Recovery Support

Check out Woman's Zone

2008-09-02T07:03:26-07:00

Hi! A recent interview I did with Kendra Pinder is now online at Woman's Zone. Please check it out, along with other interviews with various guests talking about topics from cancer to menopause to fashion. You will hear from some amazing women from across the globe who will inspire and encourage you!

Also, check out the Woman's Zone Forum. Let us know what you think!

Best,

Jenni

Join Me in Washington, D.C.!

2008-09-01T06:47:28-07:00

Hi guys! I hope your holiday weekend has been great. I have had a blast...mountain biking, hearing great live music (I live in Music City, U.S.A.!), and hanging out with friends.

If you live in or around Washington, D.C., please check out the info posted below. I would love to meet you in person!

Best,

Jenni

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
Washington, D.C.
Eating Disorders Coalition (www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org) events
America the Beautiful: How America's Obsession with Beauty Contributes to Eating Disorders

2:30 PM - 4 PM Briefing
United States Capitol Room H-137
Hosted by Congressman Jim Ramstad (R-MN)
Panel of Speakers includes Filmmaker Darryl Roberts, Jenni Schaefer and others
FREE

5 PM - 6:30 PM Reception
720 7th Street NW, Suite 300
Price: $40 Junior Tickets, $70 Regular Tickets
Reception tickets include one movie ticket

7 PM – 9:30 PM Screening of America The Beautiful
E Street Theater
555 E Street NW (10th and 11th)
Price: $15 online/$20 door

This will be the DC premiere of the film, and the screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker Darryl Roberts.

America the Beautiful is a socially probing documentary that explores the question, "Does America have an unhealthy obsession with beauty?" Filmmaker Darryl Roberts journeys into the psyche of celebrities like Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson, athletes like Reggie Theus, industry professionals such as Jill Ishkanian from "US Weekly," Ted Casablanca from the "E! Channel" and the American citizenry to determine the roots of this superficial obsession. By juxtaposing his personal obsessions with beauty with those of people like Martin Short, Michael Beach, Mena Suvari, Anthony Kiedis, Tischa Campbell and Aisha Tyler, Roberts illustrates that, to varying degress, we all fall victim to this superficial social phenomenon. For more information, visit http://www.americathebeautifuldoc.com/

* Jenni’s trip to Washington, D.C. is being sponsored by Center For Change. Please check out this amazing program at www.CenterForChange.com. Jenni is a consultant with Center For Change.

"Recovered" vs. "In Recovery" --- Take II

2008-08-12T09:32:13-07:00

Hi! Okay, so I know that I have taken a long time to get back with you regarding the topic of "Recovered" vs. "In Recovery." (Sorry about that!) I think the article I just finished writing below will explain why. Enjoy! And, as always, please let me know your thoughts!

Best,

Jenni

“Recovered” vs. “In Recovery”
The truth about eating disorders
by Jenni Schaefer

“Can you ever be fully recovered from an eating disorder or are you always in recovery?”

People often ask me this question. I have tried to come up with the perfect answer --- one that would make everyone happy and that would fit into every recovery model. Since there is no perfect answer to this question, this article has been on hold for months.

I was talking with my therapist about it recently, and she asked, “Why are you afraid to claim your experience?” She said that no one could argue with my personal experience, with what holds true for me. Referencing the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, she reminded me that I must practice rigorous honesty. So here is my truth:

Years ago, I learned in therapy to treat my eating disorder like a relationship rather than an illness or a condition. I actually gave my eating disorder a man’s name, Ed, which is an acronym for “eating disorder.” I learned that to be fully recovered, I needed to change my relationship with Ed completely. My goal was not to get rid of Ed, but it was to change my relationship with him. The bad news was that Ed might never go away, but the good news was that I could be recovered whether or not he went anywhere. (The best chance I had for Ed going away was for me to stop trying to make him do anything.)

I couldn’t change Ed, but I could change myself. I could become accountable for my own actions. I learned to separate from Ed and to disagree with him. I learned to disobey him. I discovered that Ed was like a muscle that gets stronger with use. The more I obeyed Ed, the stronger he became. But as I learned to disobey him, he atrophied --- just like a muscle does from lack of use. The stronger I became in my recovery, the more Ed atrophied.

I focused more and more on what I think and what I believe, ultimately to the exclusion of Ed. So I have had the experience of Ed not being around anymore. That was not the goal, but it has happened for me. I consider it a nice bonus!

Food is not an issue in my life. I do not walk on eggshells around food. I am not afraid that I might relapse when I go through stressful events in life. I have already been through several of these, including a broken engagement, a family member’s battle with cancer, and losing a friend to anorexia. Turning back to eating disordered behaviors during these difficult times did not even cross my mind. In fact, Ed did not speak to me at all. I am recovered.

Recovered means that I love and nurture my body. It means that instead of living in fear, I experience joy, peace, and love. It means that I have given myself permission to explore my spirituality and have connected with my higher power. It took almost ten years for me to get to this point of freedom. I can’t pinpoint the exact month or even the year that it happened.

What I can say for certain is that after making the leap to fully recovered, it became important for me to claim it. Looking back, I can see that as long as I kept referring to myself as being “in recovery” from my eating disorder, I was giving Ed a place in my life. I was defining myself in terms of an illness, which was a self-fulfilling prophecy for me. As long as I believed Ed would haunt me, he did. So I stopped believing it.

Now here’s the twist. There are many people out there who are at the same place as I am in regards to their eating disorder, but they say that they are “in recovery” as opposed to being “recovered.” They think the moment they say they are recovered is the moment they will relapse. So they prefer to use the term “in recovery” to remind themselves that life is a process and that there is always room to grow. Of course, an important part of my “recovered” life encompasses this same self-awareness and growth. You might be thinking that this is all a lot of semantics.

You might be right. A friend in recovery from alcoholism and an eating disorder actually uses both terms: “in recovery” and “recovered.” He says that he works a recovery program daily and is thus “in recovery.” But he also quotes the Big Book and says that he is “recovered from a hopeless condition of mind and body.”

Semantics or not, we all must figure out for ourselves how we define freedom. When we are alone and grounded, we must uncover what feels best to us, what keeps us healthy and strong. I can’t force my vision on anyone and vice versa.

We all must claim our own truth. I just claimed mine.

Recently appointed to the Ambassador Council of the National Eating Disorders Association, Jenni Schaefer is a singer/songwriter, speaker, and author of Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too (McGraw-Hill). She is a consultant with Center For Change in Orem, Utah. For more information: www.LifeWithoutEd.com.

Aimee Liu's New Book: Do you want to share your story?

2008-08-05T13:47:53-07:00

Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying your summer.

I just received an email from Eating Disorder Hope with the following announcement. I thought some of you guys might want to share your story. Check it out!

Jenni

P.S. If you have not read Aimee's book, Gaining, check it out, too!

---

AED Advisory Board member and author, Aimee Liu, has generously offered to write a follow-up to her popular book Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders as a fundraiser for the AED.

The follow-up book will feature letters from readers of Gaining, and others, who describe their experience recovering from eating disorders. The book will also include commentary provided by Aimee and by AED experts . The proceeds from this volume will be donated to the AED to fund key initiatives such as our student grant and clinician scholarship programs.

Aimee has collected hundreds of letters describing early and mid-stages of recovery. In order to portray a complete view of the recovery process, however, more letters are needed from recovered individuals or those well on their way to recovery. If you have patients or former patients who fit this description and who may want to contribute a letter to this book please ask them to write a letter addressing the following three points:

1. Where are you in your recovery process?
2. What helps you feel most engaged and alive, day to day? (Include leisure activities, relationships, insights, observations, beloved places, practices, meaningful work, spiritual or philosophical beliefs - you name it.)
3. Would you like Aimee to attribute the letter to your actual first name, or to a pseudonym?
4. How can we reach you if we have follow up questions?

Please send letters of recovery to gainingthetruth@gmail.com.

NEDA Conference in Austin

2008-07-24T06:42:27-07:00

I hope to see you in Austin for the National Eating Disorders Association's conference. I am excited that the conference is in my native state this year. Come out and join me in Texas! Please see details below.

Best,

Jenni

Break the Silence: Tools for Help, Hope and Healing
September 18-20, 2008
Renaissance Austin Hotel, Austin, Texas

Find out more and register online at www.myneda.org

Plan to attend the one national conference on eating disorders where families learn from each other and from the nation's leading treatment experts.

This year's conference promises to be an especially valuable one for families both new to eating disorders as well as those who have been battling eating disorders for quite some time, and for treatment providers. With more than 30 sessions to choose from, there is something for everyone. Program highlights include:

Family basic sessions on the progression of eating disorder care, insurance issues, medical complications, sibling issues and more

Prevention strategies for eating disorders and body image issues

Sessions for treatment providers on treating co-morbid eating disorders and substance misuse, advances in treatment, and effective parent/teen group facilitation

General sessions by leading eating disorder treatment experts, authors and speakers, and a panel discussion with Miss America Kirsten Haglund, actress Scarlett Pomers, tennis pro Zina Garrison and champion triathlete and former Marine Andrew Preston on the pressure to be thin in high risk professions. Supermodel, author and body image activist Emme will moderate the discussion.

Unlimited networking opportunites

Log on to www.myneda.org to view the full conference program and other conference information. See you in Austin!

Medicare Bill with Mental Health Parity Becomes Law!

2008-07-23T07:20:56-07:00

Hi! Thanks to everyone who helped to advocate for better mental health coverage on July 9th. The Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC) just sent out an action alert with an update. I thought some of you guys might want to read it below.

Together we ARE making a difference. Yay!

Best,
Jenni

EDC News Alert

HR.6331, The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, passed last week after Congress had enough votes to override president Bush’s veto. The Senate voted to override the President 70-26 and the House vote was 383-41.

This important bill includes a provision to provide for mental health parity for outpatient services in Medicare. The bill makes long overdue improvements to Medicare by providing improved access to preventive services and parity in coverage for mental health services.
It will also help more people with Medicare living below or just above the poverty level ($867 per month for an individual) get help with their drug costs and medical bills.

Also this bill will give doctors a modest pay raise instead of the drastic 10 percent Medicare pay cut that will take effect if Congress does not act. A pay cut could make more doctors reluctant to take on new Medicare patients and make it harder for older adults and people with disabilities to get the care they need.

Additionally, HR.6331 will restrict the ability of insurance companies to use hard sell tactics for Medicare private health plans or to market plans without ensuring plan enrollees will have adequate access to doctors, specialists, local hospitals and other providers. It is these provisions—the ones that help people with Medicare and force insurance companies to change their practices—that prompted a veto threat from the Bush administration.

Mental health parity has been a public policy priority for the EDC for years. We are thrilled that our advocacy is paying off and that there will be parity in Medicare. America's senior citizens and those with disabilities should not have to pay more out of pocket for mental health services than for physical health services.

Call for Private Practice Therapists

2008-07-15T16:07:06-07:00

Hi! Are you a therapist in the eating disorder field? If so, I posted some information below about job openings at Juno House in Calgary. Check it out!!!

Have a great night! I am headed to two musical events tonight. Gotta love living in Music City, U.S.A.!

Best,

Jenni

Juno House has an opening for two full time or four one-half time therapists who are interested in working within a team approach in a private practice setting. Qualifications: Masters or PhD level, Counselling/Clinical Psychology or Clinical Social Work with 5 years clinical/counselling experience. Experience working with teenage girls and their families is preferable. Training in EMDR and attachment theory an asset.

Juno House will begin operation on July 1, 2008 as a centre that provides a team of specialists in girls and young women’s mental health. Lois Sapsford, Juno Counselling and Consulting Ltd., is the Director of Juno House. Lois has begun the process of bringing interested professionals into Juno House, and will provide training, professional development and clinical supervision to associate therapists at Juno House.

The mission for Juno House is to motivate girls and young women to build their capacity for emotional health, while inviting their parents to develop a more coherent understanding of themselves and their children.

Utilizing a team approach, Juno House will provide individual and family counselling, and will facilitate connections with nutritionists, medical doctors, personal trainers, and other professionals as needed. Lois will provide ongoing training, professional development, and clinical supervision to ensure the highest standard of professional treatment, consultation, and client success.

The success of Juno House will be based on a unified approach to treatment, utilizing a therapeutic model using attachment theory as the primary assessment tool. Using interpersonal neurobiology, Juno House’s treatment approach will, in effect, re-wire the brain to overcome past self-harming behaviors such as: anxiety, depression, self mutilation, self depreciating behavior, addictions, disordered eating patterns and relational failures.

As a specialist in adolescent girls treatment, Lois has developed a reputation as the ‘girl’s specialist’ in Calgary. With over 25 years of counselling experience and a team of therapists specializing in adolescent girls’ therapy, Juno House will have strong support from the treatment community.

Interested therapists who are passionate about working with girls and their families should contact Lois Sapsford, Juno Counselling and Consulting by email at: juno@haywirecreative.ca. Please provide a cover letter and resume.

We need YOUR help!

2008-07-08T20:21:21-07:00

We need YOUR help! Please read the letter below sent to members of the Academy For Eating Disorders (AED). Help us advocate for mental health parity for eating disorders on Wednesday, July 9th. This is your chance to make a difference!

Best,

Jenni

Dear US AED Members,

National Call-in Day for Mental Health Parity Wednesday July 9th! Your help is urgently needed to help pass Mental Health Parity this session!

The US House of Representatives and the Senate negotiators have reached a final agreement on all the remaining mental health and addiction parity issues. However, approximately $4 billion over 10 years in offsets is needed to pay for the bill and must be found before parity can be brought to the floor in both chambers for final passage. Once an offset has been found, there is commitment from leadership in the House and the Senate to bring the bill up for a vote as quickly as possible.

Although House and Senate leaders have not decided yet where they will find almost $4 billion over 10 years to pay for the cost offsets required by Congressional rules, negotiations have successfully concluded on the key policy provisions. This compromise is the result of long negotiations and advocacy of organizations all across the country. The compromise includes many key provisions that were included in the House-passed bill, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act and would be an
important step in ending insurance discrimination facing people with addiction and mental illness. Here are some key points in the compromise:

- The compromise requires parity in insurance coverage for addiction and mental health treatment for both in-network and out-of-network coverage. This does not mean that the bill requires that insurers cover addiction and mental services, only that if they do cover these services, there must be parity with medical/surgical benefits. This of course would be a very positive development both in requiring fairness in insurance coverage and taking a strong stand against discrimination toward people in recovery or
still suffering from addiction and mental illness.

- The compromise requires plans to disclose their medical necessity criteria and reasons for any denials of coverage. This would be a major breakthrough, as many plans refuse to disclose medical necessity criteria or reasons for denial, especially when addiction treatment is sought.

- On the issue of protection of state laws, the compromise bill language is silent. The House bill explicitly protected state laws, and in earlier versions the Senate bill explicitly preempted state laws. Silence is a victory for those of us who agree with the House approach that state laws should be
protected, since in most situations Congress must take explicit action to overrule a state law in order for state laws to be preempted. However, to make protection of state laws even more ironclad, we will be working to ensure that the legislative history of the bill makes clear that the sponsors' intention is to protect all state laws. That way, as important as the passage of a federal parity law would be, stronger state laws would remain in effect and states would be free to enact additional stronger protections in the years to come.

Wednesday July 9th is National Call-in Day so please call your Member of Congress and Senators on July 9th and tell them that now that an agreement has been reached between the House and the Senate, Congress must find the money to fund this historic mental health and addiction parity legislation
and pass parity now. Here is a link to our National Call-in Day Online Advocacy Action Center:

http://m1e.net/c?37976226-nbbjYUNEr29Iw%403446049-9qUWgB0ScpbPU

On the website you will see background information, a script for the call and a tool you can use to punch in your zip code and get your Member of Congress and Senator' names and phone numbers.

Thank you for supporting Mental Health Parity and for taking a few minutes to make these important calls. With your help we can get this done!

Kitty Westin
President
Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action
westin.kitty@gmail.com
www.annawestinfoundation.org

David Jaffe
Executive Director
Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action
djaffe@eatingdisorderscoalition.org
(202) 543-9570

Join Me in Texas!

2008-07-03T09:03:22-07:00

I am headed to Texas to celebrate the 4th of July with my family. I am excited to meet my newborn nephew, Aiden! On July 7th, I will be speaking at the Texas Freedom House in Kerrville. Please join me:

Monday, July 7th
Kerrville, Texas
Texas Freedom House (108 West Creek Road)
10:30 AM
Presentation and Book Signing --- Open to the Public!
For more information, call 830-377-6537 or email info@texasfreedomhouse.com

Happy 4th of July!

Best,

Jenni

Stupid Boy

2008-06-27T11:49:38-07:00

If you live in Nashville, I hope you attend the benefit for the Eating Disorders Coalition of Tennessee (EDCT) on June 30th at 3rd and Lindsley (see details below). I will be singing one song!

One of the organizers of the benefit is my good friend, Brittany MacNealy. Recently, she shared her interpretation of the hit song, "Stupid Boy" (Berg/Bryant/Buxton), with me. I wanted to share it with you below.

Best,

Jenni

------
Many people have heard Keith Urban's hit single "Stupid Boy". What you might not know is that eating disorder survivor and EDCT Celebrity Spokesperson Sarah Buxton co-wrote the song. Because of the title of the song, one would think it was a male bashing tune. But if you really listen to the message, it is not. Whether the "Stupid Boy" in the song is in fact a boy or a girl, disorder, illness, addiction, disease, whatever…. The message the song delivers is that it is unworthy of ones time, energy and life.

As I listen to the song, I can see the 'Stupid Boy' was the eating disorder I overcame. The eating disorder "stole her every dream an' crushed her plans. She never even knew she had a choice. That's what happens when the only voice, She hears is tellin her she can't: Stupid boy: you stupid boy. So what made you think you could take her life, An' just push it, push it around? I guess you built yourself up so high, You had to take her an' break her down."

Like Sarah and her co-writers Dave Berg and Deanna Bryant wrote at the end of the tune "It took her a while to figure it out she could run, But once she did, she was long gone, long gone",I am now long gone from my own "stupid boy" after I learned to run.

--- Brittany MacNealy

Check out more music by these AMAZING songwriters at:

www.myspace.com/davebergmusic
www.myspace.com/deannabryant
www.myspace.com/sarahbuxton

Here are the details about the event:

Monday, June 30th, 2008
Nashville, TN
Songwriters in the Round with Sarah Buxton, Rivers Rutherford, and Dave Berg
with special guests, Dylan Altman, Matt Warren, Jenni Schaefer and Caroline Mitchell Lusk
3rd and Lindsley
6:30 PM - 11 PM
$10 at the door
For more information, contact Brittany MacNealy at bmacnealy@edct.net or (615) 831-9838.