A Journey Through Eating Disorders Support & Recovery

Not One More. For me and the rest of the Alsana team, this means working collectively to spread awareness about eating disorders and their impact on individuals, families, and communities, as well as spreading support to those struggling to show them that their lives and experiences matter. This acknowledgement and understanding breeds compassion - an essential ingredient in sustained recovery…

“Not One More" is a powerful slogan that carries a message of hope and resilience for those who have been affected by eating disorders. To me, it means that we will not accept another life lost to this illness. We will not stand by and watch another person suffer in silence. It is a call to action, a reminder that…

Eating Disorder Recovery as an Asian American First and foremost, I am writing from the perspective as a young adult Asian American who is in recovery from an eating disorder. I understand that everyone’s experience is unique to their own life circumstances, and I am simply sharing my personal journey. I hope that there will be a few who are…

I studied my mother’s face as the doctor explained the “problem” with my body. He handed us each a shiny pamphlet with fruits and vegetables on the cover detailing the “simple way” to change me: eat less and move more. Even at twelve I knew what it meant to be told I needed to lose weight. The shame on my…

Many of the physical manifestations of an eating disorder are overlooked or are accepted as a part of life. For those suffering from an eating disorder as well as their loved ones, it can become easy to accept that this is just how it is now; the physical pain and emotional pain, the lack of energy and mental clarity and…

Alison. Laina. Rachel. Amy. Natalie. Raelyn. These six beautiful souls were my friends, roommates, and confidantes. They were some of the kindest people I’ve ever met. They showed up for me in my darkest moments. They died so young, so quickly. It’s all so unfair. You see, I met all these women during my time in treatment for an eating…

The Alliance’s call to action of Not One More is vital to allowing new awareness to emerge and grow. I wonder though that in the first moments of hearing “not one more” it is possible that some of us may experience frustration and fear rising and causing a cloud of fog to emerge that keeps us from believing in the…

At the end of a patient’s journey, I will end our last visit by asking, “tell me something you want me to know as I continue to do this work?” That question started a conversation where a patient, who I had the pleasure of taking care of, took the time to describe why her treatment episode at this juncture in…

Eating is an important factor in maintaining physical and mental well-being. However, a focus on “healthy eating” and nutrition can lead to a fixation on food choices, potentially developing into an eating disorder. Orthorexia nervosa is an eating disorder involving an obsession with “healthy eating.” Orthorexia nervosa is complex and can seem counterintuitive, but is a manageable and treatable condition.…

For the past sixteen years, I have worked with eating disorder patients in residential and inpatient settings. These are some of the things I have seen and never want to see again: A teenager who had to attend their brother’s wedding via zoom because they were in residential treatment for their eating disorder. A woman who would only sit on…