PEKIN, Ill. (PRWEB)
October 31, 2019

The International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp™) 2020 Symposium will feature world-class keynote speakers to headline its annual conference, slated for March 26-29 in Orlando at the Omni at ChampionsGate.

“To be able to engage with these accomplished professionals at one time and in one place is so significant — an extraordinary opportunity,” said Bonnie Harken, Managing Director at the iaedp™ Foundation. “Their collective mission is not only to discuss their latest research, but also to share their wealth of experiences.”

The keynote speakers will provide their presentations to nearly 900 eating disorder healthcare providers expected to attend the 2020 iaedp™ Symposium.

The Brain That Changes Itself and Eating Disorders

Norman Doidge, M.D., is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, essayist, and poet, on faculty at the Departments of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and Columbia University, Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. He is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Toronto Institute of Psychoanalysis. His book, The Brain

that Changes Itself was chosen by the Dana Brain Foundation USA’s journal, Cerebrum, from among the 30,000 books written on the brain, as the best general book on the brain.

While eating disorder behaviors and attitudes may be rigid, this does not mean that the brains of patients with those disorders are rigid or lack plasticity; the illness is in part a product of how they use their plasticity, which is a product of their development. We will discuss approaches to the common developmental inhibitions, conflicts and psychodynamics, self-fragmentation, trauma, hopelessness, borderline personality organization and pathological defenses in the therapy of eating disorder patients. The important role of imbalances between our two hemispheres in eating disorders, and right hemisphere-based dissociation from the body, will be highlighted. The lecture will illustrate how to combine a thought and emotion-based, neuroplastically-informed, hemisphere-balancing psychotherapy, with neurofeedback and other modalities, to help patients access their full neuroplastic potential, stimulate dormant brain functions, improve self-regulation and neuromodulation, and develop a more integrated, differentiated view of themselves. When this occurs, patients can develop more life- affirming goals that make ED behaviors less necessary or attractive to them, so that they can grow out of a reliance on them, and mature psychologically at the same time

The Brain That Changes Itself and Eating Disorders

Norman Doidge, M.D., is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, essayist, and poet, on faculty at the Departments of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and Columbia University, Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. He is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Toronto Institute of Psychoanalysis. His book, The Brain

that Changes Itself was chosen by the Dana Brain Foundation USA’s journal, Cerebrum, from among the 30,000 books written on the brain, as the best general book on the brain.

While eating disorder behaviors and attitudes may be rigid, this does not mean that the brains of patients with those disorders are rigid or lack plasticity; the illness is in part a product of how they use their plasticity, which is a product of their development. We will discuss approaches to the common developmental inhibitions, conflicts and psychodynamics, self-fragmentation, trauma, hopelessness, borderline personality organization and pathological defenses in the therapy of eating disorder patients. The important role of imbalances between our two hemispheres in eating disorders, and right hemisphere-based dissociation from the body, will be highlighted. The lecture will illustrate how to combine a thought and emotion-based, neuroplastically-informed, hemisphere-balancing psychotherapy, with

neurofeedback and other modalities, to help patients access their full neuroplastic potential, stimulate dormant brain functions, improve self-regulation and neuromodulation, and develop a more integrated, differentiated view of themselves. When this occurs, patients can develop more life- affirming goals that make ED behaviors less necessary or attractive to them, so that they can grow out of a reliance on them, and mature psychologically at the same time.

Sabine Wilhelm, PhD, is the Chief of Psychology and the Director of the Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is a Professor of Psychology (Psychiatry) at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Wilhelm is recognized as a leading researcher in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and tic disorders and has published 240 articles and reviews on cognitive functioning, prevalence and treatment outcomes of these disorders.

John Levitt PhD, CEDS, FAED, F.iaedp has more than 40 years’ experience working with eating disorders, self-injury, trauma, and the complex relapsing client. He has been an active participant in the fields of eating disorders, family therapy, and trauma as a clinician, consultant, program developer, supervisor/trainer, and presenter. He has taught widely, co-authored one book, co-edited three other books, and has numerous publications.

Dena Cabrera, PsyD, CEDS, President iaedp™ Board of Directors, will introduce Dr. Levitt and will share with the audience why iaedp™ believes that this topic is very important for patients, providers, and third party payors.

Gina Barreca PhD has appeared, often as a repeat guest, on 20/20, The Today Show, CNN, the BBC, NPR and, yes, on Oprah to discuss gender, power, politics, and humor. Her books include the bestselling They Used to Call Me Snow White But I Drifted: Women’s Strategic Use of Humor, It’s Not That I’m Bitter, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World, If You Lean In, Will Men Just Look Down Your Blouse, and Babes in Boyland: A Personal History of Coeducation in the Ivy League. Of the other six books she’s written or co-written, several have been translated into to other languages–including Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese and German. Called “smart and funny” by People magazine and “Very, very funny. For a woman,” by Dave Barry, Dr. Barreca was deemed a “feminist humor maven” by Ms. Magazine. Novelist Wally Lamb said “Barreca’s prose, in equal measures, is hilarious and humane.” Her latest book is If You Lean In Will the Men Just Look Down Your Blouse? is filled with insight, lessons, comfort and confessions. If You Lean In cheers and challenges women to come together and speak up.

Annie Heiderscheit, PhD, MT-BC, FAMI, NMT, is a board certified music therapist with 18 years of clinical experience and degrees in music therapy, education, and counseling. She has completed advanced training in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music and is a fellow through the Association for Music and Imagery. She is also trained in Neurological Music Therapy and is an endorsed facilitator with Remo in HealthRhythms Group Empowerment Drumming. Dr. Heiderscheit has conducted research utilizing guided imagery and music with adults in chemical dependency treatment and utilizing music to reduce stress and anxiety during mealtimes with eating disorder patients. She is collaborating on a research grant through the National Institutes of Health to study the use of music intervention to reduce sedation in mechanically ventilated patients. Dr. Heiderscheit has authored articles and book chapters on the use of music therapy in various settings. She is a graduate faculty member at the Center for Spirituality & Healing and clinical music therapist with The Emily Program.

Ralph Carson, LD, RD, PhD is a nutritionist and exercise physiologist with over 40 years of experience currently Senior Clinical and Scientific Advisor for the Eating Recovery Center and BED Program and a consultant for Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Center in Hattiesburg, MS. He is an active member on the board of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp) and author of The Brain Fix: What’s the Matter with Your Gray Matter, over 20 scientific published articles and several textbook chapters. Dr. Carson will review the research and literature on the use of music in therapy.

Dan Tomasulo Ph.D., TEP, MFA, MAPP teaches Positive Psychology in the graduate program of Counseling and Clinical Psychology at Columbia University, Teachers College and works with Martin

Seligman, the Father of Positive Psychology in the Masters of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is Director of the New York Certification in Positive Psychology for the Open Center in New York City and on faculty at New Jersey City University. Sharecare has honored him as one of the top 10 online influencers on the topic of depression. He authored Happy Together: Using the Science of Positive Psychology to Build Love that Lasts; Confessions of a Former Child: A Therapist’s Memoir; Action Methods in Group Psychotherapy: Practical Aspects; American Snake Pit: Hope, Grit, and Resilience in the Wake of Willowbrook. His newest book (on bookshelves in the spring) is about hope and includes practical interventions to use with patients to instill hopefulness.

About the iaedp™ Foundation: Since 1985, the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals has provided education and training standards to an international and multidisciplinary group of various healthcare treatment providers and helping professions. For more information on the 2020 iaedp™ Symposium, visit iaedp.com.