28 Aug 2010

Eating Disorder recovery - the alternative gap year trip

So, I know I sounded all but defeated in my last post. Well, the good (or bad?) news is, apparently, that's a normal part of recovery. According to the psychologist and ED specialist Glenn Waller, recovery from an eating disorder can be likened to a long-trek across the coastline of South America. When we start treatment, we usually think we've hit rock bottom and that things will improve smoothly now that we've sought help, but then we realize we're in southern Chile baby, and things start to get really tough as we confront everything in our lives without having our eating disorder to plaster over the pain. It's only after a long time that the positive changes will become obvious and we'll start to see the top-most tip is we make our way up through Brazil.  
I don't know if Glenn's predictions of eventual improvement will prove true for me. But I do know that its helpful to believe that they will. And I really do believe its worth believing anything that will help you recover. As I wait to find out for sure, I guess all I can do it buckle down and keep eating. 

1 comment:

  1. Great metaphor!! And it's so true.. I thought recovery would be a lot more rewarding that it feels right now, but we have to believe that it will be worth it in the end. We can buckle down and keep eating together! Good luck and stay strong.

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