As someone who grew up in the ballet community and became a behavioral health professional and dance educator, I know the damage this insidious disease inflicts on entire communities. I firmly believe Not One More person should be made to believe their value is in shrinking or lessening their emotions, personality, experience, or body. My hope is that one day we empower our communities to embrace their inherent value as human beings. NOT ONE MORE means having accessible and high-quality treatments available for my loved ones and patients. It means improved funding and research for treatments that have the potential to positively alter the trajectory of eating disorder health outcomes. It means effective and affirming resources for family members who are supporting their loved ones in recovery. Lastly, it means NOT ONE MORE life lost for every community, not just those who can afford treatment but for the historically underserved as well.
Growing up as a dancer meant I was constantly surrounded by disordered eating culture. At times it was as much a part of the curriculum as proper pirouettes were. As I sorted through my own challenges, I bore witness to my friends and faculty fighting constant battles in their own minds. I watched as their smiles, personalities, and artistry faded away only to be replaced by diet culture obsessions. This disease takes our artists, storytellers, role models, and educators away from their passions and, all too often, from our world. The dance educators that had awareness of this toxic culture urged me to respect my body and to embrace it even when it meant challenging “what dancers are supposed to look like.” They shared their stories with me so I would make different choices for myself, and I am forever grateful. I only wish I had been able to give them the parts of their lives back they lost to eating disorders as they potentially did for me. I also wished to have a similar impact for my peers who to this day, far past our performing careers, struggle to nurture and love their bodies. This experience drew me to learn about the psychology and neuroscience behind eating disorders and to pursue training on how to support the community.
I believe we all have a role to play in promoting community cultures that value individuals based on their inherent worthiness as humans and not on their ability to minimize their feelings, opinions, pain, or appearance. NOT ONE MORE and events like it empower advocates to promote love and nourishment for our minds and bodies over harmful behaviors. However, to get to the point of accessible and high-quality treatment we need to increase awareness of the lack of specialized resources available for those with income below the federal poverty line, who live far away from specialized resources or who live in an area that lacks specialized behavioral health professionals. We need to continue to advocate for the essential funding necessary to construct evidenced based treatments for eating disorders and to make them accessible. We need to continue to support organizations, like the National Alliance for Eating Disorders, who create support networks for families of loved ones with eating disorders. Above all, I believe NOT ONE MORE applies to the communities who have historically been overlooked in terms of eating disorder care like racially and ethnically diverse communities, the LGBTQIA+ community, and the special needs community. NOT ONE MORE is a call to action for all those who believe the world should not suffer one more loss to the insidious disease.
At Discovery Behavioral Health and Center for Discovery we stand with the National Alliance for Eating Disorders. We’re passionate about providing compassionate care that utilizes the very best evidence-based treatment options. For more than two decades we’ve helped thousands of patients discover their path to the full and rewarding lives they deserve. With us, you’ll have a team of experts who will design a treatment plan that’s just as unique as you are. You’ll learn about what’s underlying your eating disorder. You’ll practice new coping skills, including how to forge a healthier relationship with food through hands-on meal preparation. You’ll join us at one of our intimate estate-style homes or small outpatient centers that promote healing and personalized attention. And when you’re ready to return home, you’ll continue to receive recovery support for life through our Aftercare Program.
Lasting recovery can start today. Please reach out. We are here for you, and with you. For more information about Center for Discovery, please visit: www.centerfordiscovery.com