After 35 years of being controlled by an eating disorder, Jessica has finally found and learned to love herself.

Therapist and Project HEAL Board Member, Wednesdae Reim Ifrach, wasn’t always brave. But at 22, while knee-deep in their eating disorder and newly wading into the world of scary movies, Wednesdae discovered the movie Halloween. In it, they saw the relationship between their eating disorder and themself depicted clearly for the first time.

In recognition of Weight Stigma Awareness Week, Project HEAL Clinical Assessment Program Manager Stephanie Alberts speaks to the “wait” of weight stigma.

Eurocentric approaches to eating disorder treatment marginalize and exclude sufferers of differing identities. Maryam shares how the lack of cultural competency at her treatment center created an additional barrier to healing.

Suicidal thoughts and her eating disorder caused Ayanna to push away her family and high school friends. Only after someone finally noticed that she wasn’t okay and checked in with her did she seek out help and begin to heal.

Suicide is a topic that hides in the shadows. All too often it goes unaddressed, even when we may sense someone is struggling. In honor of World Suicide Prevention Day, Tara Criscuolo shares the warning signs of suicide and tips for how to have a conversation with someone you’re concerned about.

Many people find themselves developing an emotional attachment to their eating disorder and inadvertently begin to consider it as a large part of their identity. Eve shares how learning to separate herself from her eating disorder helped her heal.

When Shauna began her disordered eating healing journey, she found an untapped inner well of resilience. Now on the other side, she shares tips for finding and nurturing your own resilience.

Harmful cultural ideas of beauty were passed down in Marie Friend’s family through countless generations of women. But she chose to break the cycle and has learned to accept her body as it is.

It’s been two and a half years since Nichole caught COVID-19, and she still hasn’t regained her ability to taste or smell. Even with a diagnosis, the long-term virus side effects paired with chronic pain, have made it extremely hard to access validating and accommodating eating disorder treatment.

Popularized by Dr. Gaudiani of the Gaudiani Clinic, “sick enough” is the idea that someone may have an eating disorder but not be perceived as thin enough, struggling enough, etc., and will not be taken seriously nor gain access to the care they need because of that. In this week’s blog, Tara Criscuolo shares her personal experience of not feeling “sick enough.”

Sensory issues often go hand-in-hand with disordered eating. Chris Sherman speaks to their struggle with ARFID and provides nine tips for navigating sensory issues.

Intuitive eating is not a diet but is often coopted by the wellness community. Rachel Naar, MS, RD, CDN provides five practical tips for nourishing yourself without counting calories.

Seye Akinyemi, an eating disorder practitioner and coach, delves into the reasons behind the lack of male representation in the eating disorder field, the consequences of the disparity, and provides suggestions for how to improve gender diversity.

Reclaiming and reconnecting to her identity as a Latina was a vital component of Isabel Vasquez’s recovery, and most of that work happened on her own after she completed treatment. She shares the harms of assimilation and how she found her way back to her Dominican Republic and Puerto Rican roots.

Project HEAL’s CEO, Rebecca Eyre, offers her personal perspective on eating disorder field leadership, what’s happening at NEDA, and her commitment to ensuring Project HEAL lives up to its values.

Being fat in this world is not for the faint of heart. Nia speaks to their journey of experiencing relentless anti-fat bias, internalizing it and beginning to perpetuate it, and then learning to fight back on behalf of their body.

Using poetry, Al aims to unite all different kinds of people who share his same struggle with disordered eating. Despite differences in languages, cultures and lifestyles, he hopes readers will feel encouraged by his words and know they’re not alone.

Dr. Ajay K. Nangia and his wife’s personal experience with infertility proved to be a turning point in his career, as his specialization in male infertility led him into private practice and then to become one of few male infertility specialists in New Hampshire at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. There he researched and documented the emotional consequences of infertility in men, especially how body image and eating disorders can play a role in the process. Read his story and his four overarching lessons.

Heart’s journey through body dysmorphia and dysphoria has been long and hard. Today, he loves his body and is proud to be visible.