SE2 – Ep4: When Trauma is at the table with Melanie Hargraves

In this week’s episode focusing on “when trauma is at the table”, I have the pleasure of speaking with Melanie Hargraves.

Melanie (she/her) is an experienced, curious and compassionate dietitian interested in the way trauma can impact eating and body image. Qualifying over 10 years ago, she blends her lived experience with this expertise to provide pragmatic and practical support for anyone struggling. You can find her on instagram at @whentraumasatthetable. 

In this podcast episode about how trauma is at the table we explore:

• What trauma is and what we mean by Big T and Little T.
• What does it mean “when trauma is at the table”?
• We explore how trauma, generally or trauma specifically connected to eating can impact your relationship with food, eating and body image

Melanie also shares some of her own experiences around food and how trauma has impacted her own relationship with food. It is a really powerful conversation and I hope you will get a lot from it.

Trauma can mean many different things. It is not always the big T traumas that have lasting impacts on our lives, many small Ts can add up and accumulate. It is important to remember that chronic dieting is another trauma to the body. Restricting and not eating enough is registrated for the body as stress to its survival. If you have dieted or restricted foods for a long time, it will take time to rebuild that trust between you and your body again.

You can find out more about Melanie Hargraves work here:

IG: @whentraumaisatthetable

Other resources mentioned:

@the.mindfuldietitian

@nalgonaposotivitypride

@bodyjustice.therapist

The book The Body Keeps the Score

Binge eating can often be a result of trauma, so if you are looking for some support for that, check out my 1:1 offerings here