Do I Want To Recover? Stages of Change

Am I ready to recover from my eating disorder?

A common question in eating disorder treatment is, “If you’re not sure that you want to recover, will treatment be effective?” There is no scientific answer for this, but I can guarantee you that a majority of people in eating disorder treatment do not come in fully ready and willing to recover.

In psychology, we have something called the Stages of Change. The idea is that when a person makes a significant change in their life, they go through five different stages before and after that change occurs:

1. Precontemplation

   A person does not acknowledge that they need to change anything about their behavior.

2. Contemplation

   The person can see the problem but does not know if they want to make a change.

3. Preparation

   Preparing to change, such as researching the problem or looking for help.

4. Action

   Making actual, tangible changes to their behavior.

5. Maintenance

   Maintaining the behavior changes over time.

Let’s look at these from the view of someone who is struggling with an eating disorder:

1. Precontemplation

   I don’t have a problem, I eat just fine.

2. Contemplation

   It would be kind of nice if I didn’t think about food and my body 24/7.

3. Preparation

   I think I’m finally ready to seek out professional help.

4. Action

   I’m working really hard in therapy and completing my meal plan.

5. Maintenance

   I’m ready to continue my recovery work on my own without seeing my treatment team every week.

There is no timeline for these stages of change - each person will move through them on their own schedule. In fact, it’s possible to bounce between stages. One day you may be in preparation, and the next you can flip back to contemplation. This is completely normal! What’s important to realize is that, by the time you have decided to even speak to a therapist, you have more than likely already worked through the initial stages.

You don’t have to be 100% sure about the decision to pursue recovery. You just have to be curious. Could recovery help me? What if I don’t want to have an eating disorder forever? What if change is possible? If these are the types of questions you’re asking yourself, then you might be more ready for recovery than you think.

Are you thinking about starting therapy for your eating disorder? Learn more about our approach to eating disorder therapy here. Or you can message us for a free consultation using the button below.