Words of Wisdom:
Advice on eating disorder recovery from graduates of our eating disorder programs
August, 2026
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“It took time and repeatedly showing up/engaging in experiences to accept that choosing recovery is the safer choice even when my ED is telling me it’s unsafe.”
- Previous client
There are some things about recovery that are difficult to explain from the outside.
You can talk about treatment plans and levels of care. You can describe what happens in an eating disorder PHP or IOP. You can explain therapy modalities, meal support, nutrition counseling, and what a typical day in treatment might look like.
But sometimes, the person you want to hear from most is someone who has been there.
We asked past clients at The Lotus Collaborative what they wish they had known about treatment and recovery, and what they would want someone else walking into this process to know.
Here is some of what they shared.
Recovery can feel impossible before it starts feeling possible.
“It will feel impossible at first but your body is stronger than you think and once your body physically recovers the mental piece becomes so much easier.”
Beginning eating disorder treatment can require doing things that feel deeply uncomfortable. Eating differently. Interrupting behaviors that have become familiar. Trusting a treatment team. Saying things out loud that you may have spent a long time keeping to yourself.
Feeling afraid of recovery does not mean you are incapable of it.
As another past client put it:
“Navigating recovery in a non-recovery focused world feels impossible, but it’s not.”
You don't have to do it alone.
Connection matters.
“Don’t be afraid, put in an honest and consistent effort, be open and vulnerable, release whatever is inside, rely on others who have experienced something like this, find a group, anchor on ‘this will get better,’ radically accept.”
Eating disorders can thrive in isolation. Treatment offers an opportunity to experience something different: being around people who understand parts of what you are going through, practicing vulnerability, and allowing other people to help carry what has become too heavy to carry alone.
That sense of community can extend beyond formal treatment, too. Lotus offers a free, therapist-led eating disorder recovery support group in Santa Cruz and San Francisco for people looking for continued connection and recovery support.
You don't have to arrive ready to tell everyone everything.
The idea of entering treatment, particularly group treatment, can be intimidating.
One former Lotus client offered this advice:
“Come in with an open mind. Don’t fear judgment and share when you are ready. It truly is a safe space.”
You don't have to arrive knowing exactly how to recover. You don't have to have the perfect words for what you're experiencing. And you don't have to become vulnerable all at once.
Sometimes the beginning is simply showing up.
Recovery is bigger than finishing treatment.
Perhaps one of the most important reflections came from a former client thinking about what recovery actually means:
“I wish I knew that I didn’t have to be anxious, that Lotus is a safe space. Recovery is longer than one often thinks. It is not graduating from a treatment center, it’s not just weight restoring. It is everyday. It’s is an awareness that you want more for your life than what your ED can give you, and the commitment that you will work everyday to achieve that”
Treatment can be an important chapter of recovery, but graduation isn't the finish line.
Recovery continues in ordinary life: difficult days, relationships, changing bodies, old triggers, new experiences, and the gradual process of building a life in which an eating disorder occupies less and less space.
“Recovery and healing take time - give yourself grace through the process.”
The people beside you matter.
One former client reflected on the role their treatment team played:
“I feel incredibly lucky to have such caring, supportive, and knowledgeable team of therapists guiding me through my recovery. It’s clear they’re genuinely invested in both their work and the well being of patients.”
Good treatment isn't only about what happens in a therapy session or which modality appears on a treatment plan. The relationship between a person and the people caring for them matters, too.
At Lotus, our approach to eating disorder and mental health treatment is built around collaboration. Recovery will look different from one person to another, and treatment should leave room for the actual person experiencing it.
Looking for Eating Disorder or Mental Health Treatment in California?
The Lotus Collaborative offers eating disorder and mental health treatment in Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and virtually across California.
Our services and programs include:
Eating Disorder PHP
Eating Disorder IOP
Mental Health IOP
Outpatient therapy and nutrition services
If you have questions about treatment, admissions, insurance, or referrals, our team is always happy to help.
Call 855-852-4968
Email info@thelotuscollaborative.com
*We’re in-network with insurances and work with Medi-Cal referrals.
Written & Created by Lea Horsley
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