The choice of an elephant for my logo was inspired by a poem by John Godfrey Saxe about six blind men who examine an elephant for the first time. You’ll find the poem at this web address:

http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/1/?letter=B&spage=3

The blind men are relying on their sense of touch, to determine what the elephant looks like, and are only touching the animal in one place. This severely limits their perception. None of them are able to take in the complete animal.

What does this have to do with Eating Disorders???

The man who touches the tail thinks the elephant is like a rope. Do you feel you’ve been roped in or cornered? And now that you are encircled by that “rope,” you are using food or the lack there of to attempt to escape?

The man who touches the elephant’s side, thinks it is like a wall. Do you often encounter “walls” when you are trying to deal with your life? Do you need techniques to learn how to scale the wall, so you don't have to give up and retreat by using bingeing or purging or both?

And the man who examines the elephant’s leg thinks it resembles a tree. Do you have trouble seeing the forest for the trees? Is all your attention and energy applied in only one area of your life, and you’re not able to see the big picture and all you are capable of if you listen to your healthy self?

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. People are often like the blind men when experiencing their own lives. They are limited in their interpretation of  possibility and stick to conclusions made in isolation that may not be accurate. If you are even close to answering any of the above questions with a “yes,” then you need some help!