Food, body & eating~25 minEating disorder treatmentMotivational
Friend and foe letters
Write two letters to your eating disorder — one to it as a friend, one as a foe — and see what's really going on.
In a study by Serpell and colleagues, people with anorexia wrote two letters to their eating disorder: one to it as a friend, one as an enemy. The letters showed how protective it can feel — and how much it takes. Clinicians use them to explore mixed feelings about recovery without shame.
Please leave out numbers — weights, sizes, calories or amounts. If you have a treatment team, bring this to them. The National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline, staffed by therapists on weekdays, is (866) 662-1235In a crisis, call or text 988.
1. Letter 1 — to my eating disorder as a friend: what you've done for me
Be honest. It may have felt like safety, control, comfort or an identity.
2. Letter 2 — to my eating disorder as a foe: what you've done to me
3. What surprised me while writing these
4. The needs it meets — and other ways I could meet them
5. What my life could look like without it