The Importance of Personal Growth during Eating Disorder Recovery

The last post reviewed the often ignored fact that the path from starting treatment to full recovery is long. Patients, family members and friends want treatment to be successful in a few weeks or a few months. A prospective patient’s mother recently asked if a few weeks would be sufficient for recovery, and it was a shock to have to say not just a few months but several years were necessary to really get well. 

The thought patterns underlying an eating disorder are ingrained around food, a very automatic aspect of our daily lives. The more unconscious thoughts and behaviors are, the harder they are to change. Our minds typically focus conscious attention on less quotidian tasks and leave the typical daily necessities on autopilot mode. Shifting attention to change automatic thoughts and behaviors is not a priority for brain function so the steps in recovery, even if they appear simple to the outsider, require an enormous amount of attention and time. 

However, during the process of transforming the automaticity of the eating disorder behaviors, life doesn’t stand still. I am often hesitant to explain the length of treatment necessary for full recovery because people instantly believe life will remain the same during the entire course of treatment. After years of suffering, it is so hard to imagine getting well that it’s expected that one would believe nothing changes at all until there is a miraculous rush to being cured and recovery is complete.

The truth is that life can and often does change drastically during the course of recovery. Full recovery entails not only normalized eating patterns but complete remission of the disordered thoughts as well. During this period of treatment, life continues to grow and change in positive ways.

Normalizing eating will enable patients to be more present in their lives and more able to excel and grow both professionally and personally. There will be opportunity to deepen friendships and start relationships. Returning to school or furthering one’s career become much more feasible. And growing confidence in oneself opens doors to new ideas and directions in life.

Concurrently, life changes make it seem more important to face the deeper, more insidious components of the illness. As the person sees the myriad ways the eating disorder undermines daily life, the determination to face difficult parts of recovery grows.

Recovery is not a switch from sick to well. It is a gradual process. Most importantly, life continues during this time. If it takes years to get well, life grows and changes during that time. Unlike many illnesses, one doesn’t just get cured. Recovery is a process one needs to live through. And doing so makes it clear why this treatment works.