Her Story

Submitted by (anon, f, age 22)

"Ever since I can remember, I've felt disordered and different. Even as a young child I had very strong emotions I was unable to handle and since my parents did not know how to handle it, it got worse as I got older. I think I began self-injuring when I was about 10 years old and I started seeing a counselor shortly after that. The counselor was someone my parents chose and I often still felt like I was completely misunderstood. I learned to stifle my feelings for years, but soon it just became overwhelming. Part way through high school, I fell deep into a deep depression and dealt with everything from cutting to anorexia and bulimia. I became completely hopeless and spent several months just wanting to die. Thankfully, I was surrounded by Christian friends who weren't going to let me keep going down that path. They encouraged me to get help. I was reluctant, but I finally agreed to go back to a counselor and try to get my life back. That certainly wasn't the end of the journey and it's been a long difficult road since then trying to find a counselor I fit with and stay motivated in my recovery process. But through God's grace, I have finally found Christian counselors who were able to see what was underneath my symptoms and understand me. I am finally able to hope for complete freedom."

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