By June Alexander Excerpts shared by 70 diarists for my book, Using Writing as a Therapy for Eating Disorders—The Diary Healer, told compelling stories of struggle and courage. Each of the diarists, like myself, had experienced an eating disorder. My challenge was to locate leads within the stories, and combine them, through paraphrasing and selected […]
Dear Diary
Securing trust when writing a non-fiction story – feeling safe enough to share innermost thoughts and feelings
By June Alexander Securing of trust is essential when recovering from an eating disorder, and likewise it is essential when we are writing stories about the illness. Today I will describe the ways in which trust was integral to the writing of my book Using Writing as a Therapy for Eating Disorders – The Diary […]
Mapping the tides of our life through story-telling
By June Alexander Life-writing is simply telling a story from our life. Sounds simple, but depending on how deep we dare to plunge into our past, the process can spark a ripple effect that turn into tidal waves of emotion. When we write even a brief account of something we have experienced, for instance a […]
How caring for a sick child inspired a mother to write her first book
By June Alexander If your life balance is out of kilter due to the time you are spending caring for a loved one, Bharati’s workbook is for you. This heartfelt book provides practical and welcome guidance to help you reclaim your balance by staying in the now. When Bharati Lall attended a parent workshop at […]
So you intend to write your life story “One day”?
By June Alexander Procrastination is a perennial pop-up when conversation swings to writing our life story. How hard is it to pick up a pen and paper and start writing? I’ve created a new website to help you on your way. Like me, you are likely to know dear family members, friends, and colleagues, who have […]
The innovative “Plate-by-Plate Approach” offers guidance for parents nourishing their child through an eating disorder
By Wendy Sterling, MS, RD, CSSD and Casey Crosbie, RD, CSSD I wish this meal-time guidance provided by Wendy and Casey had been available when I was age 11 and an eating disorder was raging and embedding in my brain. Together with the support of Family-based Treatment, my parents would have felt confident and empowered […]
My brother in Croatia has an eating disorder
By Hrvoje Petrovic * My brother is suffering from a long term eating disorder. Helping to care for him has affected my own health. For instance, witnessing my brother’s suffering led me to experience an episode of severe depression with appetite loss. However, now I am grateful for this, because I have greater empathy and understanding of […]
Going about the daily business of reducing eating disorder shame
As we close on this year’s third annual World Eating Disorders Day, it provides us with time to reflect on those affected by an eating disorder, their families, and the medical and health professionals who support them. Although having a day dedicated to raising awareness is a grandiose initiative, it’s not a battle with […]
Let’s talk and break down eating disorder stigma
Why Tasmania is not the place to be if you are an adult with an eating disorder By Dr. Sarah Wells The 2018 World Eating Disorder Action Day slogan, break down the stigma, is powerful. When you are in the thick of it, the slogan results in one looking inside oneself and self-reflecting. After this, […]
Confronting binge eating in eating disorder recovery
by Diana Beaudet and June Alexander Shame and stigma can debilitate people experiencing an eating disorder, as the following exchange reveals: Dear June, I’m trying to look after myself, but I’ve been struggling in this last week and I don’t know why. After traveling with my family, I came back feeling really positive about recovery […]