March 27, 2017

Meet Nina Savelle-Rocklin of Dr. Nina, Inc. in Sherman Oaks

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nina Savelle-Rocklin.

Nina, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I was five years old I developed an obsession with my thighs. I truly thought that if my legs were thinner, I’d be perfect. And I was a perfectly normal weight child.

I became convinced that skinnier legs would somehow make me a better person.

And my obsession got worse as I grew older. Throughout adolescence and into college, my last thought at night was, “What did I eat today?” I fell asleep counting calories and fat grams. I calculated every bite and sip, wondering if I’d lose weight by the next morning or gain it. The scale was my most welcome friend and my biggest enemy.

If that scale registered an added pound, my day was ruined. A lost pound made me feel euphoric. When I hiked with friends, I focused on how many calories I was burning instead of how much fun I was having. I alternated severe restriction and deprivation with bingeing. I was thin, but in a constant state of anxiety. Eventually I began therapy. I shared my boyfriend issues, my goals and dreams and fears. I was open with my therapist about every aspect of my life – except one.
I never told her what was going on with food. I went once a week for three years and NEVER talked about my eating disorder.

In truth, I did not want to give up my relationship to food. Starving gave me a sense of strength and superiority. I felt secretly better than other people because I had the will to deny myself.

Eventually my willpower failed and I binged, then used laxatives, or vomited to get rid of the food I had consumed. My struggle was too shameful to admit to anyone, including my therapist, so I waged my war with food in private.

Several months into therapy I noticed some changes. Restricting food no longer made me feel superior. It made me feel deprived.

I started to feel hungry – for food, but basically, for life.

I became aware of feelings that I had denied. I learned to process those emotions, rather than deny them. I began using words to comfort myself, and talking to myself in a supportive way, instead of criticizing myself. By the time I left therapy, I no longer engaged in any eating disorder behavior. Not once did I reveal to my therapist what was going on with food.

How was this possible?

My eating disorder was a symptom of the actual problem, my mean relationship with myself. In therapy, I learned to cope with difficult situations, instead of using food to distract from them. I learned to soothe myself with words instead of using ice cream or cookies.

I know from experience what it’s like to struggle with disordered eating but I also know that complete recovery is possible.

Why did I develop an obsession with my thighs as a child? I was constantly being told that I was too loud, too emotional, too rambunctious. I interpreted this as being “too much” and my five year old mind thought there was too much of me – if I were smaller, I would not be so much of a problem.

Now, as a psychoanalyst, author, speaker, I help people all over the world heal their relationship to food. In my private practice, I treat people with food, weight and body image issues. I also write an award-winning blog, host a podcast, a video series, and I have online programs that help people in 18 different countries lose weight without dieting and make peace with food.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I certainly had moments of concern. Early in my private practice, I had a week in which half of my patients had to leave for various reasons, and I was worried that nobody else would walk through my door!

I decided to be very clear about my own personal history with disordered eating, which was a very vulnerable thing to put out there on a website, and it turned out to be the right decision – so many people have told me that my story gives them hope.

It’s incredibly gratifying to help people change their lives. I love what I do!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Dr. Nina, Inc. – what should we know?
I’m a psychoanalyst specializing in food, weight and body image issues. In my private clinical practice I treat men and women who struggle with eating disorders. I also write an award-winning blog, Make Peace With Food, host a podcast, Lose Weight Without Dieting with Dr. Nina, and have a video series, The Dr. Nina Show. My book on eating disorders, Food For Thought, was recently published by Rowman & Littlefield and was an Amazon bestseller in its category.

In my private practice, I help people recover from disordered eating. I also created Win The Diet War, and have two online programs that help people lose weight without dieting.

What sets me apart is that I help people achieve weight loss by taking a non-diet approach. It is not what you’re eating that’s the true problem, it’s what’s eating “at” you. I help people get to the root issues of “why” they’re eating, instead of focusing on food. I help them make peace with food by making peace with themselves.

I also treat many people in midlife – most of my patients and online clients are in their 40s – 70s, and I treat a lot of men, as well as women.

I’m proud of the world that I do and it is a privilege to help people change their lives.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I drink a lot of coffee!!

I believe my resilience and tenacity has been instrumental to my success. I believe strongly in my mission to help people and I am creative and persistent. If there’s an obstacle, I find a way around it.

I’m also a huge believer in using social media to spread my message, which is not something that many other psychoanalysts are doing. I believe that keeping an open mind, trying new things, and never, ever giving up is the key to my success.

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