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~Contents~News, Events, Free Book Drawings, Articles, Treatment Center Information, Editorial Column, Research, Blogs & Announcements.
Klarman Family Foundation Grants Program in Eating Disorders Research by: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC Rader Programs
The treatment staff at Rader Programs has been providing high-quality clinical programs for over 20 years. We specialize in the treatment of eating and related disorders. It is our mission to help save the lives of those suffering from eating disorders. The primary purpose of Rader Programs is to treat the dysfunctional behavior in a supportive environment.
A staff of caring and experienced professionals, many who are recovering themselves, assist the affected individual and their family in developing a life long program for recovery. We recognize the complexity of the disorder and understand the medical, psychological, physical, and nutritional aspects of eating disorders. Our treatment approach is centered around the special needs of each individual and we are completely committed to help individuals achieve recovery.
View Rader Programs in the Eating Disorder Specialist Library at:
http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/eating-disorder-specialist-rader-programs
***Generous Partnering Platinum Sponsor of Eating Disorder Hope ~ Making our Work Possible!
Rader Programs Timberline Knolls ~ Our new 2010 Platinum Sponsor!
Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center provides eating disorder treatment for women on 43 beautiful acres just outside of Chicago. We offer a nurturing environment of recovery for women ages 12 and older struggling to overcome eating disorders, with or without other co-occurring disorders such as substance abuse/drug addiction, mood disorders or anxiety disorders.
A leader in eating disorder treatment, Timberline Knolls provides real and lasting help for anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorders. Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center has helped hundreds of women and their families achieve long-term recovery, including many who have suffered repeated relapses because of previously unidentified or under-addressed co-occurring disorders.
Timberline Knolls recognizes that each woman has a unique story, and we are committed to helping her harness her own distinctive strengths. Our expert treatment staff forms a collaborative partnership with the resident, her loved ones and outpatient treatment providers. Together, we craft an individualized eating disorder treatment plan for each woman so she may develop the skills she will need to experience the joys of lifelong recovery.
***Generous Platinum Sponsor of Eating Disorder Hope ~ Making our Work Possible!
Timberline Knolls Walden Living Opens in Wisconsin
Dr. Ted Weltzin announces the opening of Walden Living, a supportive living option for patients with anxiety and eating disorders.
Walden Living offers affordable housing and an on-site Personal Coach for those transitioning from 24- hour care or during day treatment or intensive, outpatient therapy. Located in the quaint, historic town of Delafield, Wisconsin, housing options include new, one and two-bedroom apartments. With easy access to a nationally recognized specialized treatment center—Rogers Memorial Hospital, Walden Living is a place where individuals have the ability to develop effective living skills in an independent yet nurturing environment.
"For patients needing specialized medical and/or behavioral health treatment, we feel Walden Living is an ideal choice for the adjustment back to independent living," says Dr. Ted Weltzin, Walden Living’s founder and Medical Director of Rogers Hospital Eating Disorder Services. "It also gives parents the option to be near their children who are receiving specialty care and practice lifestyle challenges with them prior to returning home."
Walden's Personal Coach provides five hours coaching, per week, per individual. The Personal Coach also helps orientate individuals to the community, schedule their appointments, assist with transportation, participate in meal planning and provide overall guidance.
For more information, visit www.waldenliving.com or e-mail: info@waldenliving.com
Walden Living News from Eating Disorder Coalition 
This Lobby Day will build even further momentum around FREED - the first eating disorders legislation to comprehensively promote research, treatment, education, and prevention programs - and demonstrate why it is vital in the larger context of health care reform. Eating Disorder Services of Rogers Memorial Hospital
Rogers Memorial Hospital
800-767-4411
34700 Valley Road, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
11101 W. Lincoln Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
As the largest nonaffiliated, behavioral health provider in Wisconsin, Rogers Memorial Hospital offers specialized eating disorder treatment. Rogers Memorial provides 24-hour inpatient care, residential treatment and partial hospitalization for men, women, adolescents, and children. We also offer specialized care for co-occurring anxiety disorders and were the first organization to offer a male-specific residential program. Treatment is comprised of small, age-specific groups yielding the most individualized treatment possible. The treatment team uses a number of therapies that take place mostly in a group setting, where individuals get feedback not only from the therapist but from their peers as well. Rogers Memorial uses evidence-based treatment components including: Family therapy,Nutrition therapy, Cognitive-behavioral therapy, Pharmacotherapy, Art therapy, Movement and fitness therapy (yoga), Experiential therapy, Substance abuse counseling, Spiritual counseling, One-to-one support, Daily living responsibilities, Community outings and therapeutic passes and a Specialized family and friends program. Rogers Memorial Hospital has treated thousands of patients and families affected by eating disorders. The staff of over 70 professionals, approach each patient, family, and referring outpatient treatment team with dignity and respect, and invite them to be contributors to the treatment plan. Rogers Memorial is a specialty not-for-profit hospital that has contracts with most major insurance providers in order to provide the best treatment options to the most people. In January 2009, Rogers opened a specialized inpatient eating disorder program for children and adolescents, ages 8 and up. Call Rogers Memorial outreach staff today at 1-800-767-4411 ext. 1310. to learn more or to schedule a tour.
***Generous Platinum Sponsor of Eating Disorder Hope ~ Making our Work Possible!
Rogers Memorial Hospital Linden Oaks at Edward
801 S. Washington Street
Naperville, Il 60540
www.lindenoakshospital.org
(630) 305-5500
The Eating Disorder Program at Linden Oaks is led by an exceptional team of psychiatrists and psychologists who effectively blend evidence based treatment with empathic, individualized care. Linden Oaks is able to safely manage complex medical and nutritional needs in the inpatient program while helping patients identify core issues behind the eating disorder behavior. In the partial hospitalization programs, patients learn skills that teach them how to manage and cope with day to day issues that trigger eating disorder behaviors. Experiential outings and family groups allow patients to practice skills along the way while still in a supportive environment. For those patients who need additional support, there is Arabella House, a residential care home for up to eight women who are seriously motivated but still need a therapeutic living environment while they continue the recovery journey. Linden Oaks at Edward is a 110 bed behavioral health facility that provides comprehensive services to adults and adolescents. We are proud to provide patient and family centered care by involving patients and families in program planning and facility design. Linden Oaks was acknowledged by the Joint Commission as a center of excellence and is one of the only behavioral health hospitals in the country to receive disease specific certification in the treatment of eating disorders, self injury, chemical dependency, and geriatrics.
***Generous Silver Sponsor of Eating Disorder Hope ~ Making our Work Possible!
Linden Oaks Eating Disorder Specialist Library ~ simplify your search for treatment 
Many eating disorder sufferers and families find that reviewing the online ‘virtual brochures’ offered in the Eating Disorder Specialist Library greatly simplifies their search and puts them in touch with some of the best treatment centers and providers for their loved one suffering from anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder.
This new and rapidly expanding eating disorder specialist library is an excellent tool for eating disorder sufferers, families, friends and treatment providers who feel overwhelmed with where to begin in the search for appropriate care for the eating disorder sufferer.
Finding highly skilled professionals specialized in the field is key to successful recovery. Begin your search here...
contact info@EatingDisorderHope.com for consideration of listing your treatment center or practice in our exclusive library! Oliver-Pyatt Treatment Centers ~ Opening in Miami & New York!
866-511-HEAL (4325)
www.oliverpyattcenters.com
The Oliver-Pyatt Centers’ programs are tailored to meet the unique needs of each client, addressing the core issues driving the eating disorder while providing the tools needed to live a meaningful life, free from food and weight preoccupation.
We believe that one-to-one therapy is the cornerstone of effective eating disorder treatment, and it is the primary reason to choose the Oliver-Pyatt Centers. Each client receives a minimum of six individual therapy sessions per week. Our comprehensive, naturalistic, and highly individualized approach to treatment is provided in an intimate environment with a high staff to client ratio. We have a maximum of eight clients in each of our programs.
Our innovative protocols are grounded in a thorough understanding of eating disorders, incorporating state of the art approaches, outcome data, research, and current medical knowledge, all with the support of our compassionate multi-disciplinary treatment team.
View Oliver-Pyatt Treatment Centers in the Eating Disorder Specialist Library at: http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/eating-disorder-specialist-oliver-pyatt.html
Oliver-Pyatt Treatment Centers EVENTS CALENDAR...
February 5- 6, 2010
Eating Disorder Awareness Week” Conference in Petaluma, CA
Timberline Knolls is pleased to serve as a platinum sponsor of the Eating Disorder Recovery Services’ “Eating Disorder Awareness Week” Conference in Petaluma, CA. TK will also be exhibiting at this event, which is open to local community members and health professionals. For more information, contact (949) 413-6945 or kmiller@timberlineknolls.com.
February 9, 2010
Timberline Knolls Hosts Austin Eating Disorder Professionals Networking Breakfast: 8:30 am
For more information, please contact Shannon DeVilbiss at 214.862.8040 or sdevilbiss@timberlineknolls.com
February 11- 13, 2010
Reframing Disordered Eating ~ 1st Annual Southeastern Eating Disorder Conference
Kimberly Dennis, medical director for Timberline Knolls, has been selected to speak at the 1st Annual Southeastern Eating Disorder Conference in Atlanta, GA. She will present on the use of mutual support groups in treating women with eating disorders at this 3-day workshop, of which Timberline Knolls is a sponsor and exhibitor. For more information, contact (224) 829-6949 or rhuber@timberlineknolls.com
February 18, 2010
Evening Lecture with Kathryn Zerbe, MD: What's Your Best Friend Not Telling You? Eating Disorders in Adolescence, Adulthood, Middle Age and Beyond. Professional and community members are encouraged to attend. CEUs offered.
Hockaday School, 11600 Welch Road, Dallas, TX 75229
For more information, visit our website at www.theelisaproject.org
or call our office at 214.369.5222
February 21- 27, 2010
NEDAwareness Week 2010 Theme: It's Time to Talk About It
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/programs-events/nedawareness-week.php
February 27, 2010
America The Beautiful ~ A documentary by Darryl Roberts
Special guest appearance by filmmaker Darryl Roberts
The Art Theatre of Long Beach @ 7pm, Ticket Donation: $50
More info: shoreline-eatingdisorders.com or americathebeautifuldoc.com
Contact: 562-434-6007
March 3, 2010
ESTEEM ~ A Fashion Show by The Elisa Project - A celebration of positive body image that will be held in conjunction with National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
The Grand Pavilion of the Dallas Trade Mart
2100 North Stemmons Freeway | Dallas, Texas 75207
www.theelisaproject.org
or call our office at 214.369.5222
March 4-6, 2010
2009 BEDA National Conference
Baltimore, Maryland
Registration and details to come
www.bedaonline.com
March 11-14, 2010
International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals Symposium
Walt Disney Swan Resort, Orlando, Florida
Register Here or visit www.iaedp.com to learn more
March 11-13, 2010
Eating Disorders International Conference 2010
Kensington Conference and Events Centre, London, UK
Information or registration at: www.EDIC2010.ukevents.org
March 18-19, 2010
Timberline Knolls Professional On-Site Tour
Timberline Knolls will host its first On-Site of the year, where mental health and addiction professionals from around the country will be invited to tour our campus and learn more about our leading clinical program. For more information, contact (630) 343-2387 or mdevries@timberlineknolls.com.
April 15, 2010
Timberline Knolls Medical Director Dr. Kimberly Dennis speaks at MHA of Greater Dallas Adolescent Symposium
Topic: Eating Disorders as an Addiction Spectrum Disorder in Athletes. For more information, please contact Shannon DeVilbiss at 214.862.8040 or sdevilbiss@timberlineknolls.com
April 16, 2010
Timberline Knolls Medical Director Dr. Kimberly Dennis speaks at Dallas Professional Networking Luncheon
Topic: Eating Disorders as an Addiction Spectrum Disorder in Athletes. For more information, please contact Shannon DeVilbiss at 214.862.8040 or sdevilbiss@timberlineknolls.com
May 14, 2010
3rd Annual Midwest Conference for Eating Disorders Treatment Professionals: "Replenishing Our Toolbox: Innovative Therapies for Eating Disordered Clients"
Skokie Conference Center, Skokie, IL
"When your only tool is a hammer, all problems start to look like nails." – Abraham Maslow
June 10-12, 2010
Academy of Eating Disorders 2010 International Conference on Eating Disorders
Clinical Teaching Day ~ June 9, 2010
Salzburg Congress and Sheraton Salzburg
Salzburg, Austria
Learn more at: http://www.aedweb.org/conference/index.cfm
June 22, 2010
FREE, annual Dawn Farm Education Series; 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Education Center, 5305 Elliott Drive, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197.
October 8-10, 2010
National Eating Disorders 2010 Conference: Building Bridges to Recovery
Marriott New York, at the Brookly Bridge
New York
information at: www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/programs-events/annual-neda-conference.php
Learn More About These Events News from the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) 
NEDA Laugh? Everyone does! “NEDA Laugh” will be a night of comedy bringing laughter and joy to a rather serious topic – eating disorders. Join us for entertainment provided by comedians Jay Hitt and Stephanie Wichmann and a silent auction and help raise eating disorders awareness in Seattle. The event takes place Thursday, February 18, 2010, 6:00 – 8:30 pm at the See Sound Lounge (115 Blanchard St.) in Seattle. Purchase tickets at firstgiving.com/neda or contact Jessica Silye: jsilye@myneda.org, 206-382-3587, ext. 22.
“It’s Time to Talk About It” Benefit Dinner in New York City. Wednesday, March 31, 2010. For more details, contact Kristina Handley, NEDA@trustaffairs.com.
Speak at the NEDA Conference in NY! NEDA’s Annual Conference for Families and Professionals is entitled “Building Bridges to Recovery” and will take place in NYC, October 8-10. Submit your presentation proposal online by February 15, 2010. Visit our home page for more info.
NEDA’s STAR Program (States for Treatment Access and Research) advocates across the country are actively fighting back against eating disorders by working with state legislators to improve access to treatment and to promote early intervention and prevention programs. To find out about the current initiatives, or how to start advocating for change in your state, visit our website and click on Programs & Events to find out more or email star@myneda.org.
Get Help Today. Call NEDA’s toll-free helpline (1-800-931-2237) or visit our website to get confidential referrals to treatment providers, advice on how to navigate the insurance system and more. If you are a treatment provider and would like to be listed on the NEDA website and in treatment referrals that are emailed, faxed and mailed to clients, visit our website or contact Jessica Silye (above) for more info.
Plan Now to Attend the 2010 International Conference on Eating Disorders
The International Conference on Eating Disorders (ICED) is coming to Salzburg, Austria, for the first time ever, June 10-12, 2010. Join the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) at the Salzburg Congress and Sheraton Salzburg for a truly global gathering of eating disorders professionals. The ICED will offer a packed program of outstanding plenaries, workshops and poster sessions focused on the most vital topics in eating disorders today.
Kelly M. Vitousek, PhD, will deliver the conference’s keynote address, “Coming Together Without Losing Our Way: Pros and Cons of Consensus in the Eating Disorder Field.” Dr. Vitousek is the co-director of the Center for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy at the University of Hawaii, and director of the Eating Disorder Program. Her recent work includes the assessment and enhancement of motivation for change in anorexia nervosa, development of modified CBT approaches for the eating disorders, therapist training in CBT, and caloric restriction for longevity. Dr. Vitousek’s address is sure to be one of many conference highlights.
A Stunning Locale
Salzburg is one of the most breathtaking cities in the world, and will provide the ideal setting for learning, networking and experiencing every facet of the International Conference on Eating Disorders. AED has negotiated discounted rates at several convenient hotels located in close proximity to the Salzburg Congress. Visit the AED Web site at http://www.aedweb.org/conference/travel.cfm for more detailed hotel and travel information.
Earn Continuing Education Credit
The International Conference on Eating Disorders is an ideal opportunity to earn CME credit conveniently and affordably. Earn up to a maximum of 21.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) ™. ICED offers credits for physicians and non-physicians alike.
Clinical Teaching Day — June 9, 2010
AED's Clinical Teaching Day, held immediately prior to the start of the conference, is an essential educational forum for treatment providers. These vital, intimate sessions are smaller, "how-to" workshops designed to increase knowledge of accepted treatments and expand clinical skills.
This year’s Clinical Teaching Day workshops include:
• Collaborative Care: The New Maudsley Model
• Treatments of Obesity and Binge Eating Disorder: Psychotherapy, Behavioral Therapy, Psychopharmacology and Bariatric
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders: Core Skills to Help Your Patients Recover
• Medical Complications of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia and their Treatment
• Multidisciplinary Team Working to Facilitate Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Eating Disorders and Their Families
• Everybody Has Won and All Must Have Prizes? How to Improve the Treatment of Eating Disorders? (Jeder hat gewonnen, und Alle sollen Preise haben? Wie kann man die Therapie von Essstörungen verbessern? – presented in German)
• Media Training -- Working Effectively with the Media
Learn More and Register Puente de Vida - "Bridge of Life"
A Place for Hope, Recovery and Healing from Eating Disorders
P.O. Box 86020, San Diego, CA
858-581-1239 or 877-995-4337
www.puentedevida.com
info@puentedevida.com
Puente de Vida treats Anorexia and Bulimia; males and females, adolescents (ages 15 and up) and adults who live locally, nationally and internationally. Offering individual therapy, nutritional counseling, family therapy, couples therapy, group therapy, support groups, inpatient, residential treatment center. Puente de Vida is a place where therapeutic services are offered to those ages 15 years and older with eating disorders, including those with co-occurring substance use and other disorders. A private six bed, home-like facility, located in beautiful San Diego, provides an excellent setting for the sensitive, inner work that takes place. Puente de Vida's treatment philosophy addresses not just the symptoms but also the underlying issues beneath the surface of eating disorders. An individualized treatment approach includes traditional treatment interventions as well as experiential treatment by our multidisciplinary treatment team. Puente de Vida recognizes that every recovery journey is different and complex and assists the individual in finding their unique path and support in recovery.
View Puente de Vida Programs in the Eating Disorder Specialist Library at: http://clixtrac.com/goto/?10330
Puente de Vida La Bonne Maison
202 Lake Miriam Drive Suite E13
Lakeland, Florida 33813
800-824-8580
Email
www.mylabonnemaison.com
~Offering National & International Care~
Hi my name is Lisa Hatten. I opened La Bonne Maison after a twenty year battle with Bulimia and Binge eating disorder. I am living Proof that it is possible to recover and live a fullfilled life. HOPE is what i bring to my program. La Bonne Maison is a restorative living home for women suffering with Bulimia and Binge eating disorders set in sunny Florida. My program offers a 30-120 day intense program for women ages 18 and up. Please visit my website at www.mylabonnemaison.com.
View La Bonne Maison in the Eating Disorder Specialist Library at:
http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/eating-disorder-specialist-la-bonne-maison.html
Visit La Bonne Maison Research
Klarman Research Grant for Eating Disorders
The Klarman Family Foundation is interested in providing strategic investment in translational research that will accelerate progress in developing effective treatments for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. The Program's short-term goal is to support the most outstanding science and expand the pool of scientists whose research explores the basic biology of eating disorders. The long-term goal is to improve the lives of patients suffering from these conditions.
Learn more at: www.tmfgrants.org/klarman
Do you Binge Eat and Purge?
Females (ages 21-45) with this eating disorder needed for a research study testing the effects of common medications and alcohol on mood and performance. 7 sessions (8:30 am-3:30 pm).
FREE TREATMENT available after study. Cannot be on hormonal contraceptive. Call (212) 543-5125, -5707, -5126 -6623. Confidential. Earn $800-1,100. New York, NY Near Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center (168th & Broadway) P.I. Suzette Evans, Ph.D. (P.I. IRB #6062R) Cedar Springs Austin
Cedar Springs Austin
4613 Bee Caves Road, Suite 104
Austin, TX 78746
877-755-2244
512-732-2400
www.CedarSpringsAustin.com
info@CedarSpringsAustin.com
Cedar Springs Austin is a day treatment center specializing in the care of anorexia, bulimia, and related eating disorders affecting males and females from adolescence through adulthood. The programs at Cedar Springs Austin are specially designed to provide individualized levels of support and structure in a comfortable and healing environment. We offer partial hospitalization programs and an intensive outpatient program which are grounded in our mission to provide the highest quality of comprehensive care. Guided by a leadership team comprised of specialists in the eating disorders field, Cedar Springs Austin's physicians and staff provide integrated medical and psychiatric care, daily group and individual psychotherapy, nutritional counseling, meal support, art and movement therapy, and fitness retraining. Cedar Springs Austin also offers a unique specialty program designed to treat the recreational and competitive athlete. Please call our admissions staff to learn more about our programs and the admissions process at 1-877-755-2244.
Cedar Springs Austin Free Book Drawing: 100 Questions and Answers about Anorexia Nervosa 
Please complete the contact form, enter book drawing in message, and you will automatically be entered into our March 15th, 2010 drawing to win one of two copies of this book!
100 Questions and Answers about Anorexia Nervosa
By Sari Fine Shepphird, Ph.D.
(Jones & Bartlett, 2009)
(225 pages, paperback)
An invaluable resource for understanding anorexia nervosa, this book is a straightforward, reader-friendly guide that answers key questions about the eating disorder, including: What is anorexia nervosa? What causes anorexia nervosa? What are available treatments? Do people with anorexia get better? Where can I go for help? And much more! Patients, their families and loved ones, as well as interested professionals will gain a wealth of knowledge from the clear answers provided in this empowering resource. Written by a psychologist and eating disorders specialist with 20 years of experience in the eating disorders field. Eye-opening patient commentary and a helpful list of patient resources are also included.
Visit www.drshepp.com
purchase here: 100 Questions & Answers About Anorexia Nervosa Remuda Ranch Eating Disorders Program
Remuda offers a multi-disciplinary team approach. Each resident is treated by a team of professionals, including a psychiatric and primary care provider, psychologist, registered dietitian, registered nurse and masters-level therapist. Remuda Ranch provides intensive inpatient programs for women and girls suffering from anorexia, bulimia and related issues. Our Biblically based programs offer Hope and Healing to patients of all faiths.
Since 1990, Remuda Ranch has provided excellent care to women and girls with eating disorders. Today, 95% of our 9,000 patients remain in good recovery, due to the Remuda Model of Treatment.
Recognizing a growing need for treatment options, Remuda has developed a program exclusively for boys. ReddStone offers Christian intensive treatment for boys, 17 and under, struggling with anorexia, bulimia or binge-eating disorder. Utilizing the proven Remuda Model of Treatment, this inpatient program is designed to give boys the solid foundation needed to be free from their eating disorder and help prepare the way for them to become strong, independent and capable young men.
If you know a boy who may be struggling with anorexia, bulimia or binge-eating disorder, make sure he gets the treatment he needs. Call 1-800-445-1900 today.
Remuda Ranch Eating Disorder Jobs
EatingDisorderJobs.com – Looking for a job? We have everything dedicated to careers in the field of eating disorders. Find current job openings, career opportunities, continuing education, advice from the experts… everything eating disorders all in one site. For recent grads, seasoned professionals and students. Our mission: to connect job seekers with employers, to keep current professionals enthusiastic about the field and what it has to offer, and to guide students into careers where they can make a difference.
Visit Eating Disorder Jobs website Free Book Drawing: Cardboard: A Woman Left for Dead 
Cardboard: A Woman Left For Dead
by Fiona Place
(Local Consumption Press, Australia, 2010)
Cardboard: A woman left for dead is a fictionalized account of one woman's life-threatening eating disorder and her eventual hard-won recovery. Author Fiona Place has created Lucy, a narrator who is capable of taking the reader inside the dark and often puzzling experience of anorexia nervosa.
A university student, Lucy falls ill while on a coach trip in Europe. Ashen, thin and with a thready heartbeat, she cannot understand what is wrong with her. The tour leader decides she is homesick. And lying on her bed, she is left to fend for herself. In her tiny hotel room Lucy wonders what she should do? Is she really sick or just homesick? Reluctantly, she decides to fly to an English speaking country. And to her embarrassment is taken off the plane in a wheelchair. ANNOUNCEMENT: Binge Eating Disorder National Conference 
Renaissance Harbor Place Baltimore
Enlightenment. Education. Empowerment.
Keynote Speaker: Cynthia M. Bulik, PhD, FAED.
Information and Registration @ www.bedaonline.com/2010conference Women of Substance Feature Story: Nicole Siegfried 
Finally, my parents found out, so I began treatment. I thought that beginning treatment would be the “turn around” - that once I came clean, I wouldn’t want to do it anymore. This didn’t happen. So I began pretending to recover. I worked hard to develop the facade of recovery to overlay my charlatan mask. I kept waiting to feel better, waiting for it to be easier to fight the binge or fight the purge. That time never came. I never “felt” like recovering. I told myself every night that “tomorrow will be another day”- a new day where I would feel like recovering. Instead, every day brought with it another spoke in the wheel of the cycle of the disorder. New Columnist Announcement: Alexis' Column: New Year and Recovery 
I love sitting down to a conversation with someone I don’t know and walking away not only informed but befriended. I love hearing people’s stories: where they’ve been, where they are, and where they’re going. I love reaching that point of conversation where I can share my odd peculiarities (like my dream of ordering Chinese take-out in one of those boxes you see in the movies), and not have my sanity on the line. To sum it up, I just love meeting people.
However, I also hate it.
I hate the awkwardness of meeting people for the first time. I hate trying to figure out where to look when I’m talking to them. I hate not being able to ask personal questions, and I hate the way I feel when I hear someone say, “You need to meet...”
The truth is, meeting people is awkward. Half the time you don’t know what to say, and- in the rare instance that you hit it off with someone- there is always the possibility of saying something you shouldn’t say. Without a foundation to build on, you’re pretty much just throwing words out there, hoping not to offend (or scare off) your new friend.
It can be intimidating.
Want to know what else can be intimidating? Freedom. Taking that first step of freedom from your eating disorder can be the scariest thing you have ever done. It’s unknown. It’s awkward. It’s a risk.
And there is no instruction manual.
Stepping out into the real world is scary when all you know is the eating disordered world. It takes some adjusting. Your thoughts will be challenged. Your actions will be altered. Your world will be turned upside down and inside out.
But it is so worth it.
Just like that first meeting with a new friend, the first step (or any subsequent step) can seem daunting. It’s uncharted territory. You will more than likely fall down a couple of times, but don’t let that stop you from pursuing freedom. Everything within you may be fighting against it, but keep the commitment. Maybe your first step is to sit down and eat dinner with your family. Maybe it’s to go one full day without bingeing and purging. Maybe it’s challenging one negative thought a day. Whatever step you currently find yourself on, take it. Step forward. Shake a hand. Meet the challenge.
Don’t let the fear of “what if” stop you from making the change you need to make. You have your whole life to hide behind what’s comfortable. It’s time to take the risk and initiate the first step.
Take it from someone who has spent way too much time running from first handshakes. Article: Feelings Matter
Feelings matter. Our emotions give us valuable information about ourselves and our perceptions of our environment. Failing to acknowledge and appreciate feelings means missing out on important ques about what we need and want. It often seems easier to push aside our feelings and forge ahead with the demands of the day, our life, and our responsibilities. This may be practical in the short term, but deep feelings of grief, anger, abandonment and a whole host of other uncomfortable feelings need to be honored and appropriately expressed in order to be a well adjusted person. Choosing to ignore feelings often leads to tension, stress, addiction, eating disorders, and worse.
Thank you for being a friend of Eating Disorder Hope. We will continue to provide you with important information, resources and encouragement regarding eating disorder recovery in our newsletters.
Sincerely,
--Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC
Director @ Eating Disorder Hope
www.EatingDisorderHope.com
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