“There’s a battle going on inside my head—one voice tells me I don’t need to eat, while the other says I should follow my meal plan.” “It’s like I have an angel sitting on one shoulder and a devil on the other.” “I feel like I’m two people—one who knows I’m really in trouble and one who feels stronger and more powerful each day.”
Almost every person I’ve seen with an eating disorder has reported, or can relate to, the concept of this internal struggle... Read More
I've been thinking quite a bit about the effect of pregnancy on recovery from an eating disorder. I have had clients whose resolve to feed themselves adequately, or stop purging, increases dramatically once the pregnancy is discovered, as would seem to make sense. But I am currently dealing with a young woman whose symptoms have become much worse; she has just been hospitalized in order to stabilize her medical situation, and hopefully, help her gain strength and motivation to continue caring for herself on an outpatient basis. So why is pregnancy a positive motivation for some and a significant stress for others?
I'm very excited to let you know that one of my long term clients, Kathy Christian, has just become engaged. Her fiance', Joe Locke, proposed last weekend over dinner at the top of the Amway Grand, the swankiest restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kathy has a lovely ring on her finger and a grin a mile wide.
This past week we hosted Buddy Howard in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His presentation: "Back from the Brink: A Father's Perspective on Recovery from an Eating Disorder" was heard and appreciated by an audience of 75. Buddy was part of a panel of parents talking about their recovery experiences at the NEDA conference in San Diego last September. He is a warm and engaging speaker with a message of hope and inspiration for all; but it truly resonates with the men in the audience. Should you wish to sponsor such a presentation for your event Buddy can be contacted via email at hyddub_1999@yahoo.com. Buddy is heading up the technology campaign for NEDA and we are proud to be making a $300 contribution to this cause.
This past week marked the 20th Annual National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. I am proud to say that I've participated with NEDAW almost from the beginning. I remember attending an organizational meeting with Anita Sinicrope Maier and Margo Maine at the NAAS conference in Columbus, Ohio back in 1986. NEDAW has grown exponentially since those humble beginnings. This year there were coordinators across the nation who planned all kinds of events for professionals, students, and the general public, all in an effort to raise awareness regarding eating disorders. We have a wonderful event planned to occur right here in Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 18. More to follow . . .
Valentine's Day came and went without much fanfare at our house. It was a normal, busy work day - although I did have special calls and messages from my husband and children. Then when I arrived home I picked up the newspaper and was reminded of "V-Day", celebrated with a local production of "The Vagina Monologues" and its theme of halting violence against women. What touched me even more were the messages of support and encouragement sponsored by local businessmen. I thought too of an event earlier this week, described to me by a client, which was held to support Breast Cancer Awareness, and attended by many young men in her community.
I missed posting last week because I was in Norfolk, VA where my husband and I welcomed home our son from a six month deployment in the Persian Gulf. He has been in the Navy for nearly 4 years, but this was his first actual deployment. What an experience it was to stand on that pier, along with about 1,000 other family members and friends, to greet them. First off the ship were the officers, so our anticipation heightened as we saw them hug and kiss wives and children. Next came the 32 new fathers for a first meeting with their 34 new babies born while the ship was away. Lastly came a steady stream of the 800 or so enlisted men and women and soon we had our arms around our son. It brought tears to our eyes and made us swell with pride.
I received the following thoughtful response to Carolyn's post, dated 11/8/07:
Caroline, you wrote: "The key, for me, is that although there are guidelines, at some point we also have to trust the things that we know. . . . I do my best to keep true to my profession and my humanness at the same time." I almost agree with you wholeheartedly, and now we have evidence based scientific research to back up the use of our humanity in our practices. Appropriate boundaries between patient and psychotherapist are essential in any psychotherapy and particularly in the field of eating disorders.
Attention all therapists and treatment providers with clients who reside in Michigan: There has been a class action lawsuit filed in Wayne County on behalf of eating disorder sufferers who have been denied coverage and benefits for inpatient treatment by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The denial of coverage must have occurred within the past six years. It does not matter if treatment was to occur in Michigan or in another state.
Today is Primary Day in Michigan. I stopped answering the phone last night because of the onslaught of pre-recorded messages from various candidates, especially on the Republican side. As you may have read or seen on the news, the Democratic primary is only represented by Hillary Clinton, because the state of Michigan broke some rules by moving the primary earlier in the season. As a result John Edwards and Barak Obama withdrew their names from the ballot, and some of Michigan's delegates may not be seated at their respective conventions come fall.
It has been some time since my last posting . . . apologies to all, especially my contacts at Gurze, who have been incredibly patient with me. In addition to the extra events and travel during the month of December my family was plagued with some illness. All of this made it difficult to find the time or energy to post. When the time for New Year's Resolutions hit, I thought to myself that "doing better with my blog posts" was an excellent thought. That was six days ago, and the "thought" never crossed my mind again.
The posts and comments contained in The Gürze Books Eating Disorders Blogs do not necessarily represent the views, beliefs, or opinions of Gürze Books. The information contained here is meant to complement, not substitute for, professional medical and/or psychological services.
All EatingDisordersBlogs.com content copyright 2012 Gürze Books
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