When Food Is Family

Key ingredients in the eating disorder mix

Key points Therapy may be here to stay, but our language is changing about how we approach it. In the empowerment of …

From the mid-1990s until 2014, I founded and was the Executive Director of Cedar Associates, an outpatient treatment center for eating disorders …

Setting boundaries in a treatment setting is no different than the boundaries we set in relationships; after all, the patient and therapist are in …

Key points Holidays can trigger vulnerable and negative emotions for all people, especially those with eating disorders. Relationship problems can contribute to …

The media draws in people vulnerable to scrutiny and rejection as well. Often the need to be perfect Is a way to …

Key points Complex childhood trauma with severe personality disorders require many years of treatment, often utilizing various approaches. A re-enactment of the …

Key points Sadistic impulses present in all human beings are held in check by most people. Complex trauma affects and often damages …

Key points Anxiety is more than an evolutionary response to uncertainty and a call to action. Eating disorders and anxiety are adaptations, …

Patients with eating disorders experience many conflicting and competing emotions. Among them is shame. Often, they feel ashamed of their symptoms, their needs, …

The moment of knowing that the time is right for change; the decision to stop being symptomatic is, for some individuals, a …

People recovering from an eating disorder struggle to feel happy, experience pleasure, and find joy in their relationships. Typically, they also struggle with arousal, …

The “Me Too” movement exploded in October 2017. Its intent was, and remains, to awaken people to the widespread prevalence of sexual …

There are numerous articles addressing the contemporary struggles for parents who have children with eating disorders. Many of the research and clinical …

Food and sex are a means unto their own; their motivations are pure, primary. Food tastes great, and sex is pleasurable. Both …

The question, “What causes and cures eating disorders” has been replaced in the last decade or so by, “What are the variables …

Eating disorders have the highest mortality of any mental health condition. I have treated a number of patients who have been on …

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study in 2012 on peoples’ dietary habits and overall energy expenditure. The …

When the symptoms of an eating disorder are a sufferer’s go to “healer,” little or nothing else will interfere with the snake oil elixir …

Education and prevention efforts in eating disorders have influenced change in the public mindset regarding body image perceptions and promoting healthier standards of beauty. The …

In 20ll, I authored a book: When Food is Family: A loving guide to heal eating disorders. Among one of the very first …

Disposable: designed for or capable of being thrown away after being used or used up. (dictionary.com) America’s latest quick fix: disposable romantic relationships. …

It is natural to stifle negative emotions. Why on earth would anyone choose to experience emotions that will likely make them feel …

The current research in the treatment of eating disorders continues to shape and enhance our theoretical understanding and impacts how we approach …

Exposure to an extreme traumatic stressor involving direct personal experience of an event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury or threat …

Relationships are important. Lots of reasons, unique and specific to my nature and how I was nurtured, led me to be a …

It is that time of year again. Time for Resolutions and lists for the New Year. Tricky for a person with an eating …

For a woman who has made her professional life revolve around the lives of people for whom food is a regular source …

The Gluten-Free solution continues to gain momentum as it preys on our body size and shape insecurities. Marketing strategies based upon convincing …

Whether we are willing to face it or not, the truth is that we all experience pain. We experience loss and separation …

One of the major difficulties that stand in the way of building authentic connections in families where eating disorders arise is manipulation. …

Can On-line treatment be effective for treating patients with eating disorders? Yes, but the patient should be well known by the therapist …

Whatever the media and advertising’s role is in driving shape, weight, and appearance, western culture responds. ‘You too can look and feel more …

In some ways, I am a perfectionist. On the plus side, I can count on myself to get a job done, and …

Living in an eating disorder professional world and a culture that is certifiably nuts about its expectations regarding body size and shape, I push …

Most people who know about eating disorders or are familiar with someone who has one understand that there are many reasons that …

You don’t have to be an eating disorder specialist to understand the significance of food. Food plays a role in every physical, recreational and …

This blog post goes out to all of those in the thick of suffering with an eating disorder this holiday season. The Internet is …

Individuals with eating disorders and their families often struggle during the holiday season. Fear of food, fat, self-condemnation, relational stress, anxiety and depression often are themes in households. Families …

Why do women trash other women’s bodies? Body image and body issues continue to be ripe for conversations of all sorts. Finding fault …

Noticing how others can watch what you eat as an eating disorder therapist has its downsides when it is known what you do for …

Key points To cover shame, patients with bulimia often lie and deceive others to protect their vulnerability and their secrets. An eating …

Women with eating disorders often report a lack of sexual interest during the course of their eating disorder. Several solid studies, including one, which assessed …

Is the correct phrasing that as we age, beauty fades or ripens? Depends who you ask. Hollywood aficionados have been telling us …

Human beings are sexual, aggressive, and social creatures. Sexual attraction is determined by many factors—organic (i.e. chemistry), relational (mature replacements for mom and/or dad) and …

This blog first appeared as an article in “Addiction Professional Magazine” (2012) (Judy Scheel) Eating disorders are often difficult to treat, due …

D.W. Winnicott’s concept of ‘false self,’ is ubiquitous in the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis. The term has come to have particular meaning …

There are no fewer than 100 types of diets posted on WebMD’s list of “Weight Loss and Diet Plans.” http://www.webmd.com/diet Some of them are …

Americans are getting fatter and fatter. Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia are also on the rise as is Binge Eating Disorder. The Wall Street …

In a recent article in Portland Monthly Magazine (Shulsinger) “Is SuicideGirls’ Mission of “Alternative Beauty” Still Relevant in 2013?” the founders of …

I am a native New Yorker – Brooklyn born and raised and Manhattan life as an adult. I love my city. Having …

Americans invest an inordinate amount of time, energy and money trying to avoid gaining weight, losing weight and trying to keep weight …

Water….. replete with symbolism in the fields of psychology, spirituality, and anthropology. Change, life, death, murkiness, fear, sadness and freedom, to name just a …

PTSD- And How it Relates to Eating Disorders By Judy Scheel, Ph.D. Exposure to an extreme traumatic stressor involving direct personal experience of an …

I have the wonderful good fortune as I write to be at a Film Festival in France – Festival International du Film …

The professional eating disorder community is reaching agreement about what causes eating disorders. The truth is that there is no one single cause for …

I have been asked lately about the seemingly “coolness” that is associated with celebrities with eating disorders. The question typically asked is …

I read the Sunday, November 4, 2012, NY Times article by Barry Berak, “Young Endurance Runners Draw Cheers and Concerns,” with an …

Many individuals with eating disorders experience significant anxiety when in social situations. According to the Free Dictionary (Farlex www.medical-dictionary.the free dictionary.com,) “anxiety is a multisystem response …

It is nice to be able to take a step back sometimes from viewing the world through the lens of a mental …

There are several questions I am often asked. First, if a person recovers from an eating disorder without ever understanding what caused it in …

People suffering from eating disorders are often ambivalent about recovering, which makes these types of illnesses harder to treat. Helping loved ones …

The majority of parents deeply feel and convey love for their children. The majority of parents of children with eating disorders are …

Shame and blame can play no part in real recovery The concepts of shame and blame have emerged lately in relation to people …

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week In the last few years, there’s been a lot of progress in understanding what drives the development …

There is general consensus that weight restoration in Anorexia Nervosa significantly improves mood, positively affects cognition and psychological functioning. Individuals diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa …

The teenage years typically bring on feelings of separation and autonomy, often leading to a power struggle between a teen and his …

Separation and loss are an inevitable process in life, and really all relationships. By being attached to someone, we are essentially setting …

“Anorexia Nervosa and the Language of Authenticity” is a recent report conducted by Tony Hope, Jacinta Tan, Anne Stewart and Ray Fitzpatrick …

The holidays are a time of family togetherness, and for the typical family, that often means plenty of holiday food and lots …

Those of us in the clinical field know that eating disorders are complex, and what causes them and how to treat them …

Many of us have that star-struck interest—and sometimes even obsession—with celebrities and their lives. We live vicariously through them, and project our …

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