Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center Teams with “In the Wildflowers” Program to Help Trauma Victims Cope and Heal Through Prayer

I wanted to let everyone know that Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center has partnered with producer Julie Woodley to present “In the Wildflowers” program. It's a 10-part DVD series aimed at educating and helping victims of childhood sexual abuse cope with their trauma as they heal in a safe and supportive environment. Julie is a member of the team here at Timberline Knolls and serves as the ministry outreach representative. She works to touch as many people’s lives as possible with the powerful and healing message offered in “In the Wildflowers” DVD series.

"In the Wildflowers” is set to spread its message throughout college campuses. Typically “In the Wildflowers” takes 10 weeks to fully experience, but the DVDs and accompanying curriculum was condensed into a one day and one night session for college-aged participants and will include a 3 ½ day training session led by Julie for those who want to learn how they can use “In the Wildflowers” to help others to heal.

The Wildflowers program is the brainchild of Julie, a victim of childhood sexual abuse herself, who developed the idea when she was stricken with cancer and wanted to take her own healing journey.

Julie began developing “In the Wildflowers” by journaling about her healing processes and reading almost 60 books dealing with the power of faith, prayer and healing.

Julie met, interviewed and filmed upwards of 40 professionals all specializing in various areas of Christian therapy and healing, as well as six women all from very different backgrounds in need of healing. She filmed the women’s progress over several years and was amazed at the strides they made in their own journeys.

MentorCONNECT’s Free Teleconference Presents Two of the Country’s Leading Eating Disorder Experts

MentorCONNECT is a global online eating disorders mentoring community that provides individuals with the tools needed to break through the isolation of eating disorders and share in supporting relationships. Members are able to connect individually and in mentored groups to share experiences, provide guidance and help each other through the struggles and successes of their journey to recovery. In addition to these support systems, MentorCONNECT holds a free teleconference each month with nationally-recognized eating disorder experts and survivors.
This month, Dr. Stan Selinger, PhD, the family therapy coordinator, from Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center and I will make our treatment advice available online for free to the public in MentorCONNECT’s teleconference on Family Healing and Communication. We’ll discuss how patients can best communicate their needs for support to their loved ones, and how loved ones can best offer support to the patient during the recovery process. The teleconference takes place on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 from 8:00 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. (CST). To sign up for this free event, please visit http://familyhealing.eventbrite.com/.
I’ve always felt that teleconferences are a great way to talk to people who are looking for both information and guidance while working toward the lifelong recovery from their disease. They are also great ways to teach loved ones and family members about how to offer support in the best way possible for those coping with disordered eating.
One of the biggest roadblocks to recovery is the lack of support from loved ones, but many of those suffering from an eating disorder don’t understand how to reach out and ask for help, and on the reverse side – many loved ones don’t know how to help. Groups like MentorCONNECT provide survivors with an educational outlet like these monthly teleconferences, and I am happy to offer my own expertise on the subject.

Anorexic Model Isabelle Caro Showed Everyone the Reality of the Illness that Took Her Life

The horrifying photos of Isabelle Caro first displayed in 2007 were her last message to the world about her disease. First appearing during fashion week in Italy, it was Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani's attempt “to use the naked body to show everyone the reality of this illness, caused in most cases by the stereotypes imposed by the world of fashion." But the fact that the "reality" didn't seem to stop Caro is hard to understand if you've never struggled with disordered eating.

It saddens me that she died of the disease. I admire her courage in exposing the disease on a public level. We need to acknowledge how serious this disease is. At the same time, for the women and their families who continue to struggle with eating disorders, I want to extend a message of hope. There are effective treatments.

This model took the first step of a 12-step recovery model. She admitted publicly that she was powerless over her anorexia, and it caused significant unmanageability in her life – losing teeth, hair, breasts for example. The healing steps and solution steps are outlined in the next 11 steps.

We facilitate this healing at Timberline Knolls. We are unique in using the powerful combination of 12 step facilitation therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) to help women with eating disorders, which could kill them, not only to stay alive, but to recover and live happy, joyous, free and abundant lives.

As many as 10 million females and one million males are fighting a life and death battle with anorexia or bulimia, and another 25 million are fighting a binge eating disorder, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. Eating disorders are usually shrouded in secrecy, but those who are suffering need to know that reaching out for assistance is the first step to getting back on track.