Medindia, a networking of health blog, continues the discussion about pro anorexia and pro bulimia blogs and websites. Descriptions of these sites may help raise awareness about the depth of commitment some people have to maintaining their eating disorders and “perfecting” their destruction behaviors even to the point of death.

Power of Fear - However, most mental health clinicians and parents now appreciate that fear tactics, logic and loving concern do not alter a person’s dedication to their eating disorder.

Anorexia and bulimia have a tenacious grip. From my experience in the eating disorder field I believe that a person with an eating disorder is terribly frightened. She distracts herself from her fear with her food and eating obsessions. When she does get a glimpse of her terror she may not recognize it. She experiences her fear as a sudden surging need to be better at her eating disorder, to starve more, throw up better, lose more weight, hide her body more effectively from critical eyes. Facing her fear as she gives up her eating disorder and moves toward recovery is too horrible to consider. 

If this is you - If this frightened person is you, please know that promia and proana sites allow you to draw comfort from the support of others in your situation who are also afraid and find a measure of feeling safe by maintaining their eating disorders. This distraction can be so powerful that you and they are willing to help each other die. You need meaningful and reachable choices for living that you don’t seem to have or recognize.

Finding genuine safety - Somehow what is needed is a transitional place of safety for women and men who are dependent on promia and proana sites. A place where they are held emotionally and psychologically with a gentle reassuring strength that serves health may be part of a healing alternative to waste and destruction. In such a transitional place they can discover that their worst fears do not come true as they experiment with living, gradually, in a more life sustaining way. Melissa Cox is attempting to do this as a former pro ana person wither her site, Ana Death, a slow suicide. I am trying to do this as a former bulimic and now a mental health clinician. Somethings Fishy has become a mammoth site over the years as it attempts to foster health and provide treatment information for people with eating disorders.

Imagine freedom, you can help - Please send in your discoveries of more places on the internet that provide choices and healthy exits from the grip of anorexia and bulimia. I’ll post them on this blog with your comments. Or you can send in your suggestions in the comment section on this post. We can support and help each other find ways to recover and live a long, healthy and satisfying life. That’s the start. We can help someone caught in an eating disorder imagine freedom.

Recommendations from readers - We Bite Back, a post-pro-anorexia website that provides gives support and provides a place to talk