Peace Meal

Episode description: Eating disorders affect everyone. Unfortunately, one major eating disorder stereotype is that the illnesses only affect thin, white women, leaving men, nonbinary folx, and BIPOC on the outskirts of the conversation. To discuss this stereotype, the reality, and what we can do to work against the incorrect assumptions around eating disorders, we talk to Emily Program therapist Jamila Helstrom. — Episode show notes: Jamila Helstrom is a Pre-Independent Licensed Therapist at The Emily Program. She began working with adolescents and their families at the residential level of care and now works with adults in both outpatient and intensive day treatment settings. Her formal education is from the University of Saint Thomas, but her life experiences working with individuals in eating disorder recovery has taught her the most. Outside of work, she enjoys being a newlywed, listening to music, and speaking Spanish. Jamila joins this episode of Peace Meal to discusses eating disorder stereotypes, culture, and how to facilitate lasting recovery for all individuals. Jamila has conducted research on eating disorders in the Latin American community and African American populations to learn more about how eating disorders affect non-white individuals. This research demonstrated that all individuals, across populations, can be affected by eating disorders, however, not all of these individuals are seeking care due to stereotypes and lack of treatment accessibility. We discuss how stigma prevents individuals from seeking eating disorder care and how it also renders some providers unable to spot eating disorders in people of color. Jamila explains that medical training is largely dependent on what is tangible and detectable and that the measures used to assess disordered eating often fail to pick up on signs in minority populations. She suggests looking for signs such as family dynamics, trauma, societal pressures, and culture to detect eating disorders in minority populations. Some specific ways include being aware of co-occurring disorders, body displeasure, altered clothing choices, frequent bathroom trips, and more. We finish out the podcast discussing ways to promote inclusivity and acceptance in eating disorder treatment. Jamila believes in fostering productive client-relationships that allow each client to have a say in their treatment. By providing each individual with agency in their treatment, we can work to incorporate and understand different experiences while embracing culture as a tool of recovery. Jamila’s best advice to those in recovery is to share your story and to know that recovery is difficult. She hopes folks always remember that there is a community around them—from family and friends to therapists and fellow recoverees. We cite statistics from NEDA in this episode. You can find us at The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. https://www.emilyprogram.com/ -- Follow The Emily Program on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram

Episode description: Peace Meal’s Recovery Stories series features voices of individuals in eating disorder recovery and beyond. This episode features Sarah Churchward, a professional writer and makeup artist. In her late teens, Sarah was diagnosed with both anorexia and chronic narcolepsy. She discusses the process of coming to accept her chronic illness while being in eating disorder treatment and how that process made her into who she is today. — Episode show notes: Sarah Churchward is a writer and professional makeup artist who lives in Washington. At the age of seventeen, she launched her own cosmetics line and started a blog called Thought Outlet, where she discusses various topics that she is passionate about. In February of 2018, Sarah ran into health issues, which forced her to take a hiatus from both work and school. Following disordered eating and a solo attempt at recovery, Sarah’s struggles spiraled into a full-blown eating disorder that led her to call The Emily Program and start treatment. In addition to her eating disorder diagnosis, Sarah was also diagnosed with the chronic illness narcolepsy with cataplexy. This illness left Sarah falling asleep in strange situations, having minor sleep attacks and confusion, and cataplexy—temporary muscle paralysis that is caused by strong emotions and stimuli. Sarah states her eating disorder got significantly worse after she was diagnosed with narcolepsy and that her symptom use increased. She attributes this worsening to the stress of being diagnosed with chronic illness, functional body dysmorphia (the feeling that her body was betraying her), and the stimulants used to lessen the severity of her narcolepsy. However, after starting treatment at The Emily Program, finding recovery, and learning successful coping skills, Sarah believes her body is absolutely perfect just the way it is. Today, Sarah acts as an advocate for those struggling with narcolepsy and encourages those suffering from chronic illnesses or eating disorders to seek support. Her advice to those struggling with a chronic illness is to stay educated and act as a self-advocate. For those in eating disorder recovery, Sarah says find faith, trust, and hope. You can find us at The Emily Program online or by calling 1-888-364-5977. — About the podcast: Peace Meal is an Emily Program podcast that discusses topics related to eating disorders, body image issues, and how society may contribute to distorted thinking. You can find Peace Meal on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. If you enjoy our show, please rate, review, subscribe, or tell your friends! Are you interested in being a guest on Peace Meal? Email [email protected] for more information. https://www.emilyprogram.com/ -- Follow The Emily Program on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEmilyProgram Twitter: @emilyprogram Instagram: @emilyprogram