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Octavia and Meryl: Real Women

 My mom and I watched the 84th Academy Awards last night as the grandmother and mother of a tween girl. And it wasn't pretty. Don't get me wrong. The gals were gorgeous. The gowns were glam. The jewels were bedazzling. The hairdos were spectacular.  But if you're the caretaker of a young girl's psyche, watching the parade of dress hangers posing as human beings was deeply disturbing. It was a barrage of dysfunction. Angelina Jolie's spindly arms; all those jutting jaw bones and rib cages; those skeletal wrists dripping with diamonds weighing more than the gal wearing them.  More 

Power Posing: Using Nonverbal Cues to Gain Advantage

A simple "power pose" can make you more confident.

A fascinating ­­­­line of research has looked at how body posture, specifically "power poses" can be used to build a sense of strength and confidence in social situations. The results suggest that a very simple strategy can increase your confidence in stressful situations such as job interviews, negotiations, or when meeting new people.  In a series of studies, psychologists Dana Carney, Amy Cuddy, and Andy Yap had participants hold either very expansive, high power postures (e.g., arms on hips, legs apart: the "Wonder Woman" pose; or seated with legs on desk and hands behind head; the "CEO" pose), or very closed positions (e.g., arms and legs tightly together). They then measured participants' sense of confidence, power, and took saliva samples to measure the hormones testosterone (the power/dominance hormone) and coritsol (the stress hormone). [Participants were wired up to phony electrodes and told that the postures, open and powerful, or closed and restricted, were needed to get better readings from the electrodes.]  More 

U.S. Congress Launches Bi-Partisan National Eating Disorders Awareness Caucus in Partnership with NEDA 

iaedp congratulates Lynn Grefe, President and CEO, and the entire NEDA organizationfor creating this partnership with The US Congress! This is a landmark new approach for federal legislation to address eating disorders and raise awareness! The announcement comes during NEDA's 25th annual National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDAwareness Week), Feb. 26-March 3, part of an ongoing mission to bring public attention to the critical need to raise awareness and funding to battle eating disorders in the U.S. Cognizant of the fact that federal funding for such measures is limited in austere times, the caucus will emphasize coordination with private-sector organizations and initiatives.

The mission of the newly formed caucus, chaired by Nan Hayworth (R-NY-19) and co-chaired by Nita Lowey (D-NY-18), is to increase national awareness about eating disorders and support those who suffer by seeking to enhance prevention, facilitate therapeutic advances and improve access to treatment.

Read the Press Release

iaedp Central Coast Chapter holds NEDAwareness Week Event

iaedp Central Coast was proud to help kickoff Eating Disorder Awareness Week this year with a very successful screening of Darryl Roberts' new film "America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments." This collaborative community event, which was hosted by Westmont College, was a tremendous success with around 175 people from the community and school coming out to attend. Carolyn Costin was also on hand to talk about the film, and to discuss and sign her new book, "Eight Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder." There was also a lively panel discussion which followed the screening! All of the proceeds from ticket and book sales were donated to iaedp Central Coast. 

Tyler Wooten MD

Trauma and Eating Disorders Translated Through the Metaphor of Dream and Fairy Tale

Eating disorders are described in a unique way using Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale of "The Little Match Girl." The story is told as if it were the dream of a child suffering with an eating disorder. The traumas of the story are interpreted and used to illuminate the difficulties faced by today's youth, as well as to explain how these experiences are manifested in such a difficult and deadly disease. Through this investigation the psychological development and evolution of the illness and clinical treatment requirements will be discussed by Tyler A. Wooten MD, a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist, at iaedp Symposium 2012.  Read More