Archive for the ‘Families’ Category

Eating disorder recovery involves more than establishing a healthy relationship with food. I found I also needed to break old habits and learn new skills to cope with the ups and downs of adult life. Facing such challenges takes courage,..

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..

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..

In last month’s column, I communicated my surprise that there are no published studies of prevention of disordered eating (DE) and EDs in high-risk (HR) families. This situation exists despite evidence demonstrating genetic risk factors for eating disorders and the value..

In 1962, when undiagnosed anorexia nervosa ravaged my 11-year-old mind and body, a small miracle occurred. A Christmas gift of a diary sparked a lifelong passion. A bond of trust and friendship was forged immediately with that little diary. I..

Families do not cause an eating disorder (ED). However, the family’s role in treatment and recovery is crucial. This is because the best place to heal from an ED is in the home. However, for this to happen, we need..

Often, during recovery, I never wanted to hear the term “eating disorder” again. Why then, have I embraced the term and become involved in eating disorder advocacy? Why not shut out the eating disorder experience and pretend the big gap..

The most important thing you can do when assisting someone with an eating disorder is to prepare by educating yourself as much as possible about eating disorders. You will need to constantly remind yourself that behind this illness is the..

To eat and be placed in a holding yard is neither helpful, effective nor holistic when trying to recover from an eating disorder (ED). While hospital is useful and often necessary, our health system is like a bucket full of..

Jessica turned 38 years old on the day that her story was posted on The Diary Healer.  After reading her insightful account and seeing the photo of her carefully cradling her newborn child, flanked by her two daughters, I asked..