Case Study- Thomas_Final

>> Hello. Welcome to this module's case study. Remember Thomas? Imagine that this is your fifth coaching session with him. Here are some notes from his last three sessions. Session number two, Thomas was very focused on getting results and he expressed more frustration about how his current approaches haven't worked for him. We used the Decoding Your Why of Eating exercise to help him connect more with his hunger. Thomas said that he often feels ravenous but doesn't let himself indulge except during the holidays when he eats like a maniac. He said that he's used to being on autopilot both at work and at home. He also said that he often controls his food more when overwhelmed. When we explored the idea of emotional versus physical hunger, Thomas was intrigued as he shared that he's not an emotional man but that if he thinks about it, he can see how he might experience a lot of stress in his life. Session number three, we explored the stress in Thomas's life and Thomas connected with a chronic sense of urgency. He wants to reach his physical goals quickly, he's worried about his mother's declining health, and he knows that his new wife wants to have children but he realizes that he would be an older dad, so they need to figure that out soon. After completing the Your Stress Cycle and Eating Connection exercise, Thomas identified that talking about the future often makes him anxious, so he tunes it out by focusing very hard on his current task. He knows that avoiding stress isn't helpful, but it helps him get through the day. Thomas also noticed that he often craves comfort foods and is the king of carbs when with family. Though he loves his family, he tends to feel like he has to prove himself around them. Session number four, Thomas came into this session very upset after an argument with his brother Damien about their dad. Thomas explained that Damien is a graphic designer, married, with two kids, who is kind of the black sheep of the family. Damien had expressed anger about their dad who he said constantly pushed him to do things he didn't want to do. Thomas had replied that their father was trying to teach them important life skills, but Damien always felt like he was a failure because he didn't do what he should have done. This had inspired him to move across the country and live his own life, which increased his happiness. Thomas couldn't understand why Damien would move so far away from his family and resents him for doing so. In his most recent revisit form, Thomas recognized that he always has to work hard to fit into his father's vision of a strong man and that he now feels like, overall, he failed. We'll return to Thomas again in a few weeks. After you finish Module 5, take a few minutes to return to this case study and try applying some of the material. We'll also provide more opportunity for you to reflect on this case study and support each other via the Facebook group. For now, think about the following two questions. What are some high-mileage questions that might help you in your next session with Thomas? How might you use Thomas's language, for example, the words he uses, in order to better understand his relationship with food? That's all for now. See you soon.