Oftentimes, we think of recovery as culminating in a golden moment where we’re suddenly liberated from the chains of our eating disorder and everything is forevermore good and well. In this piece, Naomi Devlin reminds us that this couldn’t be further from the truth—HEALing is messy and confusing, and that’s totally okay. We can be struggling AND worthy at the same time, and embracing our human “imperfection” is incredibly freeing.

Neutrality is often upheld as a key tenet in clinical spaces. Yet as Rachel Wang illustrates in this piece, the pernicious dogma to “stay out of politics” causes tremendous harm to folks who fall outside the dominant eating disorder narrative. After all, one’s identity and culture are inextricable from their relationship with food. Rachel thus underscores the importance of anti-racism and cultural humility for providers and reminds us of our collective duty to dismantle the treatment barriers faced by Asian Americans.

In this deeply impactful piece, Sydney Johnson highlights the link between obsessive-compulsive disorder and eating disorders, instigating a conversation sorely needed in recovery spaces. We are furthermore taken on her courageous journey to find her most authentic, liberated self—the self that makes lifelong memories and empowers others to wholeheartedly embrace themselves.

In recent years, the body positivity movement has achieved great prominence, with many regarding it as a means of promoting self-love and hence minimizing its social justice roots. As Project HEAL Ambassador Grace Bragdon illustrates, the co-opting of body positivity by thin folks epitomizes a deeply problematic trend in which those with certain privileges capitalize on movements established by and for individuals with marginalized identities. We are reminded that what many deem “body positivity” is virulent anti-fatness, just glamorously concealed and repackaged.

Rarely do we explore the intersection of pregnancy, parenting, and eating disorders, yet Amber probes this oft-neglected junction through powerful storytelling. In this piece, she relays how she navigated eating disorder treatment as an expectant mother and relentlessly strove for freedom — freedom from her disorder AND freedom to live her own life. She continues to approach this journey with valor, vulnerability, and compassion, leaving us deeply inspired.

What does it mean to be a BIPOC with an eating disorder? How does a BIPOC navigate the tricky waters of receiving an eating disorder diagnosis and subsequent treatment? In this brave story, we are reminded that all individuals have the capacity to develop an eating disorder; we are held accountable to the fact that we need to do better to support BIPOC with eating disorders.

A beautiful and heart-wrenching look at one woman’s struggle with her body and her eating disorder. As a first-generation Jamaican woman who has recovered from an eating disorder, Alyssa Mullings has crafted a wonderfully layered narrative about a young girl who joins an online chat group that supports people engaging with their eating disorders. Watch the video and read our Q&A with Alyssa afterwards!

Project HEAL Ambassador Ayanna opens up about her recovery journey. Ayanna is a recovery warrior and working hard every day to maintain her recovery. Her bravery in writing about why she chooses recovery every day can move us all towards a space of healing.

In honor of BIPOC Mental Health Month, Project HEAL’s CEO reflects back on a year of learning and action following our pledges in the summer of 2020 to do better for the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) in the eating disorder community. Here, Rebecca “shows our receipts” so that we may remain accountable for the work we promised to do and continue to do.

Through Equipped to HEAL, Equip will be providing free treatment to at least five Project HEAL beneficiaries per year whose family is low-income or facing extenuating financial circumstances; experiencing medical or social discrimination related to their identity or appearance; and don’t currently have quality eating disorder treatment options through an insurance provider.

For me, Pride means belonging to a community, it means creating more space for healing, and it means bravely and openly being myself.

At Project HEAL, Pride isn't an exclusive celebration just for people who belong to the LGBTQ+ community. The simple fact is that the eating disorder recovery community includes a lot of LGBTQ+ people and we have to make the recovery community safer for them.

Lindsey Hall gets vulnerable in her latest, beautifully written blog post as she shares about her first queer love and how that exacerbated her eating disorder.

Project HEAL is hosting a Pride Week on Instagram Live! We’ll be joined by 8 magical individuals for 7 incredible conversations amplifying the LGBTQ+ voices in the eating disorder community. Each Live is a fundraiser for our LGBTQ+ Treatment Equity Project. We hope you’ll tune in!

Nica Selvaggio is a Chicago-born non-binary and queer human who finds healing writing about the things that often go unspoken. Trauma. Grief. Sexuality. Addiction. Adoption. Eating Disorders. Race. Gender. Identity. Power. Nica’s deepest hope in sharing their writing is to create safe spaces to explore the darkness that resides within us all, thereby igniting the light found in connectedness.

In this blog post, our new Development & Marketing Manager writes about how their experience of healing from their eating disorder mirrors the core values of the LGBTQ+ Pride movement.

Eating disorder therapy intern, plus-size ballerina, and social media maven Colleen Werner, reflects on 4 years with the Project HEAL Team!

Haley Albright Johnston met Rebecca Jane Leung in 2016 when they both attended the same PHP program in NYC (Haley’s treatment was sponsored by Project HEAL). Rebecca is based in Hong Kong and is now an active voice in the eating disorder recovery community on Youtube. The two sat down to discuss the path to recovery and the unexpected lessons learned along the way.

Did you know May is Mental Health Awareness Month? Check in with yourself this week with these strategies on how you can break through negative body-image noise.

Amira walks us through her current role as the mother of a teen with an eating disorder, and Sara writes on what being a young mother with an eating disorder may mean for her daughter.

Thirteen years ago, then-teenagers Liana Rosenman and Kristina Saffran got an incredible gift for their May 4 and May 8 birthdays (respectively). They received the 501(c)3 certificate of incorporation for their own nonprofit.