost on autopilot. The important thing to understand is that Food Trances are not failures.
They're not evidence that someone lacks discipline or motivation. They are moments when Parts of us are trying to help in the only way they know how. Some Parts are trying to soothe pain, some are trying to help us escape overwhelming feelings. Others are reacting to pressure and trying to reclaim freedom.
When we begin to recognize these patterns, something hopeful becomes possible, because the moment awareness returns, the trance begins to loosen, and that's when a different choice becomes possible. And the way I'm using awareness here, we could also say Self-leadership, right? We're just unblending from our Parts, moving more into Self.
Recognizing the Food Trance. One of the most powerful things people begin to learn is how to recognize the moment when a Food Trance is starting. At first, it may only become clear afterwards, when awareness returns and someone realizes, "Oh, I was at it again." But with a little practice, people begin to notice the early signals.
There may be a familiar inner sense that appears, a shift in mood, or a feeling of urgency or narrowing in attention. The mind starts to focus on food in a very specific way, and other options seem to fade into the background. Simply noticing that moment, "Ah, a trance is starting," already begins to loosen its grip.
Awareness itself gently interrupts the automatic pattern. Once someone can recognize a Food Trance, the next step isn't to fight it or judge it, but to become curious about the Parts of us that create it. These Parts are not enemies. They're usually trying to help in some way. A comfort Part may be trying to soothe emotional pain.
An escape Part might be trying to protect us from overwhelming feelings. A rebel Part may be reacting to the pressure of rules and trying to reclaim a sense of freedom. When we slow down and approach these Parts with curiosity instead of criticism, we begin to understand what they actually need. And often, when a Part feels seen and understood, it no longer needs to pull us into a trance so strongly.
Awareness and compassion start to create space for a new relationship with that Part, and with food. Over the years, many people have told me the same story about food. They say, "I was doing great all day, and then suddenly I was eating." Anyone have that experience?
They weren't hungry. They had a plan. Earlier the same day they were completely committed, and yet somehow they find themselves standing in the kitchen eating something they hadn't planned. Then later they say, "I don't even know what happened." When we slow those moments down, something interesting appears.
Right before the eating begins, a small inner sentence usually shows up. For example, "This will make me feel better." "I just wanna stop thinking." "Screw it." And once that sentence appears, awareness begins to narrow. Eating starts to feel automatic. Only later does awareness return, and people think, "Wait, what just happened?"
Over time, I began calling these moments Food Trances. A Food Trance is simply a moment when awareness narrows and eating begins to happen automatically. Food Trances aren't random. They tend to follow recognizable patterns. Today we're gonna explore the three primary Food Trances.
So the first one is the Comfort Trance. The Comfort Trance happens when a Part of us is trying to soothe emotional discomfort. This trance often appears when we feel stressed, lonely, tired, or emotionally overwhelmed. A comforting inner voice may appear, saying something like, "Ah, this will make me feel better."
When this Part steps forward, food becomes a way to soften difficult feelings and create a moment of relief. In the Parts work language we use here, the Parts involved are often what we call the Loving Parent, or sometimes the Seductive Rationalizer. The Loving Parent is trying to care for us and make us feel better.
The Seductive Rationalizer helps justify the moment so it feels reasonable to eat. Both of these Parts are trying to help. They're simply using food as their tool.
The Escape Trance. The Escape Trance is a little different. Instead of soothing feelings, the trance is often about getting away from them entirely. It tends to show up when emotions feel overwhelming, when we're mentally exhausted, or when something feels too heavy to deal with. The inner sentence here might be something like, "I just want to stop thinking." In this trance, the Parts that often step forward are what we call the Oblivionator, and sometimes the Isolator.
The Oblivionator is trying to help us disappear from painful feelings for a while, to numb out or check out. The Isolator helps create privacy and separation so this escape can happen without interference. Again, these Parts are trying to protect us from overwhelm, even though their strategy may create problems later.
The Rebellion Trance. The Rebellion Trance usually appears when a Part of us feels pressured, restricted, or controlled. Many people experience this after trying to follow strict food rules or diets. At some point, a voice inside may suddenly say something like, "Screw it." In that moment, the trance creates a sense of freedom by breaking the rules.
The Parts involved here are often the Rebel, and sometimes the Punisher or strict controlling Parts that came earlier. When controlling Parts create too much pressure, the Rebel eventually pushes back to reclaim autonomy. The Rebel's goal isn't really about food. It's about restoring a sense of freedom. I just think that's really important. The Rebel's goal isn't really about food. It's about restoring a sense of freedom.
Seeing the pattern. When people first begin to see these trances clearly, something important happens. Instead of thinking, "Why do I keep messing up?" they begin to see that different Parts of them are stepping forward in different moments. Each Part is trying to help in its own way, by offering comfort, protection, or freedom. And once these Parts become visible, awareness starts to grow. That awareness is what allows us to get to know the Parts behind the trance and begin building a new relationship with them.
So what I'm gonna do now is take you through a self-assessment. I'm wondering, why don't I actually just put this quiz on the screen here. Yeah, that'll be good.
So, question one. There's three answers, A, B and C. If you want, you could just write "question one" and then write down the A, B or C next to it, if you wanna make this go quicker so you don't have to write down a bunch of details. When eating goes off track for you, what moment usually happens right before it?
A: I'm feeling stressed, tired, or emotionally drained. B: I feel overwhelmed and just want everything to stop for a while. C: Part of me suddenly feels fed up with trying to be disciplined.
So either A, I'm feeling stressed, tired, or emotionally drained. B, I feel overwhelmed and just want everything to stop for a while. C, Part of me suddenly feels fed up with trying to be disciplined. Now, we can acknowledge that we're all gonna feel probably all these things at some point. But try and narrow in on the one that's the strongest. And if you don't have one that's the strongest, then guess. Maybe it doesn't matter.
So question number two. Which sentence feels most familiar right before eating? And this is really eating off plan, right? Whatever that means to you. A: This will make me feel better. B: I just want to stop thinking. C: Screw it.
Which sentence feels most familiar right before eating? A, this will make me feel better. B, I just wanna stop thinking. C, screw it.
Question three. After a difficult day, what situation is most likely to lead to eating? A: Wanting something comforting. B: Feeling emotionally overwhelmed. C: Feeling tired of following rules.
After a difficult day, what situation is most likely to lead to eating? A, wanting something comforting. B, feeling emotionally overwhelmed. C, feeling tired of following rules.
Four. During these moments, eating usually feels: A, comforting and soothing. B, numbing or disconnecting. C, defiant or freeing.
During these moments, eating usually feels A, comforting and soothing, B, numbing or disconnecting, C, defiant or freeing.
Question five. Afterwards, which thought is most familiar? A: I needed that. B: I don't even know what happened. C: I'll start again tomorrow.
Question five. Afterward, which thought is most familiar? A, I needed that. B, I don't even know what happened. C, I'll start again tomorrow.
Now just count up your answers. If you got mostly A's, then it's the Comfort Trance. If you got mostly B's, it's the Escape Trance. If you got mostly C's, it's the Rebellion Trance.
So let's come together here. I'd love to hear what people got, and also what's coming up for you around this teaching. What you're noticing.
To me it was very interesting to see that it's mostly the Rebellion. And I really hadn't clocked that before. I think the reason I like these three trances is 'cause it adds more nuance to the Indulger, right?
Participant: How do I always know you're gonna call my name? I hear it just before you say it. How does that work? Can you tell me?
Everett: It's because you're psychic.
Participant: I guess so. Or sick, one or the other. I don't know which one it is. Yeah. So what is it you wanna know?
Everett: Oh, what did your quiz say?
Participant: Well, it was interesting. I had two A's and two C's, and yesterday was a classic example. Anything that could go sideways and go wrong went sideways and went wrong. So I kept bouncing between comforting, trying to fill up again, and things were too emotionally overwhelming. And the favorite line, which you nailed, was, "I'll start again tomorrow." In the middle of it all I heard, "Oh, I'll just start again tomorrow."
Everett: How is the concept of a Food Trance landing for you?
Participant: Well, it's kind of like I woke up out of a fog when you described it. I didn't really realize there was continuity there in a lot of what I was doing until you put it together for me. So it's like there's a Part of me that's really sly. I don't know how else to say it.
Everett: I think that's also part of why it's so useful to see this as a trance. 'Cause we think that. We're like, "Oh, this Part must be so sly. It just slid it in and I didn't even realize it." But we're actually just being lulled into a trance. So our conscious awareness is sort of going offline, and our Parts are starting to show up.
Participant: Wow. What a very interesting introduction into something new in your work, Everett. Rebellion is my jam. Solid C's for all five questions. Trying to examine that and unpack it in real time I find challenging, simply because I tend to like to gather as much evidence and data as possible, and then start sorting through it to see where it's gonna take me. So I'm unsettled on what to do with this. So, thank you.
Everett: Yeah, I hope that helped. One of the things I liked about it is, usually when I'm trying to help people get in touch with their Indulger, it's in a session, and we go back to a moment when their Indulger was present and have them connect with it, and we kind of figure out which Indulger it is. And I love this idea of noticing the trance that you're moving into. It just feels simpler, especially for someone that's just running into this work for the first time, right? And the trance really captures that aspect of this kind of eating that feels like it's happening by itself somehow, right? Like, "Am I doing this? What's happening here?"
Absolutely. And it's like you're in a trance, right? You're the food zombie. You're like, "Well, yeah. That is actually what it's like," right?
Participant: Well, thank you.
Everett: Yeah, you're welcome. Thank you.
Participant: I got straight A's in this test.
Everett: Straight A's.
Participant: And there is a sentence... I was busy jotting down the chat, but there's a sentence you used about the Self that I didn't get 'cause I was too busy. See if you can give that back again.
Everett: Yeah. What was it relating to?
Participant: You were generally talking about all of them, and then something about the Self. It was quite early on, or middle maybe.
Everett: Yeah, hold on. Let me... Seeing the pattern. "Once someone can recognize a Food Trance, the next step isn't to fight or to judge it, but to become curious about the Parts of us that create it." Well, you'll have this printout.
Participant: Good. Well, I'll have to listen to this again, 'cause it jumped out and I thought, oh, this is so helpful.
Everett: Yeah. Yay, straight A's, right? You're like, "I got straight A's."
Participant: And it's good to be back.
Everett: It's good to have you back.
Participant: It's good to be back with other people. It's good that this is not a freak thing. This is a common thing. It's comforting. That's like eating food that I shouldn't be eating.
Everett: Yeah. But thank you. Yeah, I missed you all too.
Participant: I also got straight A's, so I'm a Comfort Trance eater all the way. And I thought that it might be a little trickier. I think we've all felt all of them at some point, but your questions made me able to separate out the emotional aspect of comfort versus, I don't know, the mind chatter aspect of escape. And that had been difficult for me to see before. So, "Okay, now we know. Now what? How do we fix it?" Or how do we start talking to that trance? 'Cause they're very powerful changes of emotion.
Everett: The thing I like about it is there's definitely three different types of interventions that would be helpful, and it's so clear, right? It's so clear that how you would respond to needing comfort is so different than how you would respond to needing autonomy. And how you'd respond to needing to escape, right? So that's what I'm excited about. I think there's gonna be a new level of diagnostic capability that we're gonna have with this model that's gonna be more nuanced in what people realize they can do to address whatever it is they're dealing with, right?
Participant: I like that. Yes, yes.
Participant: Hi. I came in late 'cause I was at a doctor's appointment, but I did answer all the questions, and I'm pretty evenly split between A's and C's, 'cause I can't say I'm all one way.
Everett: Yeah, that makes sense too.
Participant: Hi. So I kind of have a question, because I answered and it was like a mix of A's and B's. And it's just not there. But when I was looking at it, it was like, okay, so after dinner when I'm tired and I should go to bed and I don't, is that comfort or is that the second one?
Everett: Yeah. I think that's maybe something for you to meditate on, right? Or even noticing it when it's happening. Ask yourself, "Am I doing this just 'cause I wanna feel better right now, or am I doing this 'cause I wanna check out?" Like, go away, right?
Participant: Sometimes it's like I just don't wanna go to bed yet. So it doesn't make any sense. But I'm not sure which one that would actually be, because both of them indicate that you're drained or you're tired. And I'm thinking it could be either one.
Everett: Yeah. But let's think about it for a moment. So usually checking out has to do with binging. It's sort of intense, intensive eating, right? So if you're like, "Oh, I have some popcorn when I watch a movie on TV," I [wouldn't] put that in the escape category, the binging category. But if you're kicking back a whole pizza by yourself, you're really going for a big state change in the body, right?
Participant: Yeah. Hmm. So the other thing that I noticed when you were talking is that sentence that shows up before you eat. Because when I think back, that actually does happen. And to me, it's very much like a seductive rationalization. It's me justifying what I'm gonna go do. It's like, "Oh, it's been really hard today and I just need this." Not really. It's not like I'm hungry.
Everett: Yeah. But there's that sentence. And again, it's just like in Parts work, right? By becoming aware of these things that are unconscious and making them conscious, we can bring more choice. You might notice that particular phrase. 'Cause I think for a lot of us, maybe for everyone, there is something that is said to ourselves to start the trance, to start it going. Maybe that's even what launches it: something comes into language, it's spoken, and then we're off, right?
Participant: Hi. Can you hear me? Yeah. So mine were all A's too. Woo-hoo, yay. Straight A's. But I can see myself in the other ones too. That one's probably my most go-to. And just now thinking about those three sentences, those three sentences are what we say to ourselves all the time, but it's the choice that we make afterwards. That's the awareness that I'm getting from what you're saying here, that there are Parts that come up once I say those sentences. "Screw it." Oh, Rebel. So it's the awareness of what's happening, because it is almost the automaticity of when you say the sentence to what happens next. Breaking that track is what we have to be aware of to do. Obviously emotions are behind all three of these. The soothing, the numbing, the freedom. We want all those, of course. So we gotta find it in healthy ways, I guess.
Everett: And it's interesting, because the Isolator is like an accelerant to all of them, right? If the Isolator's present, it just deepens all the trances.
Participant: Yeah. Right? 'Cause you don't have to ask permission from anybody. You're isolated. Yeah. It is where you find yourself at those moments, and then just realizing, oh. Especially that Seductive Rationalizer. That one sneaks in so fast. It's crazy. Well, thank you for this. This is good. Thank you.
Everett: Sure.
Participant: Are these sentences you're talking about what we talk about in Bright Line Eating as permission-giving thoughts? Would you say they're the same things?
Everett: Well, yeah, it depends. I guess it is the permission-giving thought for that trance, right? I just want something to comfort me, make me feel better. I don't wanna think, right? That's overwhelm. Like, I need to turn this off. And then the Rebel, right? "Screw it." Some version of "screw it."
Participant: Yep, yep.
Everett: So we're gonna do a guided journey, a guided Parts work session into your Food Trance, so that you can connect with a Part that's there. You can do this as a journaling exercise and/or as a guided meditation.
I wanna invite you to reflect for a moment on that dominant Food Trance that showed up. And if you feel like you were splitting between two, just reflect for a moment: which of those two are you feeling more curious about? Which of those two do you wanna work on in this moment?
I know a lot of you have done a lot of Indulger work, so this may be a Part that you feel like you have a connection to. But I wanna invite you to treat this as a new exploration. Try not to go into your mind and think about these Parts the way that you've worked with them in the past. Just allow this to be a new exploration of one of these three trances. The Comfort Trance, right? A Part that's really wanting to comfort you, soothe you, help you feel better. The word comfort has a certain feeling to it, right? There's even a gentleness to comfort.
I think this may also be one of the things that sets A and B apart. I think a lot of times when we're eating to numb, there can be kind of a violence to it, right? Like, I'm just gonna eat until I throw up. Whatever that is for you when you're trying to eat and numb yourself. But maybe that's also a way to notice the difference. Is there a gentleness to your eating? Is it about comfort and soothing? Or is it about just numbing your nervous system out?
Or is it about reclaiming freedom in that moment? Like rebelling against the rules and the structures that are feeling oppressive to you, and going up against food rules that another Part of you has instituted.
And for A, that may be the Loving Mother, the Part that tells you you deserve a treat, right? You deserve something. The Seductive Rationalizer can probably show up in any of these places, but that may also be what the Seductive Rationalizer is telling you, right? You need comfort.
Or is it a binging Part, right, for B? The Part that's trying to numb out your body. What's another body-numbing Part? The Robot, right? There's a Food Controller called the Robot, which just treats your body like a machine, and can override whatever your natural needs are, to just feed it like a machine.
Or the Rebel, right?
So just kind of settle into one of those. Settle into the Part that you wanna work on now.
And notice when this Part shows up, right? When this Food Trance starts, you start to go into this Food Trance. What's the quality of that feeling? What does it feel like? Maybe there's even certain foods that you eat to create the experience that you're trying to create.
And just notice. Allow an image to form of this Part, or if you're not image-oriented, allow just a felt sense of this Part. What's it feel like when this Part shows up, when this Food Trance shows up? What's the feeling of this? And from the feeling, see if you can start to get a sense of the Part directly.
Maybe you see it standing in front of you. Maybe you just sense it as a presence. Maybe it's just a voice. But however it's showing up, notice how you feel towards it. Notice how you feel towards it. And just see if you're feeling a Self quality. Are you feeling compassionate or curious? If you find you don't like the Part, if another Part is showing up, see if you can just ask that Part to step aside, so you can maybe lean into some curiosity towards this Part.
And ask this Part, what's its role? What does this Part want for you?
Ask this Part, what does it want you to know about itself?
What does it want you to know about itself?
And ask this Part, what is it afraid will happen if it doesn't show up? If it doesn't show up and do its job, what is it afraid will happen, or what is it afraid you'll feel?
Notice how you feel towards this Part in this moment. Notice if you can perhaps even feel some appreciation for this Part's positive intentions. To help, to soothe, to numb, to free you.
Ask this Part if it will show you some of its history, show you how it has shown up in your life.
Ask if it'll show or tell you something that it thinks you don't know yet about its history.
Ask this Part if it'll tell you why it chooses to show up when it does.
See if you can find some appreciation for this Part, just to build a stronger relationship with it. If you can, let this Part know that you appreciate its positive intentions, even if you don't appreciate the impact that it's having.
And ask this Part whether it's open to working with you, to continuing this relationship that you're starting to build with it now. And maybe you can help it achieve its goals in a way that doesn't harm your body or your integrity.
Ask this Part if it would share with you some non-food ways that it could accomplish this same goal. Non-eating ways.
And then thank this Part. Thank this Part, and tell it that you're actually gonna try and stay connected to this Part when it shows up, so that the two of you can work together to maybe achieve the goal this Part has, but in a way that's more aligned with the other goals that you might have around health.
If you can, really see if you can just thank this Part from deep in your heart, so the Part feels like you care and that you want to stay connected to it.
And then I'll give you a couple minutes to just jot down any notes that you want, anything you wanna remember from this guided journey, or even just some deeper thinking.
And then tell this Part that you really appreciate this time and this connection, and that you'll be back to connect more.
Does anyone wanna share to the larger group before we finish up?
Participant: Yes, Everett. I hadn't realized until we entered the breakout room that, in listening to the presentation on trances, I'd realized how fragmented much of the information was. It felt that way coming to me, so much so that I had difficulty pulling together a coherent response to the guided Parts journey experience. And as I was trying to describe it to the person that I was in the breakout room with, I got to the point where all I could say was that it didn't feel so much like rebelling as much as resisting. And even though that Part seemed fairly clear, I didn't know where to go with it from there. There was no grand noticing or conclusion drawing. It's just, I suppose, incrementally getting to the point where I could differentiate between resistance and rebelling seemed fairly significant to me.
Everett: Yeah, I think it is, right? What a great line of inquiry. That's what I love about this work. You now have this mystery to solve, right? What is the resistance? What am I resisting?
Participant: Yes. That's the point.
Everett: Yeah. Thank you for that.
Participant: I am really excited, because this Part of me that there was so much shame about, that I didn't want anybody to see, I've come out with this: it's my friend, and this Part has been my friend since childhood. It's stopped me from falling down holes, deep holes, the emptiness. And when we started this, I actually could run to it and hug it right from the start, maybe because of all the other work we've done in class. I've come out with this comforter of mine, my best friend of all the Parts. And what a difference that makes. And yes, we've agreed we're gonna work on some non-food ways of being together, out in the open, no longer hiding. So thank you for this work.
Everett: You're so welcome.
Participant: I realized I had a lot of ideas of non-food ways to comfort myself, but I don't do any of them. I had a long list of them, things like havening. It's a way to kind of soothe yourself, you do these certain movements. Or just hugging myself and giving myself love before I eat anything, or putting my hand on my heart. Deep breathing, having tea, all kinds of things. I can't think of all of them right now. Just visualizing a beautiful place, or something to make myself feel comforted instead of eating. So anyway, they're pretty simple things, but I need to do them.
Everett: Yeah. It's a great realization, right? Like, oh wow, there's a bunch of things. All right.
Participant: So in our group, we talked about the word trance, and it's kind of similar to the zombie. We all know zombie stuff, it's in our culture now. And that's the curiosity of this work: why do I feel like I go into a trance, and then it just happens, and I'm not aware? So continuing this work, I guess, will get us to that awareness, that curiosity of trance, zombie, what's going on with it. So thank you for that. I think trance is a good word. It's a great word.
Everett: Yeah. One of the things I realized too, when I was doing the guided journey, was that I think the way addiction comes into this is, once we have a trance, like a state of mind, it can be triggered by driving past McDonald's, right? Or whatever. The way addiction gets anchored to things. So if you do something enough, then it becomes a trance state that you can move into easily, and various things might trigger it. And then it's just back.
Participant: Yeah. It's getting that awareness to know what is happening right now, and when it happens. The moments of transition, when something's happened. So being aware of it is obviously the first thing. And so that's what I like about this. Thank you.
Everett: Excellent. Thank you.
Thank you for listening to The Peaceful Eating Way Podcast. If something landed for you today, take a minute to write it down before you move on. You can find more of this work, including the free Food Trance quiz, at everettconsidine.com.
