I just finished writing an article for a local literary magazine, Rapportage, about the Anne Frank saplings. The chestnut tree outside Anne Frank’s house became ill over the past years and recently toppled over. When it was clear that the tree was dying, cuttings were taken from the tree so that new trees could be grown worldwide. This chestnut tree was outside the only window that Anne Frank could gaze out. The tree provided Anne with an important connection to the outside. She was able to measure the seasons through the changes of the tree.
Through my research about the tree, I had the distinct privilege and pleasure to speak with Hans Angress. He was a schoolmate of Anne’s and also had to go into hiding for a year and a half during the war. My conversation with him made such an impression on me that I talked about it with my journaling group at the Clinic. I provided three prompts for journaling. Individuals were allowed to pick whichever prompt “spoke to them”—whichever one seemed to resonant with their emotions.
The first prompt: Describe ED. I've heard Jenni Schaefer talk about naming her eating disorder ED. In a previous group, I had individuals describe their eating disorders—was it Ed or Edwina? I thought, perhaps, in the describing the Holocaust and the individuals in hiding, that this prompt would encourage people to write a visual description of their eating disorder—I could see it taking on a Nazi soldier image. Yet, what people wrote about was how their eating disorder affected their lives. What the eating disorder fulfilled for them and what it took away.
The second prompt: What are you hiding from? I could picture Hans and Anne in hiding during the war. This led to a thought related to eating disorders (and other issues) that we often hide our true selves. We worry about what other people will think about us so we hide who we really are or we worry about being accepted. Many in the group described that they often hide their real emotions. They let their eating disorder speak for them. They are working to learn how to speak for themselves.
The third prompt: The saplings are symbols to remember Anne Frank and the Holocaust. They are symbol s of re-growth. What symbol can you develop for yourself that helps inspire your recovery? One person wrote about scales—no not measuring their weight, but as a way to discover if all aspects of herself are being expressed. If any part of her life is being neglected, then she (and the scales) wouldn’t be balanced.
So… Use the prompts.
Describe your ED—both as an entity, what does it look like, sound like, etc. and what functions has it been offering you? What has it been taking away? Then work to describe your “true self” which is hiding inside. It she a small child who needs to be coaxed out? A bird that needs to be set free? A lion? A flower that needs to be watered? Maybe your true self is a sapling—like those from Anne’s tree. Right now they are only 24 inches tall, but they will grow to 80 feet in height.
Journal what you are hiding from. What are you avoiding? What do you fear? What can you use to help get through those challenges?
What symbol can help define your recovery? What symbol will help inspire you? Is your recovery like climbing a mountain? Is it like a tree that is growing? Is it something completely different? Journal to understand what image can help you define and focus on your recovery.
Anne Frank died at age 15 in a concentration camp. She wanted her words to change the world. They have. What do you want to change? How do you want to live your life? Journal about it. Journal to discover your true self. Journal to help define your recovery.
I just finished writing an article for a local literary magazine, Rapportage, about the Anne Frank saplings. The chestnut tree outside Anne Frank’s house became ill over the past years and recently toppled over. When it was clear that the tree was dying, cuttings were taken from the tree so that new trees could be grown worldwide. This chestnut tree was outside the only window that Anne Frank could gaze out. The tree provided Anne with an important connection to the outside. She was able to measure the seasons through the changes of the tree.
Through my research about the tree, I had the distinct privilege and pleasure to speak with Hans Angress. He was a schoolmate of Anne’s and also had to go into hiding for a year and a half during the war. My conversation with him made such an impression on me that I talked about it with my journaling group at the Clinic. I provided three prompts for journaling. Individuals were allowed to pick whichever prompt “spoke to them”—whichever one seemed to resonant with their emotions.
The first prompt: Describe ED. I've heard Jenni Schaefer talk about naming her eating disorder ED. In a previous group, I had individuals describe their eating disorders—was it Ed or Edwina? I thought, perhaps, in the describing the Holocaust and the individuals in hiding, that this prompt would encourage people to write a visual description of their eating disorder—I could see it taking on a Nazi soldier image. Yet, what people wrote about was how their eating disorder affected their lives. What the eating disorder fulfilled for them and what it took away.
The second prompt: What are you hiding from? I could picture Hans and Anne in hiding during the war. This led to a thought related to eating disorders (and other issues) that we often hide our true selves. We worry about what other people will think about us so we hide who we really are or we worry about being accepted. Many in the group described that they often hide their real emotions. They let their eating disorder speak for them. They are working to learn how to speak for themselves.
The third prompt: The saplings are symbols to remember Anne Frank and the Holocaust. They are symbol s of re-growth. What symbol can you develop for yourself that helps inspire your recovery? One person wrote about scales—no not measuring their weight, but as a way to discover if all aspects of herself are being expressed. If any part of her life is being neglected, then she (and the scales) wouldn’t be balanced.
So… Use the prompts.
Go, Write On!
Martha Peaslee Levine, MD