Some of these essays appear under other categories in Information (main menu above), but not all and most are shorter reads than the long-format papers.

Featured
Religion, Faith, Fasting and Eating Disorders
Religion, Faith, Fasting and Eating Disorders

Fasting is integral to many religions around the world. Fasting holds specific risks of activation of eating disorders and relapse for those who are susceptible. Take a brief look at how faith and commitment are not synonymous with ritual practice.

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Loss, Grief and Propaganda

Interacting with propaganda is not just about gullibility. Learn more about how loss, grief and propaganda are interwoven as all these topics are very relevant in today’s world.

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How to Fail with Intent

While this is part 4 of the series on eating disorders (and other chronic mental health conditions) getting worse during the pandemic and how to work through turning things around if that is your experience right now, this is a standalone piece of a linchpin of recovery efforts of any kind: failure.

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Eating Disorder Recovery in Memoir

We're very honored to announce Kerrie Baldwin's memoir of her recovery experience using the Homeodynamic Recovery Method (HDRM). Her book is available for pre-order with proceeds going to Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders (F.E.A.S.T.org). Read more about her journey and an excerpt of the book here.

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When Will I Be Done?

A response to the often asked question of what constitutes "done" in recovery from an eating disorder.
When Your Everything Is Not Enough

A first-person experience that may have value for those in recovery from eating disorders who feel nothing is going "according to plan."
Do eating disorders matter at all?

More important things are happening in the world now. Discussing eating disorders at all seems elitist, superficial and ultimately discordant to many at the moment. But if you are dealing with an eating disorder right now, nothing is more important.
Do you owe anyone your looks?

Obviously the short answer is "No." But this is a common dilemma those in recovery from an eating disorder suddenly encounter with their nearest and dearest.
Welcome to our new brand and new site: The Eating Disorder Institute

Welcome to our new brand, new name and new site: The Eating Disorder Institute. Want to find out more about what's new? Read more...

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“I only restricted food for a very short time”: Understanding why recovery takes so long.

Illusory superiority may impact your expectations of what your recovery process will look like and how long it will take. Developing flexible realism instead might help you navigate your time in recovery and improve your chance of practicing remission long term.
BMI and Eating Disorders: It’s All About Undereating

BMI doesn't reveal the presence of an eating disorder. You don't have to be emaciated to be severely energy deficient. We're so insistent that body mass and food intake are linked, we're overlooking a serious artifact in our scientific research. We've done this before too.
Body Image: What Is It Good For?

What is body image really? A look at the sensory perception below the sociocultural mess that has moved it well away from its biological purpose.
Eating Disorder Recovery: But I Want To Save the Animals

Here are some ideas to contemplate if you feel conflicted about eating meat and yet are equally committed to a recovery effort from an eating disorder.

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Intrusive Thoughts of Self-Harm in Eating Disorders

Intrusive thoughts of harming oneself are common to all of us. However, for anxious people (eating disorders being a type of anxiety disorder at its core), intrusive thoughts of self-harm create a cascade of distress and panic that can trigger a compulsive drive to follow-through on self-harm. Thankfully, several psychoeducational treatment approaches can help.
New Year’s Resolutions: What Needs to Be Resolved?

The word "resolve" means both to find a solution and to take a firm course of action. We're inundated with the need to take a firm course of action each New Year to bolster our status in society. Perhaps we need to consider what problems need solutions instead.
Countermoves: When a Recovery Effort Generates a New You, and They Want You to Change Back.

When your partner, family member and/or friend is getting increasingly negative and unsupportive about your effort to get to remission from an active eating disorder, what are you supposed to do?
Demanding Doctor’s Notes Won’t Work: Models in France

We need to update our sense of the so-called glamorous world of modeling and we need to understand that regulating models, instead of the industry that exploits them, only serves to reinforce the exploitation.
Happy NO-lidays! Neutralizing Fattism and Healthism at Seasonal Gatherings

Part IV: Empathy. A four-part series looking into all the ways you might neutralize the impact of pervasive fattism and healthism talk at seasonal gatherings this year.
Happy NO-lidays! Neutralizing Fattism and Healthism at Seasonal Gatherings

Part III: Bring It. A four-part series looking into all the ways you might neutralize the impact of pervasive fattism and healthism talk at seasonal gatherings this year.
Happy NO-lidays! Neutralizing Fattism and Healthism at Seasonal Gatherings

Part II: We're On Each Other's Team. A four-part series looking into all the ways you might neutralize the impact of pervasive fattism and healthism talk at seasonal gatherings this year.
Happy NO-lidays! Neutralizing Fattism and Healthism at Seasonal Gatherings

Part I: Don't Go. A four-part series looking into all the ways you might neutralize the impact of pervasive fattism and healthism talk at seasonal gatherings this year.
Eating Disorder Chatter: How to Navigate the Constant Barrage.

When the inner voice is hijacked by all things eating disorder, you face an unending spewing misery of cruel self-talk. Here are some options for navigating the endless chatter.
Getting Ready to Recover from An Eating Disorder

You can never feel completely ready for a recovery effort to get to remission from an eating disorder. But you can have some tools to improve your chances of getting through it all. Here are some options for amassing those tools.
Body Checking: Safety Behaviors In Recovery

There are numerous safety and avoidant behaviors that plague those with active eating disorders and body checking is a common, invasive and life-limiting example. Body checking doesn't just disappear as you enter recovery and it often worsens. So what are you supposed to do?
Acne in Recovery: I Know, Let’s Just Cut Out Food Groups!

Acne is a common symptom in recovery. Equally common is the recommendation to treat the condition with dietary restriction. That's not scientifically sound and it's dangerous for those with eating disorders. What do you do instead?
Hunger Isn’t “Intuitive Eating” or a Growling Stomach

Confused about intuitive eating? Not sure why people with eating disorders can't eat intuitively? Then this post may help clear up some misconceptions.
“Wow! You’ve Changed!” Endless Reactions In Recovery

"Hey you've put on some weight, you look great!" And other terror-inducing comments you face in recovery. A lot.
Juggling Recovery, Financial Needs & Commitments

The importance of resting along with re-feeding and brain re-training (psychoeducational support) in recovery from an eating disorder is hard to reinforce when jobs and childcare are on your "to-do" lists.
Fear & Culture: Let’s Up the Incidence of Emetophobia!

A thought experiment to highlight how our current culture might be both increasing the prevalence and severity of eating disorders in our society.
Eating Disorder Recovery and Schooling

Facing a relapse of an eating disorder and currently in university? Here are some things to consider if you're planning a recovery effort to get to remission.