As someone who’s struggled with an eating disorder for longer than I would like to admit, I’ve definitely had periods of falling into the “I suck at recovery” trap. It connects directly to the “I am wasting everyone’s time and don’t deserve help” trap as well as the “I’m actually fine and asking for too much because I’m attention-seeking like that” trap. And let’s not forget…

“I’m not deflecting because I’m avoiding something deep. I’m deflecting because I’m avoiding something shallow.” – House, MD
One of my biggest treatment pet peeves is when professionals ask non-deep “deep” questions. For example:

What does it mean to feel?
How did it feel to be in that space?
How does it feel to be in this space now?
What does it mean for you to not be in that space anymore?
How do you experience that process?
What would it mean for there to be grey in your world?
How does it feel to have …

Everyone should go and read the discussion about this post — so many interesting things have been said from people with very different beliefs about the cause and treatment of eating disorders.  One question stood out to me, though:
Who would you go to if your child was ill?
I’m going to change the question a little bit:  What would you do if your child were ill?
I’ve thought about this a lot since “discovering” the Maudsley Method (I had never heard of it until a couple of years ago).  Maudsley contradicts many …

Do you ever feel like this in therapy? You’re talking about something random that happened in your childhood that you’re nearly POSITIVE has nothing to do with your issues today?
For example….
Before kindergarten I got to try out three different schools — and my parents did not send me to the one that I liked! And then I had to play with this girl who my mom was friends with who I did not get along with. Trauma! Oh, and there was this boy in kindergarten who …

I’ve been told more than a couple of times that negative body image is one of the last things to go in eating disorder recovery. Doesn’t that seem unfair? You want to think that you’ll feel better and be more accepting of yourself with the start of treatment, and that will motivate you to eat better and take care of yourself and move on past the disorder. And maybe at some point in treatment the nutrition kicks in and decreases the depression and anxiety that starvation heightens… …

I have just been waiting to write about this article all day!
“The [UK] government has earmarked £173m to increase the number of cognitive behavioural therapists in the NHS.””Professor Mick Cooper, an expert in counselling at the University of Strathclyde, told the conference at the University of East Anglia that although he welcomed the increased funding for psychological therapies, the focus on CBT was not logical.
He and three colleagues from the UK and US issued a statement saying there had been more studies on CBT, but that did not necessarily mean …

Choosing a therapist these days can be like ordering a drink from Starbucks:
I’ll have a grande CBT lite DBT Gestalt-free psychotherapy with two shots of psychoanalysis and breve IPT.
This image came to mind have after dinner with a friend last night. She’s been in therapy for several years, and has decided to switch to someone with “a little more of a CBT focus… who still integrates interpersonal therapy but spends less time talking about family.” Hmm… good luck with that search, Rach.
The reality of it is, there are …

7 Challenges of Psychotherapy

It can take awhile to find the “right” therapist and you shouldn’t stop at Therapist #1.
Therapy is a strange, unnatural combination — an extremely personal, intimate relationship in a professional setting.
Therapists leave and therapy ends.
It’s only 50 minutes a week.
Sometimes a friend will work just as well.
“Side effects” of psychotherapy are unpredictable.
Therapists can be just as crazy as any of their clients

This is by far one of the best articles that I’ve read lately. It directly addresses one of my biggest pet-peeves — the …