#246: Chronic Illness, Body Acceptance, and Breaking Free from the Wellness Diet with Asher Pandjiris, Eating-Disorders Therapist and Host of Living in This Queer Body

Eating-disorders therapist and fellow podcaster Asher Pandjiris joins us to discuss chronic illness in the context of body acceptance, the experience of living with an autoimmune disorder, the intersection of eating disorders and trauma, how the “personal responsibility” narrative perpetuates stigma, how being queer and non-binary has affected Asher’s relationship with their body, and so much more. Plus, Christy answers a listener question about whether trying to let go of restrictions in order to heal from diet culture means that you can’t follow Kosher customs. Asher Pandjiris is a psychotherapist and host of the Living in this Queer Body Podcast. Asher is a queer, white, non-binary (she/they pronouns) parent. Asher is also someone living with auto-immune based chronic health issues. They served as the Program Director at Balance Eating Disorder Treatment Center and have years of experience working with issues related to trauma and its impact on the body. Asher has published on the topics of intergenerational trauma transmission, the treatment of eating disorders, sexual assault in the music industry and gender dysphoria. Most recently, Asher published "Tenuous Embodiment: In Queer Communities, Disordered Eating Has Complex Roots" for Bitch Magazine. Find her online at LivingInThisQueerBody.com. Christy's book, Anti-Diet, is available wherever you get your books. Order online at christyharrison.com/book, or at local bookstores across North America, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Grab Christy's free guide, 7 simple strategies for finding peace and freedom with food, for some ideas of how to get started on the anti-diet path. If you're ready to break free from diet culture once and for all, come check out Christy's Intuitive Eating Fundamentals online course. Ask your own question about intuitive eating, Health at Every Size, or eating disorder recovery at christyharrison.com/questions. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych.