For my recovery group assignment, I attended a group for the diagnoses of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and eating disorder NOS. This is a partial hospitalization group, meaning the members attend 7 hours a day, Monday through Friday. The group was composed of about 15 individuals. It was an adult group, which included ages from 16 to 55. The group was all females, although the leader told me there is one male who usually comes, but was not present that day. The group was located in Hershey, but one person drove 2 hours to attend, while other members tended to be from Harrisburg, Lancaster, or Hershey.
The part of the day that I observed was the group led by an occupational therapist. It was a task activities group that focused on selecting, preparing, cooking, and eating different foods. Each week, the members of the group vote on which food they would like to make. There are always multiple options to go along with the food, such as toppings. Each member makes an individual serving of the food, and it is exchanged in their meal plan to be part of their lunch. The occupational therapist introduced the task and organized the supplies. The members made the food however they wanted, and then while it was cooking, they filled out a paper about their anxiety towards preparing and eating the food. Next, a discussion of anxiety and coping mechanisms took place.
I observed that the members of this group were very close. They spend all day together throughout the week and have gained closed friendships. They all offer support to one another. When one woman was extremely anxious about the selected food, everyone else in the group offered encouraging words of support and told her they were all in it together. Most of them used the coping mechanism of constantly reminding themselves that everyone else is going to eat the snack, this shows the power of the group dynamics in helping them reach milestones.
During the meeting, I mostly just observed, although I did introduce myself and make side conversations during preparation. I think it was more beneficial for me to be observing, so the group felt comfortable with all members.
I think this meeting was extremely helpful to the participants because the snack was rice krispie treats, which most of them admitted they were terrified of due to the amount of sugar involved. However, the occupational therapist broke down the nutritional values and explain how their body needs the energy and carbs. The fact that they can substitute the snack in their meal plan and it is not extra is also helpful to encourage food variety without the worry of extra calories. I think making snacks in a group like this is very therapeutic for the members and helps them to associate something positive with food.
This experience really connects to the information about support. The people who are in this group could not go through this journey alone. What I observed also related to the fact that an addiction affects the brain. So many women described the eating disorder or eating disorder thoughts as taking over and not allowing them to eat things that they want to eat. They truly saw it as something taking over their mind and changing their typical thinking. Overall, I think observing a group was a great experience for everyone in the class to meet people who truly struggle and see just how hard it is to break an addiction, even a behavioral one. It was inspiring to see how hard these women are working and it really makes me appreciate the road to recovery.
I liked that you chose an AA meeting where it had to do with anorexia and bulimia. I attended a drug addiction recovery group where it focused on spiritual aspects of connecting god to addiction. Reading about your experience was interesting. I liked how you talked about the members of your group being very close because it shows that they all understand each other. In my meeting, it was like that too. Learning about the hours of the day they spend together and how many days together can really help in their recovery. Observing and talking was a good way to have an experience instead of trying to be more involved. I liked your blog and the topic of choice because it was different from everyone else’s!
ReplyDeleteYour post really stood out to me because you attended a meeting involving those who are suffering with eating disorders. I have never been to one or I have never heard of anyone who attended to that kind of meeting. It's so interesting how they talk about food and the nutritional value, it seems like a nutrition class to me. I was also inspired by the woman who drove 2 hours to go to the meeting, that really shows dedication. The meeting you attended is an excellent one because they educate the women about the food they eat instead of telling them that they have problems. Great work on the post!
ReplyDeleteMaddy,
ReplyDeleteI think it was really cool that you went to meeting involving eating disorders because I feel that this issue is more common among our peers. The meeting I attended was much larger probably double the amount that your was, so I can imagine your group being much closer and more intimate with each other. I think this was proven when you said that one member drove 2 hours to attend the meeting. I also thought it was interesting how your group was monitored by an occupational therapist and I feel that can really benefit some of the other help groups out there.