Breaking free from Eating Disorders
Sasha’s* mother wanted a boy. She lived with a deep sense of rejection and shame and it followed her throughout her life. Her mother then favoured her brother when he came along and when her parents divorced and her father left, the sense of rejection was compounded even more. She was trying to 'stuff down' her anger with eating and eventually developed an eating disorder. But Sasha found breakthrough; she attended the New ID eating Disorder course at Woodlands Church and was helped to forgive her family, break the controlling eating patterns, and find healing as she surrendered the situation to God. Many eating disorder stories don’t make good news, but this is a good news story!
* Name changed
To begin with you think you are in control
An Eating Disorder (ED) is a coping mechanism, a way of dealing with trauma or things that seem too difficult in life. It's an outward symptom of deeper underlying issues that are unresolved.
To begin with, it seems to be the answer and you think you're in control. But very quickly, the ED turns into the problem because it enslaves you. An ED is an addiction - a stronghold which at first seems like a refuge but which quickly turns out to be a prison. Willpower alone is not sufficient to break a stronghold, but, if we ask Him, Jesus can reach into our prison and set us free. Having an ED is very isolating and there is no joy in it; as with other addictions, there is a deep root of shame and self-hatred. Only Jesus can truly deal with this, because He bore our shame on the cross. We need to surrender it to Him and be free. Surrender and self-acceptance are keys to recovery.
There are three main EDs: anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive eating. Some sufferers are diagnosed within an OFSED, an 'other specified feeding or eating disorder', where their disordered eating doesn't fit neatly into one category.
Our attitude to food can represent our attitude to life.
An anorexic is saying 'no' to food, to life - shutting down and pulling away from life and people.
A bulimic is saying both 'yes' and 'no' to food, to life: they want life but can't deal with overwhelming feelings, so push them away.
A compulsive eater is saying 'more, more' to food: they need more of everything: affection, people, life - but no amount is enough.
At Woodlands Church, we run the New ID course, a 6-week Christian course which is not a support group but a springboard to freedom. We help you to listen to God to find out what has caused your ED and to start to deal with those roots. There will always be some forgiving to do along the way. We don't just give advice - we pray for you to be set free, because we believe that God can lead you into complete freedom. It's about dealing with the spiritual roots of the ED and breaking free, finding your true identity (your "new ID") and living as the person that God's created you to be. It's always a process, so it doesn't happen overnight, but it is definitely possible with God!
You can find out more about New ID here:
If you have an ED or maybe just disordered eating which you know is controlling your life, then come and do the course with us at Woodlands Church. We'd love to see you!
Love Hazel and Annie
email: newid@woodlandschurch.net