The Seductions of Anorexia

In this week's episode, Han is joined by Emily Troscianko. Emily is a writer and researcher about bodies, minds and health. Emily writes a blog on eating disorders called A Hunger Artist for Psychology Today, and her piece "The Seductions of Anorexa" is our topic of conversation today.

In this week's episode, we discuss the following:

  • Anorexia as an anaesthetic - making everything else mean less.

  • Why does it feel more enticing or possible to follow the directions of an eating disorder, but not those around us and move away from it?

  • Anorexia as a Rosette Stone - giving you ready-made meaning.

  • Anorexia as a gold star: Giving you top marks in the little things.

  • Anorexia as halo: Making you feel special.

  • Anorexia as hunger strike: Letting you be other than what you’re expected to be.

  • Anorexia as partial suicide: Letting you live.

  • When will it all be enough?

  • How Emily overcame the seductions of anorexia to recover after 10 years of darkness.

To find out more about Emily and her work, you can find her website at https://hungerartist.org/.

Please note that this podcast discusses the seductions of anorexia which may be triggering for some individuals. This podcast is intended to unpick the reality behind anorexia and why it is difficult to escape from and is not a glorification of behaviours.

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