What If I’m Not Ready for Recovery

I’m left to believe that if you are reading this post, there’s at least some part of you that wants to recover. You may feel as though you’re not ready to change any of your behaviors and you may fear that a therapist will make you change what you’re doing in all areas of your life. I get that fear. But, I ask that you do not let that hold you back from getting help that you need.

Many people come in for consultations and discuss that they want to change, but they aren’t at the point where they feel ready or able to. I always am open and honest about my approach to treatment for Eating Disorders with these potential clients. I explain that treatment consists of a non-diet approach. Usually, I get a wince when I say that, at which point I try to comfort them by letting them know that I get where they’re at. I understand that they aren’t ready to let go of the diet-mentality and I can work with that. You may not feel ready to let go, and that’s ok, but it’s important to talk to someone about it who knows what you’re experiencing and for you to at least hear what a treatment provider has to offer. You may not be ready to accept it, and that’s ok, but there’s some part of you that hears it, that part that wants to change. That’s your healthy self.

Early on in treatment, as I talked about in one of my earlier posts, we focus on identifying that healthy self and strengthening it. A therapist can’t make you do anything different than what you want to do, or rather what your Eating Disorder wants you to do. My job is to help you access that healthy self and grow it to the point that it can battle with your Eating Disorder self. You will at some point desire the non-diet mentality and you can even embrace it. It will take some time, but that is ok.

Entering therapy does not mean that you are always ready to change your behaviors. Sometimes, you enter therapy just because you’re tired of feeling how you’ve been feeling and want to change, but don’t know how or are not ready to. It’s ok. A therapist can offer a listening ear and provide you with tools, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to use them.

If you are reluctant to start treatment because you feel your therapist will be frustrated or disappointed in you for not changing your behaviors, try to let that fear go. Talk to the therapist about your concerns. A good therapist will explore the reason why you feel you are not ready to change, and meet you where you’re at. Take a breath, don’t feel like you have to be at the point to totally flip your habits, change takes time. The first step to recovery is walking into a therapy office for the first time, and that is a true success for your healthy self! It takes courage and is certainly not easy!

I hope you found this post helpful! Please share with anyone who may be struggling with their readiness to begin their treatment journey. If you have any questions, concerns or requests for future posts, feel free to leave a comment or message me privately.

I wish you courage to begin your treatment journey on the way to finding your State of Balance!​

If you found this post helpful, you may also like these:
Guide to Getting Help for an Eating Disorder
Battle: Eating Disorder Self vs. Healthy Self
Therapy: Debunking Expectations
Commit to Yourself by Committing to Treatment