Anorexia recovery

The possible causes of Anorexia are many. It could be an earlier trauma, bullying, etc – but, for some, the trigger can be as simple as a chance remark to an insecure person at a time of great change.

Here’s how one sufferer described it:

I had a pretty happy childhood. I was always very slender – my dad would lovingly refer to me as his stick insect and give me a hug.

As a teenager, my parents were in the process of splitting up and, at the same time, I was studying for my GCSEs. It was a bit stressful and things were not very supportive.

I had a huge crush on this lad at school, but he was besotted with a very skinny girl and he made this throw away comment about me having a big bum. At the time I weighed about 8 stone and was perfectly proportioned for my size, but I couldn’t see that. He had deemed that the perfect woman was like a beanpole with no bottom or boobs… and I was fat.

It wasn’t his fault, he could have had no idea of how vulnerable I was mentally, how my need for approval would connect two incidents and begin to associate being thin with being loved. He would never know how that one sentence would trigger three decades of starving myself whenever times got a bit rough emotionally.

Sadly, some sufferers never get better.

But, for others, just as there is always a trigger to the start of the eating disorder, there is also a turning point that can be pinpointed as the start of a recovery.

Anorexia recovery

Whilst the turning points can be just as different as the multitude of potential triggers, Anorexia recovery is usually due to one reason – an overwhelming desire to get better. And it has to be an incredibly strong driver because it is much harder to get well than to continue on with the illness.

I was in an unhappy marriage and trying to deal with a teenager who knew that her parents were splitting up. It was like watching history repeating itself. I was suffering with anxiety and depression. Naturally, I was not eating.

My fear for my child took me to the doctor and he referred me to a counsellor. Just saying some of the stuff out loud, having someone listen to me began to make a difference.

I won’t say I am cured because I know the voice is always there in the back of my mind, but I have learned ways to manage it.

All eating disorders are potentially relapsing conditions and may recur at times of stress.

Human Givens therapy allows us to work with the sufferer to identify the original causes of the disorder, dealing with any existing trauma, and teach them to separate themselves from the problem, giving them tools to move forward.

Call us today on 01268 907052 to take the vital first steps towards recovery.