Rachel Millner, Psy.D.

Many of us have one part of our body that we have spent our lives disliking more than other parts. Even during times that we may have disliked our entire body, there’s often still a specific part of our body that we have focused on more than others. . Often time that part either gets ignored or criticized. You may spend a lot of time trying to hide it or wishing it always. You may have spent years trying to get rid of it. . The invitation for today so to consider if it’s poss...ible to acknowledge its existence as neutrally as possible. You don’t have to like it. You don’t have to even say anything positive about it. But can you acknowledge it as part of you? Can you thank it for being with you even in the midst of all the criticism it has endured? It’s still here. You’re still here. . There is a purple background on two slides with a. White square and black writing inside. They first slide reads You know that part (or parts) of your body that you criticize just a little more than the others? That one you focus on most? The one you feel shame about that goes back years and years? The one you’re always trying to hide? . The second slide reads: Is it possible- even for a second- to thank that part for being here with you today? Can you acknowledge its existence in a neutral way today? Could you place a gentle hand on that part and softly say I see you. You are part of me. You are me. We are one. See more

The conversations and debate over what causes, or contributes to the development of eating disorders is heated and full of strong beliefs and convictions. . Is it genetics? Trauma? Culture? Oppression? Family? Other things? A combination of things? . What if the only way to know what caused someone’s eating disorder is to ask them? What if we don’t need to debate it at all because people already know their truth? What if we just trust survivors?... . Image description: there is a purple background with a white square with black writing inside that reads: If we stop trying to tell people’s stories for them, we can stop with the debate over what ‘causes’ eating disorders. We don’t need to figure it out if we just believe what people tell us about their own lived experiences. See more

In 2016 the American Academy of Pediatrics took a step in the right direction with their report on preventing eating disorders and o*****y in adolescents. . The report is still incredibly fat phobic and rooted in weight stigma, but unlike previous recommendations from the AAP it recognized harm in focusing on weight and made recommendations to move away from talking about weight or dieting. . It’s sad that a report that was so problematic was still a positive move from this... organization, but it was. . Now the AAP has issued a new report recommending bariatric surgery in kids and teens who are in certain weight percentiles. This new recommendation goes against literally everything in the previous one. . It is putting adolescents lives in danger and is incredibly problematic. . We need to question if the AAP really suddenly changed their mind or is this about money, weight stigma, and questionable ethics. I think we know the answer. . There is an orange background with a white square in the middle with black writing that reads: American Academy of Pediatrics: In your 2016 report you recommend not focusing on weight, discourage dieting, and name that their are potential medical complications of semi-starvation, and now are endorsing bariatric surgery in teenagers which goes against almost every single thing in your 2016 report. Is this about do no harm or money? Is this about health or anti-fat bias? Your ethics are lacking and your weight stigma is showing. See more

I have spent some time in healthcare settings lately and am reminded, yet again, how stigmatizing healthcare is particularly around certain conditions. . The focus on individual responsibility and blame is everywhere in healthcare and is so harmful and problematic. . There might be certain health conditions in which certain behaviors could improve health outcomes. And there might be a million reasons someone doesn’t engage in those behaviors. And they are no less deserving o...f non-stigmatizing care than someone who engages in those behaviors. . Image description: there is a pink background with a white square in the middle with black writing inside that reads: There might be behavior changes that could improve your health outcomes. And they might not be accessible, might put you at risk in other ways, might be things you don’t want to do, or you might not do them for any other reason. And you still deserve non-stigmatizing medical care. And your health problems are still not your fault. See more

If your story includes trauma that might have led to weight gain for any number of reasons, your story is important and valid and needs to be told. . The narrative around trauma leading to weight gain is problematic only when it includes the idea that healing from trauma will include weight loss and that weight gain is a negative thing. . There doesn’t need to be a reason or explanation around body size. Fatness is nothing that needs to be explained or apologized for. And I k...now there are people who are afraid of telling their story because they don’t want to reinforce a problematic narrative. . This narrative is only problematic when rooted in weight stigma and the stigmatizing part is about the idea of fatness being wrong or the promise of weight loss coming from healing. . Image description: there is a pink and purple background with a black text with white behind it that reads: The problem with the narrative around trauma potentially contributing to fatness is not that trauma never contributes to fatness. The problem with the narrative is the idea that fatness is a bad thing and that healing from trauma will mean releasing weight. That part is rooted in anti-fat bias and untrue for the vast majority of people. See more