Have you learned about the crazy connection between food and our nervous system yet? Understanding your nervous system (and polyvagal theory) could overhaul your relationship with eating and food. Is food the ultimate drug and most widely available method of self soothing? Does it help us understand why we reach for food, when we may need to reach for something else? Today we ask: are you hungry for love, or hungry for food, or is your nervous system crying out for help? Louise is joined by integrative health practitioner, Sarah Murphy, as they have a totally new way of looking at comfort eating, binge eating and your relationship with food. The pair discuss:How childhood shapes our relationship with foodHunger for love, hunger for bonding & the oxytocin deficiency theoryWhy feeling loved, seen, heard and cherished can reduce emotional eating or binge eatingWhy we eat when we’re not hungry (pleasure, calming and self soothing)Understanding the impact of stress on our appetite and how it affects our relationship with foodThe connection between nervous system regulation, dysregulation, the vagus nerve and our emotional eating patterns. + The Ladder Analogy - how food can take you through different states of the nervous system when we need to learn to ‘scaffold’ on our own.Sarah also delivers us a suite of top tips and tricks on how to break this emotional eating cycle covering lifestyle changes, cold plunging, bodywork, gut health, supplement recommendations, and more.  -----⭐ Want more bonus episodes, Home Truths, Voice Notes from Lu and access to our community area The House? Join OPENHOUSE PREMIUM for all of this + exclusive access to our 'Ask A Therapist' room with guaranteed therapist responses. Plus, enjoy all episodes ad-free! Join OPENHOUSE Premium here: https://openhouse.supercast.com/ ⭐ -----Join OPENHOUSE PREMIUM now at: https://openhouse.supercast.com/Connect with Louise on Instagram: @iamlouiserumballFollow Louise (The Therapy Girl) on TikTok: @thetherapygirl__Connect with OPENHOUSE: @theopenhousepodcastConnect with Sarah Murphy on Instagram: @thepotentplantMusic Sources⠀ Vibe With Me by Joakim Karud http://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud⠀ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-7YDBIGCXsY