Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Maren Wiederhold

RECLAIMING THE BLACK BODY

Alishia McCullough

Nourishing the Home Within

An essential exploration of the overlooked impact of disordered eating among Black women - and a prescriptive road map to returning to peace and wholeness within our bodies, from the clinical therapist who founded Black and Embodied Counseling and Consulting PLLC

Food has always been a political tool for the oppressor. And the body, especially the Black body, has always been one of its many battlegrounds. Licensed mental health therapist, somatic healer, and eating disorder specialist Alishia McCullough understands that for far too many Black women, the myriad effects of racial trauma have disrupted their most essential relationship: the one they have with their bodies - and by extension, with their food. African Americans are disproportionately impacted by disordered eating behaviors, yet their experiences are frequently overlooked by doctors and mental health experts. As a result, entire communities - our most vulnerable communities - are forced to navigate systems that are already primed to dismiss their needs, leaving them without proper care, or often even the language they need to identify what's wrong. McCullough's groundbreaking work radically validates the lived experiences and generational traumas of BIPOC communities. As part of a steadily growing movement among clinicians to "decolonize therapy," McCullough rejects the patriarchal, white supremacist mindset that has dominated the field, and instead embraces a more integrated approach that seeks to understand disordered eating patterns by examining the psychological wounds left by centuries of racism. Weaving together crucial history, compelling client stories, guided practice, and McCullough's own experiences with disordered eating behaviors, Reclaiming the Black Body is a revealing, potentially life-saving book that illuminates the way home, back to the safety and comfort found within our bodies. Alishia McCullough (she/her) is a licensed clinical mental health therapist and founder of Black and Embodied Counseling and Consulting PLLC. She specializes in somatic therapy, trauma healing, and eating disorder treatment with a focus on cultivating embodiment and fostering liberation. Alishia also runs the self-paced online course Reimagining Eating Disorders 101.

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Book Published 2025-01-14 by Dial Press

Comments

With Reclaiming the Black Body, Alishia McCullough is helping to usher in a new and critically needed wave of Black liberation; one that centers on body-based freedom... This is the essential tool we need to redeem the Black body in a sustainable way. It is a beautiful roadmap for an embodied Black liberation that centers us all.

Alishia McCullough is a radiant force for Black body liberation. Her radical approach ignites crucial conversations around myths and disparities of eating disorders within Black communities and paves pathways to liberation and self-love for all Black bodies. With unwavering courage and boundless compassion, she confronts the entrenched systems of oppression surrounding eating disorders within the Black community while integrating profound wisdom in somatic embodiment... making her a true revolutionary somatic practitioner.

Alishia McCullough's work has been a beacon of light in the field of healing and embodiment. Her writing provides a sense of grounding and ease unlike any that I've experienced, and calls to each one of us interested in transforming and transmuting the experiences of our bodies. Reclaiming the Black Body is something that everyone needs to access; we will be better as a collective for doing so."

Through powerful prose and insightful exploration, Reclaiming the Black Body shines a light on the complexities of Black identity, autonomy, and empowerment. This groundbreaking work promises to challenge perspectives, ignite important conversations, and inspire readers to embrace their own narratives. Alishia McCullough's voice is a beacon of strength and resilience.

In the traditionally conservative landscape of eating disorders, marked by a lack of substantial innovation, Alishia McCullough stands out as a much-needed force for change. She has emerged as a trailblazer... The transformative impact of her work is evident, reaching and influencing thousands within the community.

Alishia McCullough is a healer, thought leader and paradigm shifter. Her work is truly ahead of its time, and is helping to usher in body liberation for Black folks that expands generations.

Alishia McCullough has paved the way for understanding the legacy and wisdom needed to heal disordered eating in the Black community... Her warm, engaging energy, paired with her zest for the transformation of our world, is sure to leave an indelible impact on all who engage her creations.