Nourishment: Feeding My Starving Soul When My Mind and Body Betrayed Me

Stupid. Fat. Freak. These are the labels Melissa Binstock bestowed upon herself. Diagnosed with six different disorders by the age of eleven, Melissa was drowning in medications, treatments, and isolation. Feeling defined and controlled by Tourette syndrome, dyslexia, ADHD, OCD, anxiety disorder, and anorexia, Melissa spent her teenage years emotionally empty, socially stunted, and filled with confusion and self-hatred. How must it feel to live with so many life-altering disorders simultaneously and what wisdom can be found through living such a tortured existence?

In this brutally honest account of her quest for love, acceptance, and the physical and emotional nourishment she desperately needed, Melissa Binstock takes you on a journey through the complex world of neurological and emotional disorders. You will be mesmerized and inspired as she shares her struggles to refeed her starving mind, body, and soul in her quest to become fully nourished.

 

Melissa Binstock (Houston, TX) began writing Nourishment just prior to entering the first of several residential treatment facilities for anorexia nervosa when she was fifteen. In 2005, Melissa was awarded the Gold Key Award by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers for excerpts of Nourishment, and in 2006, she was invited to the Grand Rounds at Texas Children's Hospital to read excerpts of Nourishment at an eating disorders conference. In 2009, Melissa was invited to give a lecture about Nourishment at Texas Women's University and was interviewed by the Houston Chronicle. In 2010, she was invited to be the keynote speaker and honoree at the Tourette's Syndrome Foundation annual gala. 

Melissa was recently accepted by South Texas College of Law for Spring 2013, where she will obtain her law degree. She plans to pursue a career in mental health advocacy. Melissa currently lives at home with her parents and siblings in Houston, Texas, and enjoys horseback riding in her free time. Learn more at <"">.