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Are you a Tiger, Gazelle or Opossum?: Part one, the nervous system’s response to stressors.

4/1/2017

Lindsay M. Adler, LMFT, CEDS, E-RYT 200

Have you ever watched a nature show where you see a tiger being approached by a predator? How does that tiger respond? How about a gazelle grazing on grass when a tiger comes along? How does that gazelle respond? Lastly, have you even seen a dog corner an opossum in a backyard? What does the opossum do?

The tiger will attack, the gazelle will flee and the opossum will play dead. Although each of these responses is different, the animals use each technique for survival.

As humans, we may not be faced with the threat of being eaten, but we experience our own types of stressors and threats. These stressors can include arguing with a loved one, approaching work deadlines, sitting in rush-hour traffic or experiencing a traumatic event.

Even though we have evolved to be different from the tiger, gazelle and opossum, we still have similar responses to threatening experiences.

Today, let’s take a look at how our brain functions under stress, and in a later blog, I will share with you how to work with your nervous system to function in a healthy way under stress.

Exploring the brain from the bottom up

Our brain has three parts and each part has a specific role in helping us deal with stressors. Here they are listed from the bottom up, meaning the most primitive to the most advanced.

Reptilian Brain (AKA the brain stem and cerebellum). This part of our brain is the most primitive, hence the word reptilian. Its role is to control our basic life-sustaining functions such as maintaining and regulating our heart rate, breathing, balance and body temperature.
Mammalian Brain (AKA the limbic system). This part of our brain first emerged with mammals. The main components of limbic system are the hypothalamus, amygdala and the hippocampus. The limbic system is shaped partly by genetics such as temperament and partly by our early childhood experiences. It is the part of the brain responsible for our emotions and helps us judge if is something is pleasurable or scary.
Rational/Cognitive Brain (AKA the neocortex or prefrontal lobe). This part of our brain makes us uniquely human. It is more developed in humans and is the center of language and abstract thought. The rational brain helps us to understand concepts, accomplish goals and manage time.

When each of these parts are in balance, we are likely feeling good physically and mentally. However, when there is a stressor, perceived stressor or threat, our brain begins to kick into overdrive, leaving some parts of our brain more active than others.

The parts of our brain that are the most active when stressed are the reptilian and mammalian parts, which we often call our emotional brain. Our emotional brain becomes more or less active, depending on the intensity of the current stressor and our past experiences with stressors or trauma. (For example, someone who has experienced a past trauma might experience a current stressor with more intensity than someone who has not experienced a trauma. Therefore, the person who had a trauma might have a more active emotional brain in the face of the stressor.)

It is important to understand how our brain and body function under stress, so we can work with our body to decrease the negative effects of stress. For instance, besides mental health concerns, chronic stress is also linked to pain, heart disease, high blood pressure, hormone imbalances and digestive problems.

Under pressure

When we experience a stressor, such as work-related issues, a car accident or an argument with a friend, our brain begins to sense a danger through the use of our senses. This information is gathered in the thalamus and then sent to our limbic system, which uses our perceptions and past experiences to interpret what could be happening. The amygdala (the center of our emotional reactions in our limbic system) helps our brain detect if what we are experiencing is related to survival, such as fighting back an attacker. It does this with the help of the hippocampus, which links the sensory information to old experiences. Then, if the situation is interpreted as threatening, the amygdala adds intense emotions associated with the stressful or threatening situation in order for us to take action. It is important to note that our limbic system has been wired to often interpret uncertain situations as threatening. This is because we have been wired to protect ourselves as much as possible.

The engagement of our limbic system is unconscious and the information moves very fast. This is why when we are experiencing an emotionally heightened experience, such as an argument, we respond without thinking. For instance, in an argument, we don’t typically think, “I am going to yell now to get my point across.” Instead, we suddenly begin raising our voices without noticing.

The rational brain also plays a role in our reaction to stress. However, it often is left in the back seat. This is because information is sent to the pre-fontal cortex at a slower rate. Using the example above, “I am going to yell now to get my point across” would be a rational brain response to a stressor because it is using higher levels of functioning such as reason. Since the limbic system is so much faster than the rational brain, we typically don’t make this decision consciously but only realize much later that we have raised our voices.

Fight or Flight

Once the information from the threat is processed through the limbic system and our brain says, “YES, DANGER!”, our brain tells our body to start to react. This reaction comes from our hypothalamus and brain stem, releasing stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. This activation tells our autonomic nervous system to activate. Our autonomic nervous system controls bodily functions such as our heart rate, breathing and blood pressure. So, our heart rate starts to increase, we begin to sweat and breathe rapidly. Our body is ready for action.

So, do we respond like the tiger and fight back? For instance, do you argue back, raise your voice or anger easily?

Or do we run away like the gazelle? Meaning, in face of stress do you isolate, avoid or walk away?

Each of these responses is part of our animal instinct; a way to protect ourselves from something, which seems threatening. Although adaptive, these responses can become harmful when we are reacting to something as if it is a threat when in fact it is not.

If we respond in flight or flight mode because of heightened emotions or because our brain has been wired to be more hypervigilant of stressors due to trauma, then it can have negative impacts on our mental, physical and social wellbeing.

Freeze/Collapse

Now, you might be wondering, well what about the opossum?

Just as our body responds through the autonomic nervous system when we face a stressor, our body can also use another part of our nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system to deal with a stressor.

The parasympathetic nervous system is the rest and digest system. It works in opposition of the autonomic nervous system, meaning if the autonomic nervous system is activated, then the parasympathetic nervous system will not be activated. This makes sense because if you were running from a attacker, you wouldn’t want to be calm and relaxed, otherwise you wouldn’t take action to save yourself from being hurt. We need our autonomic nervous system to help us survive. But we also need our parasympathetic nervous system to return us back to a state of balance.

Since we live in a world of constant stressors, most people have overly activated autonomic nervous systems and under activated parasympathetic nervous systems. So, often I am encouraging people to work on activating their parasympathetic nervous system more. However, there are a few cases where the over activation of the parasympathetic nervous system leads to a state of freeze, AKA playing opossum.
This often occurs for those who have experienced a trauma in which they felt trapped or if they have had multiple traumas. Instead of moving into a state of fight or flight to protect themselves, they move into a state of freeze or collapse.

Freeze is a function of the reptilian portion of our brain. In the event of a threat that feels unavoidable, the individual’s body shifts to a state of shutdown. Their body systems slow down and they lose any activation of the pre-frontal cortex in order to survive. This allows them to save energy and stall reactions in the brain so they cannot experience physical or emotional pain.

Let’s look at two examples.

The opossum is cornered by a dog in a fenced yard. Knowing it can’t defend itself or run away, it becomes frightened and instead of taking action, it goes into shock. An automated response occurs and the opossum goes into a comatose state appearing dead. The dog doesn’t want to eat a dead animal, so plays with it, and then runs away. The opossum gets up, shakes it off and runs away to safety.
A woman is in a car accident. She is pinned in her car and can’t get out. There are flames around her and she begins to feel as if she might die. All of a sudden, she becomes numb in her body and mind. A firefighter comes to save her from the car. When she is out of danger, the firefighter asks her if she is “okay”, but she can’t seem to respond. She feels disconnected and can’t remember what happened.

The freeze or collapse response also has its purpose, by helping us cope with an unavoidable threat. However, it too can be harmful. Examples include, when we experience numbing but it would be healthier to take action and feeling disconnected when there is no danger. For example, say your brain was wired to respond in freeze, because of a past traumatic event in which you couldn’t move, and you get into a disagreement with your significant other. However, instead of being able to shift into rationally discussing the topic, you find yourself completely numb. You can’t find the right words and you don’t feel any emotions. Your partner then wonders if you even care about them because you seem so disengaged.

Understanding our nervous system

Now that you have the knowledge about the different responses: fight, flight and freeze, I encourage you to take notice and think about how your body reacts to stressors. Often times, we will respond differently depending on the situation. This also makes sense because if we feel we can fight, we will and if we feel we can flee, we will. And if neither option is available to us, we freeze.

Most importantly, knowing how you typically respond to stressors will help you learn how to respond more healthfully in the future. Sometimes this takes working with a therapist. For now, take notice and in an upcoming blog, I will share some tools to help you shift your reactions.

Resource: van der Kolk, Bessel. (2014). The body keeps the score: brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. New York: Viking.

“Clean Eating”- The Morality Diet

3/17/2017

Lindsay M. Adler. LMFT, CEDS, E-RYT 200

The other day I was listening to the radio and came across an advertisement by Panera Bread Company (a sandwich, salad and bakery restaurant). The ad emphasized that all of their food is “clean”. My immediate reaction was, “Really? Was their food ‘dirty’ before? I hope their food is clean!”

I am pretty sure if their food wasn’t always “clean” they would have been shut down by the health department years ago. So, why are they now plastering all over their advertisements that they are “clean”?

If you aren’t already aware, there is a new dieting fad called “clean eating”, and the food, diet and exercise industries are making a lot of money off of using the word “clean” on their products. If you haven’t noticed this dieting trend, open your pantry and check some of the marketing labels on your foods. You might find the word “clean” displayed on the front of the packages. There are also tons of books regarding “clean eating” and a magazine with the same title.

This “clean eating” diet trend is extremely harmful, and today, I am going to share with you why.

The link between morality and food consumption

People have been using food as a means to “heal” and “purify” themselves for centuries. For example, food has been used to cleanse the soul in many religions. Some religions have integrated rules with food to help purify the body and thus, purify the soul. In addition, religious food rules can show devotion, piety and commitment to the faith. For example, most traditionally observant Jews eat kosher, Muslims eat halal, and Buddhists practice vegetarianism. Fasting is also a common practice found in these and many other religious traditions. Catholics, for example, practice fasting during the season of Lent.

In the modern era, dietary restrictions shifted from primarily being a spiritual practice toward becoming a common means of healing earthly problems of the body, such as curing illness and creating weight loss. Believe it or not, one of the first popular weight loss diets was created in the 1860s by William Banting. And there have been hundreds of popular diet fads since.

The link between spiritual and earthly use of dieting is a key factor in how our society has moved towards moralizing our food consumption.

In the religious sense, food restraint and rules are often used as a means to show one’s devotion to one’s faith. Those who do not follow the rules of the religion or show less restraint with their food practices, could be considered weak, impure, undedicated or “bad”. These moral views on eating behaviors create a moral hierarchy for individuals. And this hierarchy has been integrated into views about food consumption not related to spirituality.

**Note: I am not placing judgement on religious dietary practices or how they are reinforced in a particular church or affiliation. These practices have special meaning for many people and can be encouraged in non-shaming ways by practitioners. My intention is to explore how our society is negatively encouraging moral judgments with food choices.**

The diet culture has integrated similar moral beliefs into what is acceptable to eat.

The diet, fitness and food industries have established ideas of foods which are considered “forbidden”, unacceptable and impure. These could be foods that are artificially (or not artificially) sweetened, processed, have preservatives, high in dietary fat or carbohydrates, contain gluten, etc. These industries relay messages to individuals that eating these foods can lead to a shameful way of being. Meaning, if you eat these “forbidden foods” then you are weak, undisciplined, “bad” or even disgusting.

When society or the diet, fitness or food industries use morality to define our food choices, they set the stage for us believing that foods which do not fit into their “clean” category are contaminated. We can then believe anything we put in our mouths that is not “clean” will cause us to be “gross” and “disgusting”, even when there may be little to no evidence that these foods actually poison our bodies.

If you are thinking the terms I am using seem harsh, such as “poison” and “contaminate”, there is a reason I use such terms. When we use the word “clean” to describe food, we are also using a very serious term. “Clean” should be used to describe if a food is actually free of contamination, such as salmonella. So, if your sandwich fell into a pile of dog poop, then it is unclean, not if it was simply made with store bought bread.

How does this impacts us?

By labeling food as clean or unclean we are placing a moral judgment on the foods we eat and thus ourselves.

We are saying, “If I eat ‘clean’ foods, I am a better person.” In turn, we could also be saying those who do not eat “clean” foods are weak, bad or shameful. This view also allows a place for individuals with similar beliefs to congregate together, just as people do in religious practices. For example, “clean eaters” are uniting and promoting their diet though sharing their newest recipes on social media or at the gym.

Therefore, we are allowing the food, diet and fitness industries to be our spiritual or moral guides. By accepting these industries’ perspective on clean/good and unclean/bad foods, we are developing rigid beliefs about foods and attaching value judgments to the food choices people make.

What needs to change in society?

Take the word “clean” out of describing foods, unless they are literally sterilized.
Stop placing moral values on how people eat. Moral values can be better applied to other aspects of peoples lives, such as how they treat one another.
Doctors, dietitians and other professionals should be thinking more about the words they use to describe the advice they are giving regarding dietary habits. And, it is important they look critically at the evidence for giving this advice. For example, if doctors are wanting a patient to add more Omega-3s, fruits and vegetables in their diet, they should say that exactly, not use the term “eat clean”.

What can you do?

Explore the beliefs you have about food. Gain awareness, understanding and insight into how you may or may not place certain values on food intake. And also be aware, the dieting, fitness and food industries are making tons of money off of the insecurities you might have about yourself.
Don’t give in to the idea that your morals come from the foods you do and don’t eat. Who you are is based on much more than the food you ate for lunch.
Don’t be rigid with how you think about foods. Foods are not all bad or all good. Be balanced, meaning eat foods from all food groups.
Talk to a specialized professional such as a dietitian or a therapist who is knowledgeable and trained to challenge unhealthy views about food. (Be aware, there may be professionals who accept the diet industry’s standards; so be careful about who you choose.)
If you want to congregate or explore your moral values, do so with friends, family or other supports in other ways. This can include establishing a club, reading books, or going to a spiritual or religious service. There are much better ways to define who we are and who we want to be, rather than accepting the industries’ view.

Social Media and Mental Health

3/11/2017

Lindsay M. Adler, LMFT, CEDS, E-RYT 200

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about how social media is changing the way we communicate with each other (see blog titled, “Social Media: A “managed state of being”). In that blog, we learned about the extensive time people spend on social media and how controlled or “managed” it is by the individual. With these two ideas in mind, it’s important to now look at how social media might impact our mental health.

Let’s look at some findings

There have been a few research studies conducted on social media and mental health issues such as depression, low self-esteem and anxiety. Here is a synopsis of some findings from a literature review published in the academic journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

Social media use can relate to depressive symptoms because the “managed” communication can lead to people getting the wrong impressions of physical and personality traits from what is posted online. For instance, if someone is always showing edited pictures of themselves or how much money they are making, it could evoke feelings of jealously or resentment from others. Such as, believing “life isn’t fair” or “I am so ugly; they always look amazing!”
People already struggling with mental health issues, such as depression or an eating disorder, can experience an increase in symptoms by focusing on content related to their struggles or content encouraging unhealthy behaviors. This can also be seen in other areas of the Internet, such as “pro-ana” or pro-anorexia websites.
Adolescents can spend excessive time on social media, which may slowly impact their mental health. And, they might be more likely to engage frequently in social media when they already have mental health issues.
Self-esteem can be lowered by objectifying ourselves through externalizing who we are, such as talking about ourselves and posting “selfies”. So, if we don’t get the responses we would like from a post, we might end up feeling more negatively about ourselves.
Social media has the potential to take time away from face-to-face interactions and relationships with others. Some professionals even have concerns about addictions to social media (as well as gaming and other Internet use).
Most importantly (and as stated in my last blog): Social media might be creating more superficial and inauthentic interactions and relationships as we focus too much on how we portray ourselves on screen. Also, if we decrease face-to-face interactions, we may come to accept this overly managed state of being as normal in relationships.

Overall, there is no evidence that shows causation between social media and mental health problems. However, there is correlation, meaning there is some relation between the two (e.g., individuals who are depressed, anxious or have low self-esteem could be using social media more often than others).

Social media isn’t all bad!

Social media has also shown to have some positive aspects in mental health. These are import to understand as well.

Self-esteem could increase through someone being able to share something they are passionate about. And, through deciding what aspects of themselves they want to share with others, they might feel more able to have positive interactions with others. Thus, increasing their self-worth. However, it is important to understand this is a managed way to engage with someone.
Social media can be a way to strengthen connection with family or friends, particularly those you may not see regularly face-to-face.
Social media can be a way to gain positive messages when struggling with mental health issues and help people become involved with a support network. For example, there have been individuals struggling with eating disorders who have used social media as a way to gain support during the recovery process.

These positive aspects of social media are promising, since individuals are on social media so frequently.

Experts believe it could positively influence mental health, if there is more content related to increasing mental health education and positive messages related to being healthy.

Integrating this information

With all this information regarding social media, here are some thoughts about how to foster a positive environment to interact with others.

Think about what your intentions are when you use social media. Why are you wanting to connect with others? What are you hoping for when you connect with others in social media? Create intentions that are life fulfilling. In other words, find ways to engage in social media which lead to healthier relationships and a richer life.
Think about how much emotional significance you are placing on what you experience from others in social media. Try to not let the experience(s) have power over how you feel about yourself or others. Remember what you experience (or don’t experience) from social media is not the same as face-to-face interactions.
Understand that what you see in social media may be altered, edited or censored. So, have fun, but if you notice someone always seems to be living life on top of the world, they might intentionally be sharing only the positive experiences in their life.
Do not use social media as a way to engage in unhealthy behaviors. Meaning, if you are struggling with an eating disorder, depression or anxiety, stay away from posts which might increase unhealthy behaviors rather than encourage healthy ones. And, use social media to connect with others who provide positive encouragement.
Spend more time with others face-to-face, work on having authentic connections and use Facebook as an extension of these relationships. Remember, face-to-face relationships come first and social media relationships come second!

Resource: Pantic, I. (2014). Online Social Networking and Mental Health. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(10), 652-657. doi:10.1089/cyber.2014.0070

“Not good enough!”: Messages we send our body

2/28/2017

Lindsay M. Adler, LMFT, CEDS, E-RYT 200

“Ugh, I hate my thighs.”
“I wish my stomach was flatter.”
“Why I am I not as flexible as Sally?”
“My knees always hurt. I wish I had better knees.”
“This is my ‘bad’ side. I always hurt there.”
“I am so weak.”

Do any of these statements sound familiar?

Take a moment and consider how you talk about your body. Do you often say similar judgmental and negative messages?

Take another moment, and consider what the outcome would be if you said these same judgmental, negative and sometimes hateful messages towards another?

For instance, “Ugh, I hate you”, “I just wish you were more like John”, “I can’t believe you can’t pick up that box; you are so weak” or “Push yourself, touch your toes already!”

If we said the same things we tell ourselves to someone else, it would undoubtedly be very hurtful. Yet, it’s not uncommon to verbally assault ourselves on a daily basis. Why do we give ourselves permission to say such hurtful things to ourselves?

Are we considering how saying these same hurtful messages about our own body might affect our relationship with ourselves?

Likely, we don’t. Though, there are times we might be blinded by how our words affect others, we can be even more unaware of how our words affect ourselves. We take more consideration on being kind towards others than we do about being kind towards ourselves.

Society influences the way we view our body

Society tells us everyday we are not good enough. Turn on your television, look at a billboard, flip through a magazine, go on Facebook or listen to the radio, and you will be overwhelmed with messages telling you how much you need to change your body. Here is just a small list of examples of ways “I am not good enough” is engrained by society:

We see photoshopped images of women and men with flawless skin telling us to buy a new acne cream. We think, “I wish I had skin like that” and go buy the cream. Then, when we don’t get the same results as the images, we think either, “This cream is useless, but I need to find a way to make my skin clearer” or “Something must be wrong with me because I can’t get rid of this acne”.
We see an advertisement showing men and women working out at the gym with chiseled abs, arms and legs. We think, “I really need to start working out. I am so weak and my arms are flabby.” Then, we start going to the gym. After a few months of daily 10 minute intense core workouts, we still don’t look like that person from the advertisement. We think, “What is wrong with me?! I can’t seem to get rid of this flab!”
We scroll through our Facebook account and notice a local yoga studio is showing a picture of a woman touching the back of her head with the back of her foot. We might think, “I am not that flexible. I can’t believe I can’t do that. I’ve been practicing for years!”
We go to the doctor and the nurse takes our weight. Our doctor pulls up a chart and tells us our BMI is too high. We feel confused because we work out regularly and feel happy about how many activities we can do. Then, we wonder “Really, I am ‘overweight’. I must not be doing things right”.

There are so many ways we are programed to feel negatively about our bodies, I could spend all day writing them down. But, the important point is to know that the way society is telling us view our body is deeply flawed. This is due to being overly influenced by businesses such as the weight, diet and fashion industries which make billions of dollars off of us feeling horribly about our bodies so we purchase their products.

Also, in our western culture we are overly focused on quick fixes and external states of being (such as measurements), rather than thinking about how we feel and function in our bodies. This influence extends beyond advertisements, television shows, movies and clothing stores. I used the last example of the doctor’s office visit, because even some medical doctors are buying into these ideas and believing every body needs to fit into a specific equation.

Why is the relationship with our body so important?

Besides the interpersonal relationship with our parents, one of the first relationships we have as a child is with our bodies. This relationship shapes how we will later think and feel about ourselves as a whole. For example, as infants we explore our bodies when we play with putting our feet in our mouths. As children, we can test the limits of our body when we walk, run, jump, hop and skip around. And, our parents are important parts of helping us learn how to engage in the relationship with our bodies. For instance, if parents create a sense of acceptance and safety as we learn to engage in our body, we will feel comfortable and happy with ourselves. If we experience shame or anxiety from our parents, we might end up feeling negatively about ourselves, thinking about how “bad” we are.

How we treat our body is a great way to practice how we will engage in other relationships. We learn how to engage in future relationships from early relational experiences. Since the relationship with our body is one of the first relationships we have, how we engage with it will teach us how to engage in other relationships, such as with a significant other. So, if we can work towards having more kindness for our body, this kindness will translate to kindness towards ourselves as a whole, then towards others.

We can’t break up with our body. I know it might sound funny to say, but we can’t just say, “Sorry, Body, you are just too fat, ugly and old for me. I just can’t be around you anymore.” Yes, you might be able to get plastic or orthopedic surgery to change some things, but your body is the starting point and ending point. If you are spending a lot of time and energy hating or changing it, it’s likely wasted time. Your body can have a mind of its own, such as when we have an injury or illness.

Working towards a healthier relationship with our body

Take notice of what you say about your body. Are the words you use towards your body harsh? Are there other ways you could think about the struggles you are having? Such as, instead of saying you have a “bad” knee, think of it as needing some extra care.

Pay attention to how you treat your body and provide it nourishment. Do you push your body beyond its limits? Listen to your body. If it’s tired, it’s tired. If it’s injured, it needs healing.

Challenge views and messages you receive about your body. Such as, instead of accepting you need chiseled abs to be attractive and strong, you could challenge the idea and work towards understanding that strength in your body doesn’t look any specific way. Meaning, being able to notice the contour of every muscle in your body, doesn’t make you any stronger.

Think, speak and act with your body just as you might a loved one. Think about it this way, this is a relationship you will have for the rest of your life (sorry no escaping it!). As difficult as it is, it is better to embrace your body and live in harmony than be at constant war. As in any relationship, the best way to create harmony is to listen, validate, attune and engage healthfully.

Most importantly, understand it’s a practice!

Just as it is nearly impossible to have a perfect relationship with others 100% of the time, it is nearly impossible to have a perfect relationship with your body 100% of the time. Our bodies are constantly changing, and so it is always a practice to create a healthier relationship.

Eating Disorders are Treatable! Hope remains even with high mortality rates

2/23/2017

Lindsay Adler, LMFT, CEDS, E-RYT 200

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that anorexia nervosa has an average mortality rate of 10%, and the American Journal of Psychiatry in 2009 stated bulimia nervosa has a mortality rate of 3.9%. There are many reasons for this high mortality rate, including suicide and dying from complications of starvation such as heart failure and metabolic collapse.

This high mortality rate is important to understand, because often eating disorders are not taken seriously in our society or seem to be a taboo subject. Society even promotes eating disorders through the fitness and diet industry and through unrealistic views of body. In fact, there are even pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites, encouraging deadly behaviors.

It is helpful for us to know the effects of eating disorders so that we can provide appropriate prevention and early treatment.

Today, I want to talk about a story in the news related to the deadly nature of eating disorders, specifically anorexia nervosa.

The story

In November, I read an article by CNN regarding a woman struggling with anorexia who went to court to obtain her right to refuse forced feedings and enter palliative care. (see article here: http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/23/health/nj-woman-eating-disorder-legal-case/index.html) This woman won that right.

When I heard this woman was entering palliative care, I was saddened and felt compassion for her struggles because I can understand how easy it is to lose hope or get lost in the depths of the eating disorder. Also, it seemed as if the court might have been equating her eating disorder to a terminal illness, like the ending stages of cancer.

Legal arguments aside, in my experience as an eating disorder professional, I have found that even though eating disorders can be extremely difficult to treat, there is hope.

As a professional in this field, I have seen many children, women and men struggle with eating disorders. Many of these individuals have struggled most of their lives. Yet, through determination, faith and hope, they found a place in recovery. They were (and still are) not without struggles. But, they saw hope. They did not believe their eating disorder was an incurable illness.

Eating disorders are treatable!

Today, I read this woman had died. You can read the article here: http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/22/health/right-to-die-anorexic-woman-dies/index.html. She had died after her parents stopped life support when she fell into a coma, only three months after being allowed to reject treatment. Her attorney responded with saying, "I'm happy my client is finally at peace and it saddens me that modern medicine and a loving, supportive family, despite all the efforts extended, weren't able to help her overcome her illness”.

Again, I am saddened to hear about the loss of this woman’s life. And, I want to share with those struggling or those who know someone who is struggling with an eating disorder, that recovery is possible. I have witnessed the power of hope and faith in the recovery process. There are many different types of treatment available to help fight eating disorders and new treatments are being developed. Some common treatment modalities include:

Traditional “talk” therapies such as psychodynamic, CBT, DBT, and ACT
Trauma therapies such EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Sensorimotor psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems
Experiential therapies such as art and music therapy
Movement therapies such as dance
Mind-Body therapies such as yoga and meditation
Family Therapy
Animal assisted therapy such as equine therapy
Dietary Therapy
Psychotropic medications
And much much more!

In short, I hope as a society, we can both understand that eating disorders are deadly and know eating disorders are treatable. It is important that we work on eating disorder prevention by educating parents, teachers, doctors, nurses, clergy, et cetera about how to detect eating disorders, reduce bodily shame, reject the dieting industry, cope with emotional stressors and use healthy supports. If we spot eating disorders early, we can not only reduce the risk of death but also help someone reach a full life in recovery.

Resources: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/directors/thomas-insel/blog/2012/spotlight-on-eating-disorders.shtml#i

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Are you a Tiger, Gazelle or Opossum?: Part one, the nervous system’s response to stressors.

“Clean Eating”- The Morality Diet

Social Media and Mental Health

“Not good enough!”: Messages we send our body

Eating Disorders are Treatable! Hope remains even with high mortality rates

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