Adéla Prokůpková on eating disorders: I can connect to my clients not only professionally, but also humanly
Adéla, let's talk about your life story first. When did you develop an eating disorder? Was there a trigger? And what does it look like in the mind of someone who is going through something like this in the beginning?
I developed an eating disorder when I was about fifteen years old, after living in America where I was on an educational course. When I returned, I heard from a classmate that I had gained weight. I still remember the situation to this day, so disarmed was I by his words that I just stood there, smiled and replied that I probably was.
But looking back on it, I feel terribly sorry for myself that I couldn't defend myself. And to this day, I still don't come to grips with these questions about body image and commenting on bodies, even though it's a professional and personal subject of mine and I've had several years of practice. So that was probably the first moment that started a cascade of some thought processes. I started to see myself as a product that everyone should like and desperation made me want to reach for the quickest possible solution. I was tempted by the marketing of diet culture, probably like anyone going through something like this, and reached for an unnamed very well known diet that made me lose weight very quickly. That started it.
It's actually terribly easy in the beginning, because you're motivated and not yet kissed by what diets subsequently cause. I immediately started hearing compliments on how I lost weight and people asking me how I did it, which of course resonated with me more and more every day. I wanted to lose more weight and if I couldn't, I saw it as a failure.
In the mind of someone going through something like this, the desire not to fail wins out in the beginning. Maybe not so much yourself, but those around you. The brain, which is unfortunately fueled by an eating disorder, finds its daily certainties, which, when fulfilled, will allow it to go to sleep at night in peace. However, in retrospect, I certainly never went to sleep peacefully. On the contrary, I calculated what I was going to eat the next day and how I was going to move.
Did you see a therapist? How important do you think it is to talk to someone qualified?
It's interesting that this is the second time I've been asked this question in one week, and I don't think anyone has asked me this before, even though I've had several conversations. I actually didn't know about it at all when I had my eating disorder. In fact, at that time, mental health issues were not talked about at all. Diets and workout plans were recommended for all body changes, so I had no idea that I was supposed to address it with a therapist.
But as time went on and I started to find out more about it, I realised that more diets and regime changes weren't going to help and I sought professional help. It was liberating for me to be able to talk to someone about these things.
As I allude to here, from my perspective this is important, but it doesn't mean that no one has ever recovered from an eating disorder on their own. The beauty of today is that people are starting to talk about it and there are various organizations and programs, like our oasa, that offer help.
Now you're doing nutritional counseling. Isn't that a bit of a paradox? Have you been able to really get 100% of it so that you can educate your clients in nutrition? Why did you decide to go in that direction?
This is an awfully interesting question, thank you so much for this. I do couche eating disorder training with a well-known therapist, Caroline Costin, who founded an institute by the same name, and it's divided into camps based on whether or not the participants have gone through PPP.
I am 100% cured, no question about it. It affects my work, but only in the best way. I feel the emotions behind the things I read in a book or hear in a lecture. Because I have personal experience of what my clients are going through today, I am able to connect to them not only professionally but also humanly, which I see as my greatest strength.
Have you ever encountered an eating disorder in men? Have you had a male client, for example?
Yes, I have encountered eating disorders in men, I have had male clients. We've had representation of boys in our oasa webinars as well. I really appreciate the fact that they weren't afraid to talk to such a wide group of women about their problems.
What would you recommend to those who can't get over it?
First, I would definitely ask if the person is doing everything they can. And I'm really adamant about that, because eating disorders are psychiatric illnesses where one end is recovery and a happy life, but the other end is death. Unfortunately, I've seen cases where it's gone that far. That's why I have to keep pointing this out. By delaying treatment, we're only making it harder for ourselves.
The best time to start healing from these disorders is now.
Although eating disorders are a pretty open topic today, do you see any aspects of this condition that maybe society still avoids and should be talked about more?
I could come up with a separate article on this, but if I had to single out any topics that are taboo in our society, fat phobia would be one of them. The fact that our society is terrified of fat people, to put it bluntly, and thin bodies are considered healthy, even though that may not be true at all. At the same time, we don't talk at all about how eating disorders arise. Obviously some genetic component is one thing, but the trigger is pulled by society and all these topics could serve as prevention against the onset of these disorders.
Let's educate ourselves about what health actually is, because it's really not just about lifting weights and eating cottage cheese. On the contrary, it's about being concerned about my mental health, filling my time with activities that make me happy, being able to relax or enjoy a wholesome good meal with friends.
