Romantic, colorful, joyous uplifting sight - balloons rising into a beautiful sky. This is pleasure, even elation, in the moment. But, living to keep an ephemeral bit of loveliness as a permanent state of being can be disastrous. Can you enjoy a moment and stay in the reality of cause and effect?

Reality

Balloons pop. Balloons deflate. Their pieces fall to the ground or lodge in trees and bushes. Colors fade. The balloon's physicality is fragile. The balloon is designed for a short lifespan and succumbs to the forces of nature, collapsing.

Your body is not a balloon. It can be strong and healthy and survive many harsh experiences. It can be lovely, and uplifting and provide you with joy - the joy and exuberance of health.

"What to Look For in an Eating Disorder Treatment Center" is an article in the New York Times. I wish it had gone a little beyond its content.

“Unless you can change the behavior, no amount of insight-oriented therapy is helpful,” said Dr. Angela Guarda, the director of the Eating Disorders Center at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Yes, I agree that behavior needs to be addressed first. But at least a little insight is required so people can gradually move beyond the eating disorder behaviors into the psychological work needed. What made an eating disorder the best option for self-care needs to be addressed so the person is really free from leaning toward or falling into an eating disorder again.

Unfortunately, too many treatment situations and insurance criteria measure recovery in terms of behavior. The behaviors are symptoms. Slowing down and stopping the eating disorder behaviors are what's needed for the real recovery work to begin.

Please address at least one of the questions below in the comments. Your response can help many others.

You've been in a conversation that speeds into brief, passionate discourse and hurtles on to furious speech, familiar emotional agony, indignation and hurtful stalemate. Right? You've been in several or maybe many. Here's what may be happening. * info re picture below.

Suppose you see or know or suspect that an employee has an eating disorder. What should you do? Here's a guest article by Joy Nollenberg, director of The Joy Project addressing this issue. She wants readers to know that legal issues abound in this realm and that her words are not legal advice. In other words, check out your legal position before embarking on a workplace confrontation.

There may be times when someone in the workplace appears to be very ill with an eating disorder. This can be a difficult situation with many potential pitfalls. It's important to keep these points in mind.

"Sleep that knits the raveled sleeve of care." William Shakespeare

A person with an eating disorder often misinterprets body signals. You may tend to avoid sleep when you are tired. When feelings of tiredness turn into food cravings, rather than getting the rest you need, trouble is brewing.

When you suffer from an eating disorder, you've made an unconscious contract that involves your mind, spirit and body. Your contract states that any thoughts or feelings that are painful or disruptive must be blocked. Your body must process its energy so you can remain unaware of your authentic responses.

So you eat or starve or binge and purge or compulsively or mindlessly eat to block your feelings and thoughts. Over time, the contract gets refined so you can feel almost anything and register the feeling as hunger.

When you feel tired, you may experience fatigue as a trigger to eat. This situation develops into a pattern where you may avoid sleep by eating instead of sleeping.

                                              Courage to think and know who you are often begins in depth psychotherapy

Courage Now: Psychotherapy as an Act of Courage and Resistance

By Joanna Poppink, MFT

Private Depth Psychotherapy for Women in Midlife and Beyond

Courage Now: Summary

Psychotherapy as an Act of Courage and Resistance explores how depth psychotherapy can serve as a powerful response to personal pain and collective injustice. Drawing on the author’s experience with renowned psychoanalyst Hedda Bolgar—who resisted Nazi oppression—the piece argues that therapy is not just self-care but moral action.

In a world where truth is censored and vulnerability punished, therapy helps individuals cultivate emotional resilience, inner authority, and the capacity to act from conscience. Featuring quotes from Carl Jung, Viktor Frankl, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, and others, the article positions psychotherapy as a space for liberation, truth-telling, and courageous self-examination.

                                                                                                              Life disruption: Small protections matter

Life Disruption: How Inner Strength Prepares Us 

By Joanna Poppink, MFT

Licensed Psychotherapist – Depth-Oriented Healing for Adults

Life disruption preparedness is more than stored extra water, canned goods and board games in the closet. We often think of planning as a practical activity—saving money, assembling emergency kits, and organizing documents. But there's another layer to preparation, one that psychotherapy addresses: emotional and psychological readiness.

Before a crisis strikes—whether it's personal, collective, or existential—your ability to face what's difficult to imagine can become a quiet strength. You don't just plan for what to do. You prepare for how to be.

What Is Life Disruption?

 Emotional Holding and Inner Strength

Depth Psychotherapy: Understanding Emotional Holding

In the realm of depth psychotherapy, the emotional holding often leads us to necessary discomfort. This may sound counterintuitive—especially in a culture obsessed with quick relief and emotional "fixes." Nevertheless, if we hope to truly recover from eating disorders, trauma, or long-standing emotional pain, we need to understand a crucial distinction: the difference between comfort and holding.

Both have value. However, each serves different purposes—and only one supports lasting transformation.