Eating Disorder Articles

The Healing Desert

From the Sunflower Newsletter, February, 2007

As deserts go, the Sonoran Desert is remarkably wet, receiving up to one foot of rainfall per year during two annual rainy seasons. Native plants are designed to capture and hold the moisture they need to survive extended drought. And they are well-equipped to defend themselves in a harsh environment with spikes, spines, thorns and aromatic resins. Talk about good boundaries! We can learn a lot from these hardy desert survivors!

Visit the whole foods section of any grocery store and you'll find shelves of herbal products containing plants that grow in every empty lot and right-of-way here in Tucson. Maybe that's why Tucson's medical community is so open to alternative healing techniques. The University of Arizona offers a program in integrative medicine that was initiated by Dr. Andrew Weil. Mirasol is based on Dr. Weil's integrative medicine philosophy, which honors traditional allopathic healing combined with empirically effective alternative interventions.

When you consider Mirasol, whether you're a graduate or just beginning to think about treatment, visualize the canopy of mesquite trees, the silhouettes of saguaros in the moonlight, the palo verdes with their spray of yellow blossoms and the sweet smell of creosote bush after a summer rain. Our desert environment is part of our mission to help women find meaning and restore balance in their lives. As one client said, "I found healing and a spiritual connection. It's hard to put it into words without sounding silly, but I found myself there. I found a way home."

Warmly,
Jeannie Rust, PhD

The Kids Go Camping!

From the Sunflower Newsletter, February, 2007

A winter camping trip for teenage girls with eating disorders? Only Mirasol would attempt anything so obviously nutty — and turn it into a resounding success!

"Even a short time away from the niceties of urban life can promote self-sufficiency, self-reliance and interdependence. This is especially true for girls with eating disorders, who often come from backgrounds with considerable entitlement," says Mirasol therapist Diane Ryan.

"It's nice to be able to strip some of that away and get down to what's essential. It gives the girls a sense of what they can do, and takes the focus away from how they look."

The January camping trip included exploring Peppersauce Cave, where the girls had to lower themselves by rope through a narrow opening known as the "rabbit hole."

"It challenged them to work together and gave them a tremendous feeling of accomplishment," says Ryan.

You'd think these teenagers might resist spending two days in the desert, far from hot showers, flush toilets and hair dryers. But there was 100% participation in both trips: the January trip to Mount Lemmon and a previous camping trip in the Dragoon Mountains.

"Our clients know we're committed to their recovery, and everything we do is designed to support that goal," says Ryan. Their concerns about everything from desert creatures to who washes the sleeping bags were thoroughly discussed, so there were no surprises.

"The rent-a-snake showed up right on cue," Ryan jokes, "and none of the girls panicked." Even the most nervous camper remarked that, "I'm still uncomfortable, but somehow I feel more myself than I've ever felt".

Between the first and second camping trips, Ryan put together pieces of the puzzle that would form the basis of her master's thesis.

"If this is a modality that's effective in treating eating disorders, it might show up in altered brainwaves," Ryan reasoned. Working with Joe Horvat and Bill Eck, Mirasol's neurofeedback experts, she devised a plan to measure the apparent improvement in the clients' mental health. All participants received brain maps and completed a Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and a Coping Skills Inventory before and after the Mount Lemmon trip.

As of this writing, the test results are still being processed. Empirical verification of the value of wilderness experience for eating disordered clients could open many doors for both Diane Ryan and Mirasol. But even if the value can't be measured, camping together is an experience that will continue to be treasured by staff and clients alike.

Another camping trip is in the works for later next month.