In today's season 5 premiere, I talk with Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir. She tells us about her own journey with food addiction, how she helped herself and then how she opened one of the first food addiction treatment programs in the world. And after doing those things, also founded INFACT, to help professionals get the training needed to help their food addict patients. Esther has almost 20 years of abstinence under her belt and is changing the world so that everyone can find and get treatment.
Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir is a pioneer in the field of food addiction treatment. Once an opera singer and opera teacher, Esther was battling food addiction for most of her adult life until she discovered a twelve step program that changed her life.
Once in recovery, she opened one of the first food addiction treatment programs in the world. The MFM program in Iceland has treated many people, some of them had tried multiple diets and even surgery in an attempt to live a healthier life. Esther’s program gives them hope and the tools to achieve long term recovery. Based on the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous their success rate long term is much higher than any other medical intervention.
After establishing the treatment center, Esther realized that not only the patients needed help with food addiction but also the professionals. She then founded INFACT, an international training program for any type of professional willing to learn about food addiction and how to help those suffering with it. The six months online course is open to everyone and it gives you an excellent evidence based knowledge on Food Addiction diagnosis and treatment. The list of lecturers is very impressive, from Nicole Avena to Robert Lustig (author of Metabolical) to experienced counsellors on the field of food addiction like Phil Werdell. At the end of the course, attendees receive a Food Addiction Professional Certificate from the European Certification Board.
On top of this impressive curriculum, Esther is the Executive Director and Chair of the Food Addiction Institute, an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to support the healing of all food addicts, founded in 2005.
INFACT: https://infact.is/
Food Addiction Institute: https://www.foodaddictioninstitute.org/
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