You know who can make a really un-fun travel companion? An eating disorder.   At the worst of my illness-I remember crying in anticipation of a weekend away.   Being able to prepare my own food and stick to my rigid exercise routine was my safety blanket-and when traveling, it felt like it was being ripped away from me. I spent a huge amount of time and energy thinking about food, weight, and exercise while traveling. It was exhausting.   Now, as I’m about to spend a week on vacation with a friend-I am so grateful to be able to actually enjoy vacations (including the food!)   The follow ..read more

​She has just finished dinner when the urges begin. It feels like the food in the pantry is calling to her. All she can think about is the package of Oreos, the peanut butter and bread, and the chips. She wants nothing more than to get lost in the cycle of eating. To numb out and to feel that initial pleasure as she washes down a package of Oreos with gallon of milk.  But part of her doesn’t want to do this again. She wants nothing more than to be able to stop this terrible cycle. It's so exhausting. And she's always filled with shame and guilt after a binge. Yet, she doesn’t know how ..read more

“It seems like I’m actually experiencing my feelings, now that I’m no longer bingeing and purging my emotions,” my client in recovery from bulimia shared. ​ Eating disorders are believed to be caused by a combination of factors including, genetic, temperamental, and environmental influences.   However, one thing that almost all of my clients with eating disorders have in common is difficulty in expressing, processing, and coping with their emotions.   Emotional Avoidance and Eating Disorders   Emotional avoidance, is described as actions that are intended to prevent an emotional respons ..read more

Certain aspects of recovering from an eating disorder are often not talked about enough. Some publications share stories of intense struggles, followed by a triumphant rise to full recovery. These stories are truly great as they inspire hope for those who are still struggling, however often they do not highlight details of the recovery journey.   One of the aspects of eating disorder recovery that is often not discussed, is that often people may feel worse before they start to feel better.   I share about this aspect of recovery not in an effort to cause you to want to ‘give up,’ but r ..read more

While mental health has been a hot topic in the media recently, there is still a lot of stigma around the idea of struggling with a mental illness.   Many people struggle with feelings of shame when it comes to struggling with their mental health. This is perfectly understandable given the amount of stigma in society. However, would you feel shame around struggling with hypothyroidism or an autoimmune disease?   There’s still this pervasive myth about mental illness that they are simply “choices,” that depression is just about “feeling sad,” that anxiety is just about worrying, and tha ..read more

​Today's post is one that is really special to me. It was written by Kayla O'Brien, who is one of my incredible social media interns. Kayla is truly amazing! She is insightful, smart, artistic, and compassionate. I am so thankful to have her as a member of my team. Feel free to leave a comment below if this post helped you or follow her on Instagram @itsmekaylaohbe Before receiving treatment for my eating disorder, I held on to a lot of resentment regarding how others--people who I thought cared about me-- weren’t showing up for me in ways I was showing up for them. “ I was there fo ..read more

Healthy living and the concept of “healthy eating” appears to be our new cultural fixation. We are constantly flooded with articles and advertisements consisting of elaborate juices, recipes, and lists of super foods, that all claim to be able to instill us with optimal health. So what on earth does it mean to “eat healthy?” There are many different camps that have opposing viewpoints as to what constitutes “healthy eating.” Some people have jumped on the “I eat only organic” bandwagon, whereas others are fixated on the concept of “clean eating,” and still others promote the “whole 30 ..read more

​When I decided that I wanted to hire someone to work with me in my practice, I received many applications and conducted a lot of interviews. After I interviewed, Hanna Kuyper, I knew immediately that she was the person who I wanted to hire. I asked her to do a "role-play" session with me and she completely  knocked it out of the park! I almost offered her the position on the spot.  Hanna is compassionate, smart, kind, and highly knowledgeable when it comes to helping people to recover from eating disorders and body image issues. I was so excited to do an interview with my amazing n ..read more

​  “I shouldn’t feel so anxious around food.”   “This shouldn’t be so hard.”   “It’s my fault that I developed an eating disorder.”   “I’m just such a shallow person.”   I often see clients struggling with feelings of shame around their eating disorders thoughts or behaviors. I’ve also had clients who express feeling like it was some of their own “choices,” which led them to develop an eating disorder.   The reality is that I’ve never seen anyone successfully shame themselves into recovery from an eating disorder. Shame actually can cause people to be dishonest, disconnected, and to not ..read more

Image Credit: NEDA ​Community and rebuilding connections is a crucial part of eating disorder recovery.   When someone is intensely struggling with an eating disorder, it often becomes their primary relationship. Thus, it’s so important that people in recovery build a sense of community and practice reaching out to people rather than turning to their eating disorder behaviors.   I can’t think of a better place to find a powerful sense of community comprised of individuals in recovery, loved ones, treatment professionals and advocates than at a National Eating Disorders Association Confe ..read more