Bulimia athlete using experience to help others

Jun 15 2008

A SPRINTER whose Olympic dream was shattered by bulimia is using her battle with the eating disorder to help others.

Dawn Flockhart has told how huge pressure to stay trim caused her to begin vomiting after eating.

The 200m runner's fouryear ordeal began after landing a scholarship to the US as a 17-year-old sprinter tipped for the top.

Dawn, 39, from Edinburgh, was forced to quit athletics altogether.

She tried all kinds of therapies but talking about her problem only seemed to make it worse.

But after two sessions of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), she knew she'd never throw up her food again.

Now Dawn helps others as an NLP practitioner at her Brain Train Academy in Edinburgh.

She said: "It was totally different to anything I had seen or heard of. NLP works by looking at the person, not the illness.

"The techniques used help change how you see, hear and feel about your problem."

Following a move to Aberdeen, she was able eventually to rejoin the Scottish athletics team.

When she finally retired from competition, celebrity hypnotist Paul McKenna trained her in NLP.

Nowadays, most of her clients seek help for stress, phobias, to stop smoking and to find confidence.

But she admits she takes great pleasure from being able to help others banish bulimia and other eating disorders.