Stories of Healing: Sarah
Sarah struggled with food and body image for years before seeking help from Rock. 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 group therapy program, Sarah broke free and found the community support she needed to thrive.
Recovery is freedom. I stopped engaging in harmful eating behaviors back in 2017, but I assumed the mental and emotional struggles around food and body image would always be part of my story. Feeling free from the shame I carried about my body seemed out of reach. As a Christian woman, I thought it was normal, even expected, to feel constant shame about my body - how it looked, what it could or couldn’t do, what others might think or say. Joining Rock Recovery’s Bridge to Life therapy group helped me begin to experience true freedom.
I joined Bridge to Life in late 2019, unsure what kind of difference it could make in what felt like permanent negative beliefs I held about my body. But through the support of a compassionate and skilled therapist, and a group of women who were far more like me than I expected, everything began to shift. Each week, I looked forward to those 90 minutes of safety, belonging, and a growing sense of freedom. I had long believed in my heart that, because of Jesus, I was free from body shame - but it was through the hands and feet of the therapists and staff at Rock that I finally began to experience freedom in a tangible way.
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 healing I experienced at Rock without a doubt overflows into my clinical work with individuals dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues in the DMV region.
I am forever grateful for Rock Recovery’s Bridge to Life group therapy program. I hope Rock Recovery’s 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.