Welcome

This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed. 

By Tiffany Hammer, outreach specialist at The Emily Program

In my last blog I talked about the importance of “I choose to be happy” in my life. That affirmation helped me to break the vicious cycle of negative self-talk that plagued my thoughts and tormented my relationship with food. I punished myself with large quantities of food and thought that no matter how hard I worked on my healthy lifestyle goals, it all felt hopeless. I very strongly believe that recovery is possible, even some days when it can be a struggle. Recovery is a journey, and it gets easier.

This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

By Cami Applequist, a former TEP client and woman in recovery

Telling your own truth out loud is powerful. I have always thought so, but not until I started telling the truth about my own eating disorder did I realize how powerful it actually is.

On the first day of inpatient treatment, I sat with a group of women and said out loud for the first time that I didn’t think I should ever eat and I meant it. I also said out loud that most of the time I hated myself whenever I ate. Then I cried. For the first time, I wasn’t cracking a joke about my weight, making that my humorous excuse for not accepting dessert.

This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed. 

By Dallas Rising, a former The Emily Program client and woman in recovery

What does vegan mean to you? This is a question I ask people all the time, as it’s my job to educate others about veganism. In the nineteen years, I’ve been vegan, the word has gone from completely foreign to a household term and as the word has increased in use, perceptions about what it means are all over the map.

When I ask people what vegan means to them, most immediately launch into listing off all of the things that vegans don’t eat. “Vegans don’t eat meat, dairy, or eggs, right?” Right. But that’s not the end of the beginning of the story.

This is one person’s experience; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

By Alexandra Miles, a former The Emily Program client in recovery

Self-acceptance and Self-nurturance   

Transcendence from fear to unconditional love is the path of awakening. When we see with the heart, spread our wings, and learn to fly we become beings of radiant light.

The month of December is the month of snowflakes, giving, receiving, and playing. It is the month of unconditional love, light, and joy. When we tap into our hearts and love ourselves unconditionally we can spread love and light to our community during a month of dark nights and short days. This month is a month to ignite the light within and shine it onto ourselves and others.

The holidays, especially Thanksgiving, can be a stressful time for both clients and family members. Clients in eating disorder treatment often worry about what foods will be served for the Thanksgiving meal, potential comments made by family members, holiday-sized portions of food, following their meal plans, and avoiding behaviors. Their loved ones may also have concerns about feeling like they have to walk on eggshells around the client for fear of saying the “wrong” thing. This can make for a tense environment during a time reserved for appreciating family and being together. Therefore, with help from the clients in our day treatment program, we have compiled a list of dos and don’ts on what to say (and what not to say) to loved ones in eating disorder treatment during the holidays.

Please note that these suggestions are not based on research, but rather the experience of our clients. These suggestions may not be appropriate for everyone and every family.

This year’s second annual Cleveland NEDA Walk was a huge success. More than 100 of you joined us on Oct. 18 to raise our voices and funds in the fight against eating disorders. It was the biggest turnout to date!

We’re grateful for NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) and host Olivia Armand for coordinating this special event. By coming together as a community, we were able to shed light on this devastating illness and support NEDA’s prevention, service and treatment programs.

This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

By Katie Teresi, a woman in recovery

When I was battling against my eating disorder, a five-year struggle that faced me first against anorexia nervosa before swinging into binge eating disorder, I constantly craved food. A starving anorexic, my body screamed for the food I denied it. Later, I stayed up late satisfying my body’s want and perceived need for more, more, more food. On both ends of the spectrum, thoughts of food never strayed far from the epicenter of my mind.

This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

By Cami Applequist, a former TEP client and woman in recovery

In the midst of eating disorder treatment, it is really easy to feel like everything sucks – and that it all sucks really bad. Building an entirely new relationship with food isn’t easy and it involves developing new relationships with family, friends, and the way in which we see the world. So it doesn’t just feel like it sucks, it does suck. And it sort of has to suck – because eating disorders suck and all the reasons they exist suck. But know that it is entirely possible to survive all of the suckiness.