dc.description.abstract | Background: This is a response to Conti et al.’s article, “Listening in the dark: why we need stories of people living
with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa” (published in JED, 2016), and its call for relational metaphors and a rela
tional approach to supplement the traditional medical/psychological diagnostic language used to describe the life
experiences and complex emotions of people affected by an eating disorder.<p><p>
Methods: Four authors with different backgrounds unpack two narratives, ‘The Prima Donna with the Green Dress’ and
‘Breaking down the Wall’, both narrated during feldwork in multifamily therapy. The narratives are unpacked from the
perspective of a therapist within multifamily therapy, a researcher who conducted the feldwork, a researcher based in
phenomenology and a researcher based in narrative inquiry. The authors enter into dialogue with the narratives, and
with each other.<p>
Results: The four authors focus on different elements within the narratives and understand them differently. One,
focuses on strength and pride, and art expression as a diferent form of language for people living with an eating dis
order. Another, on the experience of isolation, boundaries, and balancing openness and closedness. A third, sees the
narratives as expressing a wish to see and be seen, and the fourth focuses on the absence of, and longing for, a shared
space to explore.<p>
Conclusion: The aim is not to reach a correct or shared interpretation of the narratives but to explore how different
perspectives may contribute to different insights, not only about one family in particular but about, more generally,
the experiences of people living with an eating disorder. Our work shows the signifcance of engaging with multiple
perspectives and dialogue as supplements to the traditional medical/psychiatric diagnostic language in both clinical
practice and research. | en_US |