I have a diet secret for you. It will help pounds melt away; it will help you fit into your skinny jeans. Ready? The truth. I have a feeling that it’s not a diet that will make me millions! But if we look at Oprah – this paragon of the American dream – we can see it is true. When we confront the truth and release the emotional pain we have been carrying, we also release the habits that cause the pounds we’ve been carrying. Her very public weight loss and gain shows us the bumps along her journey to self improvement and understanding. It doesn’t mean that she won’t get there, but that there is no express lane for getting there. Read more of my letter to Oprah at my blog on the Huffington Post.

Dec. 11, 2008

Dear Oprah,
America (and quite possibly the world) has been watching your private battle of the bulge for the last 20 years, and we feel your pain. Having battled an eating disorder myself (along with other addictions), I understand what you’re going through. Now, as a health & wellness educator,… Read Post

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Oprah School Scandal

November 5, 2007

Children feel three main emotions when they are abused:

1. Fear that they will be hurt or humiliated or blamed.

2. Anger that they are like prey, helpless and powerless.

3. Shame because they are sure it’s their fault. When anything goes wrong, kids blame themselves.

One out of every three girls will have been sexually abused before the age of 18 in the US; worldwide, the figures are even higher. The fact that it happened at this school, whose founder, Oprah Winfrey, stands for the welfare of girls and women around the world and whose very purpose in opening the school was to provide a protective and caring environment for girls, shows just how pervasive this problem is.

What I’ve learned from working with thousands of abuse victims is that abuse destroys children’s basic sense of place and safety in the world, especially when it’s inflicted by our own family or caregivers. If not treated, it tends to show up later as illness and addiction. The key is treatment to remove the fear, anger, and shame that come with abuse. There are therapies that address this problem and can undo the damage—the sooner the better. It will be crucial to involve the parents so that the children don’t feel they have a terrible secret they have to keep.

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