Last updated on November 17th, 2023
A moment of peace and nourishment on your mobile phone
These audios are designed to press the RESET button on your emotions, and access the very best of you when you want to help your child.
Download them onto your phone so they're handy just before a meal, or use them to settle into peaceful sleep.
Audio 1: compassion guidance followed by waking up instructionsĀ (27mn)
You can also listen to this one on YouTube
This is designed to help you access a state of compassion for yourself and for your child. This could help you find some inner peace when you are still reeling from a difficult interaction, and it could bring to the fore your inner resources, ahead of the next meal or some other challenging situation.
This audio should be ideal if you are not familiar with meditation or with the principles I use, or if you are very agitated. That is because I talk a lot, and much of it is introducing you to concepts I have found useful. The pauses are only brief, so that if you are stressed and your mind is very busy, this audio will keep your attention better than one with long silences.
Just in case you doze off, this audio has a āwake upā bit right at the end.
Audio 2: the same, but with sleep prompts at the endĀ (35 mn)
Audios 2 and 4 areĀ is also included in the many audios of the Bitesize audio collection.
You might enjoy using this audio at bedtime, so this version ends with 8 minutes of my voice trailing off, with prompts for you to doze off.
Audio 3: as short meditation with brief pausesĀ (7mn)
You can also listen to this one on YouTube
This uses the same concepts as the 27mn one, but I assume you now know what Iām talking about, so I talk a lot less, and I leave more silence. All the same, the pauses are reasonably brief, so you might appreciate that if your mind tends to wander.
Audio 4: the same but less talk and longer pausesĀ (8mn)
Audios 2 and 4 areĀ is also included in the many audios of the Bitesize audio collection.
After a while you may enjoy getting just a few prompts to guide you, and much more time for your own internal journey, so you can go as deep as you like.
And also:
I also provide a guide to help you handle the files if you haven't got a clue how to get them onto your iPhone or mp3 player. And a script in case you want to read what's in those meditations.
Why these audios?
Ages ago, I was struggling to get myself in a compassionate state ahead of a meal. I'd just had a tough interaction with my daughter, I felt agitated, aggressive and weepy. I only had 20 minutes alone before she returned, at which point I'd have to support her through some challenging food. I found a hypnotic relaxing audio on YouTube, but as I listened it seemed to be making no difference at all. I despaired. Especially as she came home early and I didn't feel at all ready to be compassionate.
Well, it was amazing. As soon as I greeted my daughter, I realised I was chilled, kind, supportive and feeling totally up to the task.
After that I hunted around for the ideal audio resource. I couldn't find anything that would really suit my situation, so I set about producing my own. First I did a lot more research into self-connection and compassion, which led to changing Chapter 13 of my book, and at last, I produced these audios. I hope you will find them very helpful.
The principles used in this audio come from my experience, from teachings on mindfulness (Tara Brach, Flint Sparks), from the research on compassion by Kristin Neff and of Paul Gilbert, from Buddhist and other wisdoms, and from Nonviolent Communication (NVC), in particular the teachings of Robert Gonzales.
Two of them are also on YouTube
There are the YouTube versions of Audio 1 and Audio 3. The download versions you can get here are a bit more polished in places, you can keep them for ever, and of course you can listen without being online.
Two of them are also in the Bitesize audio collection
Number 2 and Number 4 are included in the many audios of Bitesize
Laura –
I want to tell all parents who have a child with an eating disorder to listen to these meditations if they can, and as often as needed!! I find that when my daughter is angry and down that it triggers me too, and I feel fraught. Listening to a meditation geared at this situation is helping me daily right now. Eva has such a calming and soothing voice, and just knowing she has been there too is helpful. My nervous system seems to just relax! And what I am finding is that key quotes from her come to my mind constantly through the day now: it is like retraining the mind and setting an internal script. I often think that I canāt control my childās journey in the same way that I canāt control the weather, but I can walk alongside the magnificence that lives within her. And also that my aim is to be free IN this situation right now. So wise, so calming and so helpful in resetting me day by day. Thank you Eva
Eva Musby –
From Momon, from this forum post:
"Eva, I just wanted to say I am using your mindfulness meditation guide nightly and it is changing my life in a positive way. I listen to it every night at bed time and I can feel how it is helping me be more calm, more positive and less anxious during the day. It is kind of freaky to tell you the truth, how helpful it is. Apparently if you train your brain to relax and lower the anxiety level, you can do it when you are driving or having a spat, or just whenever. I had tried prozac for a couple months recently but went off 2 months ago due to sleepiness issues, and now meditation is filling the gap.
I feel like a person touting merchandise in one of those bogus TV ads– but it's true how powerful the meditation audio has been for me . Last night my d tried a mindfulness meditation app (not Eva's as she'd be livid at the ED link) and I am hoping I can get her to do that repeatedly and see if it helps her anxiety.
Has anyone else tried this and found it very helpful? You do need to do it for a while, I think, to feel positive impacts even when you are not in the midst of doing the meditation.
And thank you Eva for making it. You are a generous and talented ally!"
From Jo, who left the following comment HERE on this website:
"Hello Eva, I have been wanting to send a huge thank you for some time now. I bought your book last year when my daughter was first diagnosed and found it the most helpful amongst all the books I have read. I canāt thank you enough for sharing all your knowledge, research, insight and lived experience. You are my hero!
After a very difficult patch I returned to your book at the beginning of this year and accessed your meditation audios. I canāt begin to say how much they have helped me to help myself and better understand my beautiful daughter. I can sincerely say you have saved me. Big thank yous and big hugs xxx"