I went into therapy initially to deal with a new and lifelong incurable illness that dramatically changed my life. In particular it stopped all my athletic activities. I had been a committed long distance runner including marathons for 20 years. The loss of that was like losing a best friend, plus I had constant pain to deal with.

I knew I had a lifelong eating disorder that I used my 100 mile a week running habit to manage and serious childhood abuse and core shame issues. I didn't want to go.there primarily because I had a wonderful therapist as a young adult who died of cancer quite suddenly ( just a few months from diagnosis to passing) although it had been 16 or so.years I just didn't want to share myself that way with another T.

However after a little over a year it became clear that 1. My problems dealing with my illness were really rooted in that core shame and my eating disorder and 2. My therapist was pretty extraordinary . Slowly I decided to work on the other issues.

I am not all the way there but I am closer than I have ever been to real recovery from my eating disorder and a real sense of myself as a person worthy of life and being loved.

In my case this has involved an intense relationship with my therapist and some limited re parenting type stuff as well as somatic therapy. I honestly can't imagine my life without having done this therapy. I guess things could go bad but the same sense of self worth makes me feel I'd survive that too if I had to. As it is its been 3 and a half years and I think.we are making excellent progress. Before her several clinicians told me that due to it starting so young and lasting so many years I had no hope of recovery or long term happiness. ( I became anorexic and bulimic at 12 years old and have never functioned without some level of an eating disorder though to most people. I appear happy and successful. .sso that's 28 years of eating disorder thinking and behavior). So I believe it's made a real difference.