I am beyond thrilled I stumbled upon you here. I resonate so much with what you're describing and I've been missing those more nuanced conversations around ED, neurodivergence and mental health so much. I have come to similar conclusions by way of Internal Family Systems - recognizing the part of me that is hell bent on disordered behaviours is coming from SOMEWHERE and is playing a role in the bigger system of my psyche. I've stopped fighting it, instead I'm trying to work with it while not neglecting my other parts' important needs such as safety, satiety, physical endurance, structure, lack of structure, creativity in cooking and so on.
This felt really validating and affirming to read, although the compulsive behavior I'm struggling with isn't an eating disorder, but hair-pulling disorder. It's similarly treated with an abstinence recovery mindset (if it's treated at all, since hardly any providers are familiar with or trained to treat it.) And the compulsive behaviors are fulfilling a need, which makes it very hard to stop. I'm working on mitigating harm myself and accepting that getting "better" simply is not going to look like stopping, all at once, forever. Thank you for sharing your perspective on this, and on everything you write about! I've been going through your archive and absorbing as much as I can. You bring a really thoughtful and nuanced perspective to everything you discuss, and I find your insights really valuable as another queer, neurodivergent person trying to figure out how to thrive instead of just surviving.
I am beyond thrilled I stumbled upon you here. I resonate so much with what you're describing and I've been missing those more nuanced conversations around ED, neurodivergence and mental health so much. I have come to similar conclusions by way of Internal Family Systems - recognizing the part of me that is hell bent on disordered behaviours is coming from SOMEWHERE and is playing a role in the bigger system of my psyche. I've stopped fighting it, instead I'm trying to work with it while not neglecting my other parts' important needs such as safety, satiety, physical endurance, structure, lack of structure, creativity in cooking and so on.
This felt really validating and affirming to read, although the compulsive behavior I'm struggling with isn't an eating disorder, but hair-pulling disorder. It's similarly treated with an abstinence recovery mindset (if it's treated at all, since hardly any providers are familiar with or trained to treat it.) And the compulsive behaviors are fulfilling a need, which makes it very hard to stop. I'm working on mitigating harm myself and accepting that getting "better" simply is not going to look like stopping, all at once, forever. Thank you for sharing your perspective on this, and on everything you write about! I've been going through your archive and absorbing as much as I can. You bring a really thoughtful and nuanced perspective to everything you discuss, and I find your insights really valuable as another queer, neurodivergent person trying to figure out how to thrive instead of just surviving.