ERIC Number: EJ826659
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Feb
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0090-9882
EISSN: N/A
Body and Bulimia Revisited: Reflections on "A Secret Life"
Tillmann, Lisa M.
Journal of Applied Communication Research, v37 n1 p98-112 Feb 2009
In 1996, the author published "A Secret Life in a Culture of Thinness: Reflections on Body, Food, and Bulimia" (Tillmann-Healy, 1996), an account of her struggle with binging and purging from ages 15 to 25. She came to understand bulimia as a communicative act, expressing fear, anxiety, and grief. From 25 to 35, her recovery from bulimia involved learning to "purge" emotion through other forms of communication (e.g., dialogue, writing, and teaching). At 35, separation and divorce pose the greatest challenge to the author's 10-year recovery, yet she does not return to bulimic expression. This article invites readers to sense and feel pathways in, through, and out of unhealthy relationships with our bodies and ourselves. (Contains 3 notes.)
Descriptors: Eating Disorders, Human Body, Self Concept, Emotional Response, Communication Skills, Personal Narratives, Psychological Patterns, Females, Cultural Influences, Divorce, Grief, Coping
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A