Lately several women have asked me to include information in my blog that could be helpful for someone who wants to recover from an eating disorder. I thought we could start at the beginning with the Helicopter Story. The Helicopter Story was written by the Reiffs — brilliant nutritionists in Washington State — and I have used it with my clients for almost 18 years. It is by far the most accurate and provoking explanation I’ve ever read of the causes of an eating disorder. I invite all of you to read it and let me know what you found out about yourself!
The Helicopter Story
“Why don’t you just stop?” This is the question with which people with eating disorders are confronted again and again by parents, spouses, friends, and themselves. Costly experiences with programs promising an end to the food behaviors once and for all frequently lead to brief abstinence followed by devastating resumption of old and familiar patterns. Regardless of whether the person starves, binges, binges and purges, abuses laxatives, compulsively overeats, gains weight, or loses weight the story of a roller coaster experience with behavior changes is all too common. Until the behaviors in an eating disorder are viewed as the symptoms rather than the problem, the focus of recovery remains in the wrong place, and the person is likely to experience limited success in attempts to recover.
