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) 4767500
http://www.innersolutions.net
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"
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
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More
feedback coming soon!
