Intensive ARFID Retreat

Before this retreat, I was exhausted and defeated after multiple years of caring for my teenager who has ARFID.  I had been following Felix online for some time, but I couldn't get my teen to agree to watch any of his videos because my teen would only accept therapy in-person after multiple failed virtual therapy attempts.  When I saw that Felix was offering an in-person retreat, I jumped at the chance.  This retreat was life-changing because Felix restored hope to my family  My teen made more progress in one full day at this retreat than in over a year of feeding therapy.  Two months after this retreat, my teen has stopped weekly feeding therapy because it's no longer necessary.  Thank you, Felix, for restoring our hope and helping us forge a new path forward.  I can't recommend his ARFID retreat enough. 

Things that have happened since the retreat  ...... Picture it: A mother holding her breath brings her ARFID kiddo to his first-ever cooking class. She wants to be positive, but she knows the drill. The kid looks at her like he is going to stab her in her sleep, but actually listens to the instructor. Mom leaves and sits in the car, positive as hell that the child will be running out any moment, furious. Two hours go by, so the mother goes into the studio and catches the boy's eye to let him know I am here. 10 minutes later child comes out from the back, Face dripping with cheese, Smile so big he looks like he won the lottery, and says to her Come back here and test what I made. Tandoori Pizza and Apple Cider muffins.. WHAT!!! I take one bite of this yummy treat when the child grabs it out of my hand and says That’s enough, it’s mine. We follow up the evening with Chick-fil-A because he is still hungry and we are booked again next week. I knew you would understand!!

It’s been three weeks since we returned from the ARFID Retreat hosted by Felix Economakis, and I wanted to share where we are now.

In just 3 weeks, my son’s appetite has dramatically increased. While he hasn’t added new foods yet, the quantity he eats has skyrocketed — to the point where I joked I may need a second job (we spent $50 at Zaxby’s in one meal!).

Before the retreat, he ate a modest variety — not amazing, but he’d eat broccoli and spinach. Since the retreat, he’s eating so much more. The most incredible change? Between February and June 21st, during regular feeding therapy, he didn’t gain a single pound. Three weeks after the retreat, he’s gained five.

We went back to his feeding therapist so he could personally explain why he was leaving. I was stunned to hear him recite — word for word — things Felix had taught at the retreat. This is the same kid who spent most of the sessions doodling or on his phone. My husband was sceptical, but Felix kept reassuring us: “Trust me, he’s listening — it’s how his mind works.” And he was right.

The therapists were concerned about follow-up, but here’s the difference for us: during all those months of therapy, I had no one to talk to — no one who truly understood the frustration, the fear, or the helplessness. Now, because of the retreat, I have a group of parents who are right there in the same boat. We encourage each other, celebrate the small wins, and never feel alone in this journey.

My son also has a peer chat group from the retreat — a safe space where he can relate to others, share (when he wants), and support his friends in their own victories.

So if you have a mature 12-year-old or older, and there’s a retreat in your area, I strongly encourage you to consider it. If you’re unsure, reach out to Felix — he’ll be honest about whether he can help. When my son was 9, I asked, and Felix told me the truth: he wasn’t ready yet. That honesty is rare.

You may not see overnight miracles, but those small victories? They add up. And sometimes, they change everything.

My 19yo son and I attended Felix's ARFID retreat in New Jersey for young adults last weekend. It has given us new hope. He has turned a BIG corner in trying (and enjoying) new versions of his safe foods (see photo below of him enjoying pizza that he made himself), and taking bites and swallowing some unfamiliar foods. Felix is terrific at relating to our kids and showing them how it is within their own abilities and their own minds to get better (frankly, I learned a lot from him as well about how to address my own fears and anxieties about other things). Some of the kids in our group have made even bigger progress than my son and are eating and enjoying totally new foods. Can not recommend it highly enough. I think he is doing new retreats elsewhere in the US later this year and/or next year, and in the meantime you can also book a private session with him via Zoom or buy his tapes/recordings. Over the past 17 years, we have been everywhere and tried everything (intensive outpatient, exposure therapy, food chaining, OT, CBT, DBT, you name it...) and this is the most progress he has ever made, and it only took 3 days.

Hi everyone,

• I want to take a moment to share a little about our 16-year-old son Michael and his journey with ARFID and to thank Felix for being part of a turning point we never thought would come.
• In 2011, when Michael suddenly stopped eating at just 18 months old, our world flipped overnight. We saw therapist after therapist, specialist after specialist. But without a diagnosis, we were left to figure it out on our own. Everyone said the same thing: “He’s just a picky eater.”
• Eventually, an in-home feeding therapist mentioned ARFID a condition hardly anyone had heard of back then. Even with a name, though, nothing worked the way we hoped. Progress was slow. Painfully slow.
• For years, everything revolved around Michael’s eating. Same foods. Same plates. Same routines. No restaurants. No vacations. No flexibility. Any disruption could bring everything to a halt. And as he got older, things got harder. Anxiety, OCD, and social pressure crept in. The judgment. The isolation. It was exhausting for him and for us.
• Then we found Felix.
• His approach was unlike anything we’d seen. For the first time, I thought: This might actually help. Felix understood the connections between ARFID, OCD, and anxiety. He gave us tools and hope.
• Then came the retreat.
• I’ll never forget the moment Michael tried something new. The look on his face. The tears in ours. That moment cracked something open for him, and for us. And it didn’t stop there. Every day at the retreat, he pushed further. New foods. New textures. New confidence. We saw it happen in real time: fear turning into pride, avoidance into strength. It wasn’t just progress. It was a breakthrough.
• Felix Economakis thank you. Your insight, your belief in Michael, and the space you created changed everything. You helped him face his fears and beat them. You gave our family room to breathe again. We’ll always be grateful.