Text Link

Learn more about the results we get at Within

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Learn more about the results we get at Within

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

The importance of community during eating disorder recovery

No items found.
No items found.

Often, stories of eating disorder recovery focus on the individual, what they have achieved, and how they have grown and healed. While celebrating these stories is a vital part of the recovery space, it’s also important to recognize how relationships and community play a role in eating disorder recovery.

Treatment and recovery don’t occur in a vacuum—the connections recovering individuals make are invaluable to the healing process. A solid community of people in recovery can provide each other with validation, support, guidance, and a place to process difficult emotions, all while lifting each other up in times of triumph.

12
 sources cited
Last updated on 
October 4, 2021
March 15, 2023
The importance of community during eating disorder recovery
In this article

How community can help recovering individuals heal

Humans are social beings who thrive on connections, camaraderie, collaboration, and shared experiences. Community is an integral part of eating disorder recovery in which people often find the language they need to recover and heal. It may also be the first time they feel that their specific struggles with things like body image, low self-esteem, self-acceptance, and stigma are reflected in the stories around them.

Being surrounded by people who understand each other’s challenges and struggles can help combat feelings of alienation, isolation, and loneliness, as well as improve mental health. Although the benefits of community are countless, here are three major advantages of having a support system during eating disorder recovery. (1)

1. A sense of purpose

An eating disorder community can provide recovering individuals with a sense of purpose. Everyone has different strengths they can offer the group. Maybe one person is skilled at letting others vent without offering unsolicited advice, while another is a great accountability partner.

Perhaps someone else is the cheerleader of the group, the person everyone can always count on to celebrate even the smallest of successes and remember important dates and anniversaries. These various roles within the community can provide people in recovery with a purpose by bettering the lives of those around them. And improving other people’s lives can give their life meaning.

2. Receiving and providing support

Isolation often accompanies eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder. Individuals recovering from these conditions may feel alone in their struggle, especially if they have no one they can rely on.

Support is an undeniable benefit of having a strong eating disorder community. When an individual is a member of a community, they have people they can turn to in times of need—whether they want to vent, need advice, are asking for a favor, or are seeking someone who can relate. Simply knowing they have a support system in place can help those recovering from an eating disorder feel cared for and loved.

3. A feeling of belonging and reducing isolation

A community offers a sense of belonging for people who have likely felt like they didn’t fit in anywhere, felt shame, or were disconnected from others. In an eating disorder community, everyone identifies as being a part of that group, which can make people feel accepted, can reduce shame, and connected to others. People are free to be their true selves within a supportive community, without fears of being judged, shamed, or shunned.

How we foster community at Within Health

At Within Health, we understand the importance of community during recovery from an eating disorder and encourage and prioritize new relationships. Through our virtual care program, we aim to foster the same camaraderie and interconnectedness patients receive at an in-person facility, but from the comfort of the patient’s home.

Many virtual care programs for eating disorders offer individual sessions with various providers, such as therapists and nurses, without emphasizing group sessions and community. Conversely, Within Health prioritizes a milieu, or physical and psychological treatment space in which patients feel they are a part of something. Care through our program is integrated, comprehensive, and community-oriented.

We provide many opportunities to form new bonds and connections, such as:

  • Group meals focusing on connection, sharing in the healing journey, reestablishing the enjoyment of eating, and mindfulness
  • Evidence based group psychotherapy, such as dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and family therapy
  • Weekly alumni support meetings for patients who have completed the program and want continued support in a safe space

Forming a bond with a care partner

Patients also work closely with a care partner, or mentor within their eating disorder program who provides them with encouragement, support, and guidance. A care partner is there to help patients implement behavioral changes they need to recover from an eating disorder. Other benefits of a care partner include helping:

  • Ground patients during stressful or triggering moments
  • Working on experiential opportunities where patients can put into practice the new action items they want to work on during treatment
  • Improve their partner’s interpersonal effectiveness and ability to attend to relationships
  • Develop clarification around values and treatment goals
  • Prioritize how the patient spends each day
  • Execute recovery plans, including cooking, meal prep, and other self-care practices
  • Provide support when patients need a check-in

Ongoing support through our alumni program

When patients complete our treatment program, we remain in contact with them for as long as they wish. Recovery is a lifelong process, and it’s important to us that we are still there for our patients well after treatment has ended. This means patients can continue accessing the Within Health app long after treatment. The app contains resources and assignments they completed during their program. They are also invited to participate in our free, ongoing alumni support group that meets on a weekly basis.

Attending an alumni support group gives patients the opportunity to continue building upon relationships they developed during eating disorder treatment. Members of this group can share relapse prevention tips and coping strategies, as well as celebrate victories.

Disclaimer about "overeating": Within Health hesitatingly uses the word "overeating" because it is the term currently associated with this condition in society, however, we believe it inherently overlooks the various psychological aspects of this condition which are often interconnected with internalized diet culture, and a restrictive mindset about food. For the remainder of this piece, we will therefore be putting "overeating" in quotations to recognize that the diagnosis itself pathologizes behavior that is potentially hardwired and adaptive to a restrictive mindset.

Resources

1. Gilbert, S. (2019). The Importance of Community and Mental Health. National Alliance on Mental Illness.

FAQs

Further reading

What is intersectionality?

The importance of intersectionality in eating disorder treatment and research

Eating disorders affect people of all genders, sexual orientations, races, cultures, weights, sizes, and...
Therapy for eating disorders

Therapy for eating disorders

Overcoming an eating disorder can be a long and challenging journey. But it doesn't have to be taken alone...
Distress tolerance skills

Learning to develop distress tolerance skills

Life can be challenging, as it’s full of ups and downs, meaning most people will have to navigate through...
Using self-compassion and radical acceptance to overcome perfectionism in eating disorder recovery

Using self-compassion and radical acceptance to overcome perfectionism in eating disorder recovery

Perfectionism is a trait many people can have and is associated with eating disorders. And often...

Learn about eating disorder treatment

There’s a reason people refer to eating disorder recovery as a journey. The path to getting well is...

Aftercare for eating disorders

When you approach the end of your residential or partial hospital program...

What to look for in an eating disorder therapist

Seeking treatment for an eating disorder can help you to overcome body...

Helpful interventions for eating disorders

If you suspect your loved one is suffering from an eating disorder, it can...

Trauma-informed care for eating disorders

There is a strong link between eating disorders, like anorexia nervosa...
Group therapy for eating disorders

Group therapy for eating disorders

Group therapy is a type of treatment used to treat many mental health...
What to look for in a quality eating disorder treatment program

What to look for in a quality eating disorder treatment program

With so many eating disorder treatment programs available today, both...

Exercise addiction treatment & recovery

Exercise addiction is an eating disorder that can do serious damage to the body, with up...

Night eating syndrome treatment

Night eating syndrome (NES) is a highly disruptive eating disorder affecting as many as...

Treatment of pregorexia, pregnancy-related eating disorders

Pregnancy-related eating disorders, also called pregorexia, encompass any eating disorders...

Orthorexia treatment plan

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a serious eating disorder that can be very tricky to detect, as...

Diabulimia treatment & recovery

Diabulimia is a complex eating disorder that involves the deliberate underuse or...

How to find anorexia nervosa treatment options

Treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN) may involve a cohesive multidisciplinary team consisting...

How to find a bulimia nervosa treatment plan

Bulimia nervosa (BN) is a dangerous and potentially deadly disorder, affecting more than...

How to find a binge eating disorder treatment plan

The level of care an individual with binge eating disorder requires depends on the...

ARFID treatment: avoidant restrictive food intake disorder

Treatment of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) involves working with...

Self-help and eating disorder treatment

Human resolve can be a formidable force in any endeavor. Recovering from an...

Partial hospitalization

Partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) for eating disorders are structured day...

Intensive outpatient

An intensive outpatient program (IOP) is typically for people with eating disorders who...

Inpatient care

Inpatient care is the most intensive level of treatment for eating disorders that...

Group therapy for eating disorder treatment

Eating disorders affect everyone, with research estimating that nine percent of...
The role of the care partner in ED recovery

The role of the care partner in ED recovery

Struggling with an eating disorder can be a lonely and isolating experience...
The importance of community during eating disorder recovery

The importance of community during eating disorder recovery

Often, stories of eating disorder recovery focus on the individual, what they...