Our relationship with our bodies is complicated. With or without an eating disorder, research has determined that humans experience a normative amount of body image distress. Having a body is an uncomfortable experience. From infancy to adulthood, our bodies change in ways that are completely out of our control. Yet, the relationship we have with … Read More
It’s Valentine’s season! That means everywhere you go your eyes are likely overstimulated by everything red, pink, and hearts. Maybe you love everything Valentine’s day, or maybe you find the concept nauseating, but nonetheless everyone is familiar with the concept – celebrating someone you love. Some people celebrate by having date night with their significant … Read More
Contributed by a former McCallum Place patient I wrote this poem, A Farewell to My Eating Disorder, while in the partial hospital program at McCallum Place. It captures the recognition that the loud voice of my eating disorder became a little bit quieter the more I did the opposite of what it was yelling at … Read More
Caroline H Leibman, MA Ed, BC-DMT, NCC, SEP Individual Therapist; Dance & Movement, Expressive & Psychodrama Group Therapist In my previous blog I shared the important role of the Creative Arts therapies in Eating Disorders treatment. I cited Dance/Movement Therapy, Authentic Movement, Somatic Experiencing, Yoga Therapy and Mindful Walking as specific therapies and/or body-based … Read More
Amanda Stutz, MA, LPC Individual Therapist Movement it is our brain’s natural tendency to wander, look for problems to solve, and vacillate between thoughts of the past and the future. It is far less common, and often more difficult to be fully present in the here and now. Disconnection from the present moment can lead … Read More
Beth Shoyer, PhD Clinical Director at McCallum Place Columbia Eating disorders are a way of turning away from what is, from the stresses and distresses of life. But what we resist persists and this turning away can take us down a dark, dangerous, and lonely road. Mindfulness neither pushes away nor grabs onto, but allows … Read More
Written by Caroline McCarter, E-RYT, Therapist at McCallum Place Austin The benefits of using Yoga as an adjunct treatment for eating disorders (ED) are vast. I have first-hand experience of the progress my clients make using Yoga psychology (neutral investigation into behaviors), mindful movement (creating linkage between the mind and body by way of the … Read More
Written by Michelle Skala, MA, LPC, NCC Dealing with anxiety can be incredibly exhausting; racing thoughts, tightness in your chest, tense muscles. What is someone expected to do when everything feels so overwhelming? Thankfully, there are quite a few options. Dealing with anxiety may be difficult in the moment, however, sitting with those uncomfortable feelings … Read More
Written by Kimberli McCallum, MD, FAPA, CEDS, CEO and Executive Medical Director of McCallum Place Eating Disorder Centers I have been working with patients and their families struggling to overcome eating disorders for 25 years. My first patient as a resident at UCLA was a brilliant young woman struggling with restrictive eating, compulsive exercise and … Read More
By Cliff Hamrick, LPC, Therapist with McCallum Place Austin Mindfulness meditation is an old idea that is gaining new prominence in mental health treatment. Mindfulness mediation is an ancient practice of disciplining the mind so you are now in charge instead of your mind. To explain how this works, let me use the example of … Read More
Read about how our clients continue to show improvement after discharging from our facility.
