13 Ways NEDA Community Members Are Having a Healthy, Happy Halloween!
Halloween can be a difficult time of the year for those who are struggling or who have struggled with an eating disorder. The overwhelming presence of candy and attention-grabbing costumes can often make the night feel as though it’s fueled more by tricks than treats. It can be especially difficult since it is so ingrained […]
Dear Melody: No One Takes My Eating Disorder Seriously As a Mid-Life Adult. What Can I Do?
“Dear Melody” is an advice column by Dr. Melody Moore, a clinical psychologist, yoga instructor, and the founder of the Embody Love Movement Foundation. Her foundation is a non-profit whose mission is to empower girls and women to celebrate their inner beauty, commit to kindness, and contribute to meaningful change in the world. Dr. Moore […]
How to Have a Happy, Safe, and Non-Offensive Halloween Weekend
Halloween is right around the corner. While the smell of cinnamon and carving pumpkins can be exciting, costumes are sometimes a cause of offense. In previous years, Halloween costumes have had a tendency to veer more toward offensive than fun by parodying race, religion, mental illness, gender, and disabilities. As you start to pick out […]
Discovering My Inner Beauty in Recovery
When I think back to my high school years, it was a series of rituals. The same foods, the same habits, the same clothes; everything was a routine because in my mind, that’s when things were in control. The truth is, I was anything BUT in control. My eating disorder started in high school. I […]
Happy Unity Day! Let’s Stand Up to Bullying, Together
Today marks PACER’s 2017 Unity Day! Now is a time to unite for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion, and pledge to create a world without bullying. When we stand together, no one stands alone! Below, three of our writers shared their experiences with bullying, as well as tips on how to protect yourself. Lexie Manion: “I […]
Tearing Down the Walls My Eating Disorder Built
Three out of my 16 years of life were spent in my eating disorder. It was a silent battle—I appeared as smiley as ever, even through the weeks of being too nauseated to eat, let alone function properly. It wasn’t that I was unloved; I’ve always had a loving, supportive family and solid friends around […]
Dear Leon: How Can I Find an LGBTQ+ Positive Therapist?
Leon Silvers is a psychotherapist, founder, and director of Silvers Psychotherapy, a group therapy practice in NYC. He specializes in working with clients with eating disorders, substance abuse, trauma, and LGBT issues. He has worked in various clinics and agencies providing psychodynamic psychotherapy for adults and adolescents; working in outpatient substance abuse; in crisis intervention […]
Contradictions in Recovery: Why Are Some Eating Disorders Treated More Seriously Than Others?
I’ve noticed a tremendous inconsistency throughout my years of eating disorder treatment. When I was in treatment for anorexia nervosa purging type, one of the first parts of my recovery was weight restoration. I felt like before I even got into the work of dissecting how/where my eating disorder started, I was required to gain […]
Every Body Can Dance: Body Positivity in Dance Education
People often assume that dance training is at odds with the ideals of body positivity. I can understand why – at the professional level, dance has a longstanding reputation of requiring a very narrow ideal body shape and size and dance class can often focus on physical shortcomings. That said, I am a dance teacher, […]
Happy Spirit Day! Here Are 7 Ways to Take a Stand Against Bullying
Eating disorders disproportionately affect members of the LGBTQ+ community and bullying can serve as one factor in the development of an eating disorder. As a whole, LGBTQ+ young people are more likely to experience bullying at school, sexual harassment, cyberbullying, and property damage. GLAAD’s Spirit Day is a time to stand with LGBTQ+ young people […]
