by Joanna Poppink, M.F.T.
Learning that your friend suffers with an eating disorder can shatter what you believed was an accurate picture of a normal and healthy relationship. The discovery may jolt you into realizing that your understanding of the world around you is incomplete. People you know, perhaps close friends, can be in danger.
Recognizing that deep-rooted, destructive, and often deadly pain exists in your friend can be a loss of innocence and an awakening to mortality and suffering in the human condition. It's a difficult but valuable experience for a person at any age.
If you live a fairly healthy and normal life, it may be difficult and even frightening to hear your friend describe her internal experience. Often people with an eating disorder know they are on a destructive path and that their behaviors can kill them. Yet they cannot stop. Some people are certain that no matter what day it is, they have six months to live from that date. They cannot plan a future or take anything or anyone really seriously, as they don't believe they will be alive long enough to follow through on anything.
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