Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
June Alexander in podcast with Karin Lewis on eating disorder recovery and the diary
A podcast with eating disorder therapist Karin Lewis tells of how a love of writing and family helped me to forge a life of my own, beyond a 44-year battle with anorexia nervosa. As background to the podcast interview, Karin invited me to..
In the waiting room, there was a horse
At the age of 14, in my first attempt to reclaim my life from the grips of undiagnosed Anorexia Nervosa (AN), I was incredibly driven and intrinsically motivated. Today, at age 37, I am proud of that young woman who..
The power of story-telling and why your story counts
Feeling misunderstood is one of the most difficult and emotionally painful aspects when experiencing an eating disorder. My parents and sister, after decades of witnessing behaviours driven by my illness, gave up trying to understand me. Do I blame them?..
The healing power in writing your memoir
So you want to write your memoir? A memoir is a story about part of your life. Memoir-writing can also be a great self-healer. As a mentor for memoir-writing, I explain the creation of your story can be a three-stage process,..
Recovery memoir pre-publication study: inviting participants
Help shape the future of an unpublished book about recovery from anorexia A new study run by Oxford University researchers is investigating the effects of reading a memoir about recovery from anorexia prior to publication. Key points: Existing findings on..
How anorexia strikes fear into food and causes life to crumble
When anorexia nervosa (AN) dominated my mind, I behaved in some really crazy and sometimes dangerous ways. I would not dream of behaving like that today, because AN no longer bullies or manipulates my thoughts. But during my most vulnerable moments,..
Fictional life story helps self-healing from eating disorder
“Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.” Sigmund Freud A series of events inspired me to write A Dangerous Daughter. Firstly, in 2015, I was invited to take part in an international study on eating disorders, the Anorexia Nervosa..
Healing goes on and on with ‘Life Without Ed’
In 2004 the book Life Without Ed boosted my efforts in gaining reconnection with ‘me’. I had been ‘lost’ for 44 years with an eating disorder and, within 12 months of reading this book, I was ‘found’. In 2014, author Jenni Schaefer released a 10th Anniversary..
Feed, love and heal – the role for parents when their child develops an eating disorder
What to do When Your Teen Has An Eating Disorder by Lauren Muhlheim (Introduction by June Alexander) I wish my parents had access to Dr Lauren Muhlheim’s new book When Your Teen Has An Eating Disorder when I was a..
How diary writing helped me to survive and heal from an eating disorder
“When I was 11 years old, I developed anorexia nervosa. The same year, I received a diary as a Christmas gift.” A gift of a diary, in the same year I developed anorexia nervosa at age 11, became..