Testimonials
Here is what people have to say about Harmony Grove
“First of all, thank you for all the incredible work you have done with my clients. They come back transformed…I am not kidding!! So I have another client who will HOPEFULLY be calling you this week. You and your staff are wonderful. It has been great to find a place that is somewhat affordable and one that I am hearing rave reviews about! Thank you for all that you are doing!”
Andrea Wachter, LMFT
Co-founder of InnerSolutions Counseling Services
Co-author of The Don’t Diet, Live-It Workbook
5905 Soquel Dr. Suite 650
Soquel, CA 95003
(831) 4767500http://www.innersolutions.net
“I have arrived at my 1 year mark without bingeing or purging. I am humbled. And it would have been impossible without Harmony Grove. And I am humble too because the desire can still be there. I still come home sometimes and feel lonely. Work is fast paced or stressful and I want comfort. I am unsure about the future. But I can let these things now drive me to take the right actions. That and splurging on the occasional massage or facial is an absolute necessity.
I have been alone traveling for work in strange parts of the world and I have not binged. Thank you God, thank you HG and Laurie and all the HG girls, as I truly absorb this I am soooooo humbled and soooooo blessed. I had been actively trying for nearly 10 years to stop bingeing and I feel like recently sanity and health have become more important than what everyone else thinks and then it all kinda clicks…. and everything i was searching for before – confidence, health, beauty, love – are finally finding me.”—Debbie
“When I walked through the doors of Harmony Grove, I felt defeated. I had relapsed after 9 years of recovery. My anorexia had been my way of keeping me safe, of disappearing whenever life felt precarious; it was my way of becoming invisible. Harmony Grove helped me to correct these cognitive distortions, to feel secure in my body and in the world. My dream has begun. It’s been a year since I left Harmony Grove. I returned home and left my completely unfulfilling job. I took a huge leap, both mentally and financially, and returned to school. I will graduate in December, and this is just the beginning. I have never looked back nor have I had a single regret. I have only heartfelt gratitude. Anything is possible…” —Corey
“Tomorrow is my six-month marker of being healthy and I, now, realize that this separation IS permanent. My eating disorder is so not worth the five minutes of comfort it once gave me in an endless sea of depression. ED eventually destroyed me. My life was completely empty. Everyday I would wake up and promise that I wouldn’t give in to it, but I always did. My insurance wouldn’t cover my treatment and my parents thought that if they ignored it, it would just go away. I thought, “I should be able to get better. It’s my fault I’m not better”. Yes, it was my responsibility to make the commitment but I simply couldn’t do it alone and I was very, very alone. Harmony Grove was just the step I needed to not do this alone anymore. Life is not perfect now and never will be, but it’s so much better without an eating disorder.” —I.G.
“I have totally turned a corner. I can’t imagine myself ever having an eating disorder again. I feel so relieved!! I love my life and I love myself.” —C.D.
“I have traveled all over the world. I hiked miles to Tibet. I wore all white and I went barefoot for 2 years. I have a spiritual Guru. I rescued orphaned children from prostitution in India. I have a wonderful husband. We have financial freedom. Yet throughout my life, I suffered an inner battle and could not find freedom or happiness. I can honestly say that Harmony Grove was the BEST thing I have ever done in my life. Recovery is so hard, some days I want to give up, but I always thank God for my experience there every day.” —S.H.
“My stay at Harmony Grove is difficult to put into words. However, in an attempt to help other women suffering from eating disorders, I am going to try. I honestly believe that finding Harmony Grove saved my life. I know that this is a HUGE statement to make. But, it is true.
Here is an abbreviated version of my story:
For more than half of my life I have suffered from eating disorders. To be completely honest, I have probably suffered since the day I was old enough to look in a mirror. What started off as a little restricting here and there turned into “full blown” Anorexia. After many years, I also became severely bulimic. Then, ED (Eating Disorder) began his subtle yet ruthless seduction and manipulation of alternating and combining these two deadly diseases.Years of therapy and treatment did nothing to shut up the voice in my head that told me I would never be good enough, thin enough, successful, loveable, worthy, etc. I read many books on the subject of eating disorders. I watched every news program on the subject. I went to a number of therapists for depression and anxiety. In my sessions we would always briefly touch on my eating disorders but I always downplayed them. Still, none of these things made me believe that my problem was serious or that I needed to ask for more help.
I am not sure when I made the decision that “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”. It could have been when I could no longer go to work because of my behaviors and the consequences surrounding them, it could have been when the love of my life, my future husband told me that I could not stay because he couldn’t bear to watch me hurt myself or it could have been when my family and friends staged an intervention. It could have been a combination or all of these things. However, I believe it is when I realized that my life was completely out of control and that these diseases would ultimately kill me. That is the irony of an eating disorder. You think you are in complete control but in actuality you have lost ALL control.
After a long, bumpy and winding road, I ended up at Harmony Grove. Although I went into the house hesitant and resentful (nicknamed “Stands With Fists” for a good reason), I came out of it a new person. I now have almost 40 days of recovery “under my belt”. And, I owe the majority of my success to Laurie, ALL of the staff and the other residents. Without their unconditional love and support, I would not be at the healthy place I am today. Through therapy, art and music expression, meditation, teamwork, laughs and tears, I was able to realize that I am worthy of a life without ED. I am loveable, successful, beautiful and creative and all the other things ED convinced me I was not.
The morning I left Harmony Grove and San Diego was bittersweet. Bitter because I could not imagine leaving Harmony Grove and my support team in San Diego and facing my recovery alone. And, sweet because I divorced ED and am not only facing it but am DOING it on my own. I hope that my words have been helpful to at least one person. And, thanks Laurie! I love you and owe you more than you know.” —Mer
“To whom it may concern: My past was a tangle of lies, deceit, scandal, frustration, and horrible body image. I desired love and compassion; however, I never let anyone love me because I could not love myself. I was dying spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
This sounds quite a-typical of a young woman who has “contracted” an eating disorder. However, the reason behind such an unreasonable disorder varies significantly between each “case.” The supervising staff and support at Harmony Grove are intuitively adept at separating each resident’s disorder from the beautiful individual she is, as well as emphasizes the difference between the “ED” each woman is facing. The staff, composed of women who’ve recovered from eating disorders, never fail to relate to each of the resident’s concerns, frustrations, and emotions, creating a warm, understanding environment. The fact that the staff can show each resident why what they feel is “normal,” as well as understand the differences of each woman’s desires and hopes, allows the environment to be one in which each individual can re-connect herself with who she is. I never realized the opportunity for happiness and peace was prevalent in my life until I was so kindly directed to the beauty within me.
At Harmony Grove, there is a program for everyone, whether they are co-dependent, depressed, anxious, self-negative, bulimic, a compulsive eater, or an anorexic. As long as the individual is ready to surrender her fears and anxieties to pursue a healthy, happy lifestyle, the freedom at Harmony Grove will allow her to take the steps she needs to become whole. The freedom and intuitiveness present at Harmony Grove makes recovery more meaningful: it’s your choice, your life, your future.
Coming to Harmony Grove is the best choice I’ve ever made for myself. I was ready to change, I was ready to surrender; I was ready to be happy.
Thank you for considering Harmony Grove, I promise, if you are ready to know yourself, you will find more than you ever expected.” —Jennifer
Dear Harmony Grove,
I am just writing to thank you for your good work with my client. She and I both agree that she was helped enormously in your program. I appreciated your collaborative work with me, and most of all your very loving and helpfully challenging work with her. I have grown a little discouraged with my clients’ inpatient treatment experiences, and it is a delight to have found such a good one! My client is working hard, eating well, and eager to begin her own real dreams. Thank you again, and I hope that we will collaborate again in the future.
Sincerely,
Adrienne Amundsen, PhD
San Francisco, CA
“Since Harmony Grove, I have made it a point to devote my time to helping girls and their families cope with eating disorders. I have found a new way of life, a freedom, if you will, from the compulsion to binge and purge and I feel like I am finally living my life! I am 22, I have been anorexic and bulimic for 10 years. My life was controlled by food, weight, exercise and what other people thought of me. I could not focus on anything else but my disease. I felt hopeless most of the time. I quit jobs, dropped out of college and ruined relationships because of my eating disorder. I never thought someone of my illness could find recovery. I finally decided to ask for help, because I didn’t want to live anymore. I could not stop doing what I was doing!!!! At Harmony Grove, I was surrounded by girls and staff that thought the way I thought, and understood exactly why I was acting out. I learned that my coping mechanisms with food, were but a symptom of a “spiritual malady” that I had yet to work out. The staff, coupled with an outstanding team of a nutritionist, a therapist and a psychiatrist, was there to help me through everything. I learned how to feed my body and to trust my body. I worked on core issues, and was able to identify my triggers and learned that my body knows exactly what it needs, and will even out in time. I learned how to cook (wow!), prepare my meals, grocery shop, exercise healthily and process my feelings. I met girls that I love and will be connected to for a lifetime. Laurie is the most beautiful, caring and understanding woman I’ve ever met. She knows exactly what’s it’s like to be trapped in a “bulimic” prison. She has the knowledge and experience needed to run a living environment such as Harmony Grove; she indeed was my inspiration and continues to be my mentor. Harmony Grove changed my life forever. I have come home, to a supportive environment with a therapist and a 12 Step program. Harmony Grove gave me the tools, and it is up to me to maintain those tools if I want to have lasting recovery.”
—Rachel
