By: Gabrielle Morreale M.A. LPC. C-DBT.
When you’re in the thick of an eating disorder, it can feel as if recovery is evasive and out of reach. Eating Disorders and disordered eating can overtake every part of life—physical health, relationships, work, and mental well-being. However, the path to healing and wholeness is possible! In this blog, we explore the nature of eating disorder recovery, the challenges it presents, and the hopeful possibility of recovery. As a team of recovered professionals, we truly can say healing is possible, and mean it!
Understanding Eating Disorders
Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID, OSFED, and disordered eating, are complex conditions with deep emotional, mental, and sometimes genetic roots. They often arise from a mix of factors—cultural pressures, trauma, personal experiences, and, in some cases, biological vulnerabilities. What’s crucial to understand is that they aren’t just about food or weight; they often serve as coping mechanisms for managing emotions, trauma, stress, or low self-esteem.
What Recovery Really Means from an Eating Disorder Therapist
The word "recovery" is quite a hot-button term. Recovery from an eating disorder is not
black and white. We do not just wake up one day and suddenly recover. Eating disorder recovery may look different for everyone but doesn’t always mean there won't be slips or heartache along the way. It’s more about the ability to live a life not ruled by the disorder or disordered eating, where a person can experience freedom in their relationship with food, body, and self.
In recovery, it's normal to find they continue to face urges or difficult moments, but with time, these become more manageable, and healthy coping strategies replace harmful behaviors. For others, complete freedom from all symptoms is possible with online eating disorder therapy. Either way, eating disorder recovery involves a shift in thinking, feeling, and responding—a gradual movement toward health, peace, and self-compassion.
The Journey of Recovery: Steps and Stages
The road to recovery is unique to each individual, but there are often common stages in the process. Although we will say and we are sure you have heard healing is not linear.
Acknowledgment: Recognizing the existence of the disorder is a critical and incredibly brave first step. Many people in the early stages may not see the extent of their disorder or may feel ashamed or fearful about acknowledging it. Permission slip, Its ok not to be ok!!
Seeking Support: Life is not meant to be done alone. There is healing in the community. Support can come in many forms, including therapy, medical guidance, support groups, and close friends or family. Professionals like therapists, dietitians, and doctors specialized in eating disorders play a pivotal role. We are currently accepting clients and would be honored to share in your journey.
Learning and Unlearning: Eating disorders are often maintained by rigid rules or beliefs about food, and body image. In recovery, individuals gradually unlearn harmful beliefs and learn healthier ways of relating to food and their bodies. You are worthy of making peace with food and your body. This might involve relearning how to recognize hunger and fullness cues, challenging negative thoughts, practicing body neutrality, and much more.
Building Resilience: There will likely be setbacks and moments of struggle, but each challenge offers an opportunity to build resilience. As we already mentioned, recovery isn’t linear, but persistence through tough days can strengthen one's coping skills and confidence. You are much stronger than you think.
Finding Joy Beyond the Disorder: Eating disorder recovery also can help you discover a renewed sense of identity and purpose beyond your eating disorder. This might involve exploring hobbies, nurturing relationships, pursuing passions, or setting new goals for the future.
Please note that not everyone experiences and we fully acknowledge the strength and courage it takes to engage in eating disorder recovery in any capacity.
Overcoming Challenges in Recovery: Perspectives from an Eating Disorder Therapist
The recovery process comes with its share of challenges. Setbacks, or what some call "slips," are common and don’t indicate failure. In fact, they can be part of the learning process. With professional support, individuals can understand what triggers a setback, making it easier to handle similar situations in the future. Here is a blog that discusses slips and setbacks in recovery can look like: https://www.recoveredandrestoredtherapy.com/post/slips-relapses-in-recovery
Another challenge in recovery is the cultural focus on body image. Let's be honest diet culture sucks! It's harmful, it's pervasive, it’s just downright awful. Media, social pressure, and even everyday conversations can reinforce harmful beauty ideals. Perfection is an illusion and when we try to change our bodies to please the world it only hurts ourselves. You do not need to succumb to the latest beauty trend or fad diet. You are worthy of love just as you are.
Building resilience to these external pressures is essential. Staying connected to supportive and safe people, engaging in media literacy, and fostering a sense of identity independent of appearance.
Is Full Recovery Possible? According to an Eating Disorder Therapist
Yes, full recovery from an eating disorder is possible, though the path differs for everyone. For some, full recovery means living a life free from any disordered behaviors or thoughts. For others, it may mean effectively managing occasional urges or negative thoughts with a toolkit of healthy coping strategies. No matter what recovery looks like, the outcome can be a more fulfilling life, improved mental health, and a healthier relationship with food, body, and self.
Tips for Supporting Someone in Recovery
If you’re supporting someone on their recovery journey, here are a few ways to help:
Listen Without Judgment: Offer a safe space for them to share their feelings and experiences.
Be Patient: Recovery can be slow, and setbacks are normal. Patience and encouragement go a long way.
Educate Yourself: Understanding eating disorders can help you better support them and avoid unintentional harm.
Avoid Diet Talk: Minimize discussions around diets, weight, or body image, as these can be triggering.
Here is a blog we wrote about supporting loved ones through eating disorder recovery https://www.recoveredandrestoredtherapy.com/post/4-tips-for-supporting-a-loved-one-through-their-eating-disorder-recovery
There is also support available for loved ones too! You don’t have to navigate this alone.
Hope is always a great idea!
Healing from an eating disorder is possible and within reach. It requires courage, perseverance, and support, but the journey is worth it. Recovery is what you make it and how you define it. By courageously recovering you can regain life beyond the grips of disordered eating, reclaiming joy, and finding peace with yourself. You are worth it!
Other Mental Health Services Offered in PA, NJ, DE, SC, MD, CT, and FL
We offer a wide variety of services related to eating disorder recovery including trauma therapy! We offer Weekly Support Groups, Nutrition Services, and Family and Parent Therapy as well as Coaching, all tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual. We offer our services for Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating, and Orthorexia as well as Maternal Mental Health, and eating disorder therapy for athletes online in New Jersey, Delaware, South Carolina, Maryland, Florida, and Connecticut! We are here to offer our support and understanding in a safe and non-judgmental environment.
We have immediate openings right now for eating disorder therapy in:
Delaware, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland South Carolina, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.
And recovery coaching worldwide.
Recovered and Restored is an eating disorder therapy center founded by Gabrielle Morreale, LPC. We specialize in helping teens and young women heal from eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia, and binge eating disorder and treat disordered eating, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. We provide eating disorder therapy in the towns of Horsham, Upper Gwynedd, Lower Gwynedd, North Wales, Lansdale, Hatfield, Blue Bell, Doylestown, and nearby towns with eating disorder therapy. Also providing virtual eating disorder therapy in New Jersey, Delaware, and Florida. Some towns served virtually but are not limited to Pittsburg, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Center City, Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Mount Laurel, Cape May, Avalon, Brick, Dover, New Castle, Bethany Beach, Marydel, and Oceanview
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