Starving at the Banquet

Eating Disorders

The Right Way to Feel

Lauren Grunebaum L.C.S.W. on July 23, 2014

Life is full of transitions. No matter how old we are, it is vital that we allow ourselves to connect with and express our full range of emotions. There is no one "right" way to feel.

Eating Disorders

Home For the Holidays

Lauren Grunebaum L.C.S.W. on November 14, 2013

Having a plan of action helped my client to see that she was no longer a helpless child, but
a young woman with the ability to make choices. She did not have to fall back on self-destructive coping mechanisms of binging and purging. She could choose a more effective
way to deal with uncomfortable feelings.

Anxiety

Change of Heart

Lauren Grunebaum L.C.S.W. on April 24, 2013

From a clinician's point of view, is it better to get the weight gain over as quickly as possible, like ripping a band-aid off a wound or preferable to gain at a slower pace? I now believe that there is no one answer. Just as I learned to relinquish the rigidity of the anorexia, I am now more flexible in my thinking about treatment. There is no one right path to recovery.

Eating Disorders

Instant Gratification

Lauren Grunebaum L.C.S.W. on July 3, 2012

Almost no recovery from an eating disorder occurs without periods of regression. As much as the sufferer wants to be free of her obsessions about eating and starving, she does not remember how to navigate life without her illness.

Anxiety

Searching for the Magic Wand

Lauren Grunebaum L.C.S.W. on December 28, 2011

Ambivalence about recovery from anorexia comes in many forms and has many voices. One way the ambivalence gets expressed is through what I call searching for the magic wand.

Anorexia Nervosa

The Best Anorexic

Lauren Grunebaum L.C.S.W. on September 13, 2011

An anorexic who loses weight by restricting her food feels superior to and has a higher status than one who loses weight by purging. Anorexia sufferers often feel they are higher in status than bulimics. Starving oneself and restricting ones food implies more self-control; and a sense of control is characteristic of those with anorexia and bulimia.

Eating Disorders

What Do I Do If My Friend Has an Eating Disorder?

Lauren Grunebaum L.C.S.W. on July 25, 2011

What can I say to a friend who I think has an eating disorder? How can I support my friend once she is in treatment?

Anxiety

The Angst of Separation

Lauren Grunebaum L.C.S.W. on June 15, 2011

When I was eleven, I expressed my separation anxiety by running away from camp. At
seventeen, I expressed it through my anorexia. The two were variations on the same theme.

Eating Disorders

Dreaming of Being Special

Lauren Grunebaum L.C.S.W. on May 16, 2011

The more my life was ruled by anorexia, the more I clung to it for dear life—even while it was eating me alive.

Eating Disorders

My Reaction to The New York Times Article: In Fighting Anorexia, Recovery Is Elusive

Lauren Grunebaum L.C.S.W. on April 28, 2011

Eating Disorders

I didn't choose to starve myself

Lauren Grunebaum L.C.S.W. on March 19, 2011

Even when I was clearly malnourished and my clothes were hanging off of me, people would look at me and say, "I wish I could have some of what you have." I also heard, "Tell me your
secret (i.e. for staying slim)." Both of these comments implied that starving myself was a choice and a trait they wished to emulate.

Eating Disorders

Anorexia Sufferers Are Hungry, Too

Lauren Grunebaum L.C.S.W. on February 23, 2011

Anorexia nervosa is a greedy illness. It takes everything it can. It becomes all-consuming and all-encompassing. There is no room left for anything nor anyone else.