 We are so excited to offer a free video that includes warning signs for a loved one who may be struggling with an eating disorder. This video is by one of our therapists, Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C, and the founder of The Eating Disorder Center in Rockville, Maryland. Schedule a free 15 min consult for eating disorder therapy in MD, VA, DC, NY, FL, or recovery coaching worldwide. Click here. The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California. We provide eating disorder and EMDR trauma therapy in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com
By: Olivia Kline, EDC Administrative Assistant Reviewed by: Megan Samuels, MSW, LMSW, Trauma and Eating Disorder Therapist  Dancing, like other sports, is a high-demand activity. It requires hours of practice and dedication to develop technique and strength and to carry out dancing performances. However, where dancing may differ from other sports is the expectation of the dancer to look a certain way while performing. There are pressures to be perfect, to match socially constructed body ideals, including expectations around a dancer's size, and to entertain and appear graceful while doing this. There may also be pressures to dance through pain or injury. If you start to dance as a child and continue through adolescence and young adulthood, your body will inevitably change. Our bodies change throughout different stages of our lives as we grow; it is part of the human experience. Being engaged in a sport where you are constantly put in front of a mirror can make these changes stand out more. On top of this, being part of a sport where appearance is just as important as the performance can add to this pressure and perception. Research indicates that dancers are at higher risk for developing eating disorders, compared to those who are not dancers (Arcelus et al., 2014). Specifically, a meta-analysis was performed that reviewed the prevalence of eating disorders in the dance community and discovered that dancers are three times more likely to have an eating disorder than nondancers (Arcelus et al., 2014). This can sound like a scary statistic, but it can also be validating if this has been your experience with dance. We have generated some tips to help dancers begin their recovery journey from eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image issues. Tips for Dancers: 1. Reach out for support. Lean on your support system and people you trust about the symptoms you’ve been experiencing. Having people you can rely on and share your experience with will be an important aspect through your recovery journey. 2. Consider seeking treatment. Beginning therapy can be overwhelming, there are many “unknowns,” especially if therapy is new to you. However, your health and wellbeing should be the priority. Here at The Eating Disorder Center, most of our clinicians have either recovered from an eating disorder or helped a loved one through the recovery journey. Our clinicians have been there and want to help you in your recovery journey. 3. Re-think your dance studio. Oftentimes, symptoms of eating disorders in dancers can be exacerbated by the expectations the dance studio or instructor puts on dancers. If your dance instructor is constantly making comments about your body or criticizing your body, re-think if this is the dance studio or dance instructor for you. You deserve to dance in the body you are in. 4. Practice self-compassion. Talk to yourself the way you would talk to someone you love. What would you say to a fellow dancer at your studio? Imagine you're a dance instructor, what would you say to your students? You can also start small; think of one part of your body that you love. You can try to do this regularly and work to include an additional part of your body each week. 5. Follow examples of dancers who are in diverse body sizes and/or who talk about eating disorder recovery. On social media look for dancers to follow in diverse body sizes and/or who talk about eating disorder recovery. It can be so helpful to have positive role models, as well as to expand the societal stereotype of “what a dancer looks like.” Recognizing that there is no one “look” and someone can be a talented dancer in any body size. 6. Work on unlearning any harmful messaging you may have picked up through dance, while holding onto positive values you learned through dance. If you did belong to a studio with an instructor who made unhelpful comments, or internalized other disordered messaging it’s important to work with a therapist on unlearning any harmful messaging you might have picked up. It’s also important to acknowledge what positive values you may have picked up through dance that you want to hold onto. Interested in therapy? We currently have openings for eating disorder therapy in MD, DC, VA, NY and FL and for eating disorder recovery coaching worldwide. Fill out our Contact Form or give us a call at 301-246-6856 to schedule a free 15-minute consultation with one of our clinicians. Schedule a free 15 min consult for eating disorder therapy in MD, VA, DC, NY, FL, or recovery coaching worldwide. Click here. The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California. We provide eating disorder and EMDR trauma therapy in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com
References: Arcelus, J., Witcomb, G. L., & Mitchell, A. (2014). Prevalence of eating disorders amongst dancers: a systemic review and meta-analysis. European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association, 22(2), 92–101. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2271 |
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