Stories of Healing: Sarah
Sarah struggled with food and body image for years before seeking help in Rock’s program. She felt deep shame about her body and didn’t believe she would ever be able to achieve freedom. Finally, Sarah decided that it was time to find help to fight the deep and disordered beliefs she had about her body image. Through Rock’s Bridge to Life program, Sarah broke free and found the community support she needed to thrive. Read more about Sarah’s story of healing below!
Recovery is freedom. I was able to quit physically harming myself through an eating disorder in 2017, but I thought dealing with the mental and emotional aspects of disordered eating was something that would last forever. Freedom from the deep shame I felt towards my body seemed unachievable. As a Christian woman, I believed it was common, normal, and inevitable to feel loads of shame around my body — what it looked like, what it could and couldn’t do, what people thought about it, how people named it or didn’t name it felt permanent. It wasn’t until Rock Recovery’s Bridge to Life group that I broke free.
I started Bridge to Life in late 2019 unsure of what sort of impact the group would have on what seemed to me like a permanent flaw. I was fairly certain nothing would be able to uproot the deep and disordered beliefs I had about my body. It was through the support of an extremely skilled and empathetic therapist, and a group of other women more similar to me than I expected, that everything changed. Each week, I looked forward to those 90 minutes of safety, belonging, and the new taste of freedom. I already believed deep in my heart that because of Jesus I was free from body shame, but it took the hands and feet of the therapists and staff at Rock for me to experience that reality.
Breaking free from the captivity of body shame changed my life. After Rock, I was able to wear clothes I love, enjoy the beauty of good food, and walk confidently in my relationships with others. Most notably, since leaving Rock I’ve been able to settle into my recovery and take the steps needed to become a therapist myself. The freedom and confidence I experienced at Rock without a doubt overflows into my clinical work with children and teens struggling with anxiety and other mental health issues in the DMV.
I am forever grateful for Rock Recovery’s Bridge to Life group and hope their impact on Northern Virginia and beyond increases tenfold. May the generosity of donors and the commitment of the staff empower more and more women to taste the true freedom of breaking free from body shame.
If you were moved by Sarah’s story, we hope you will consider donating this holiday season to help more people like Sarah find freedom and a second chance at life! Click here to give.