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Anorexia Dominates Sandra’s Life for Over 20 Years

Unconsciously, Sandra began to reduce her food intake at the age of just 13. “I remember exactly how I felt so inferior back then. I was desperately searching for something that would make me happier.” One day, when she noticed that her brother’s friend ate much less cake than she did, Sandra decided to eat less herself.

She quickly became thinner, and by the time she was a young adult, she weighed just 47 kilograms at a height of 1.84 meters. “The deeper I slipped into the eating disorder, the more I could feel myself again. Giving up food gave me an incredible sense of strength.” She couldn’t hide her anorexia from those around her for long, but no one could reach her. It wasn’t until her early twenties that she admitted to herself that she was ill. “At that time, I was so thin that I almost died.”

This was followed by the first of many hospital stays. “For many years, I underwent all types of therapies, gained a lot of weight each time, but my thoughts about myself never changed. Every time I returned home from a hospital stay, I knew I would continue just as before. I was superficially healed but still sick inside.”

A Book Unexpectedly Provides Help and New Hope

Sandra lived a “normal” life for years: she studied, got married, and had two sons. “I tried to come to terms with my illness.” A visit to another therapist drove her further into despair. “He told me that I would never be healthy again. I had been sick for far too long.” It was a terrible prognosis for the mother, who considered that she didn’t want to live like this any longer. “My children were the only reason I kept going.” Destinyfully, as she says today, a book by a Canadian psychologist, whose daughters had both suffered from anorexia, came into her hands. “It was a book about the ‘secret language’ of the illness. I had read many books about anorexia, but never before had anyone understood exactly what I was thinking. Every written word spoke to my soul.” Sandra felt understood for the first time.

With her children, she moved to Canada for a year to start therapy with this psychologist. In the daily sessions, she confronted the self-hatred in her mind as intensely as never before. She managed to transform her negative thoughts into a healthy belief. “I finally found myself, learned to accept myself.”

Back to Germany Healthy Sandra Finally Knows What She Wants

She ended her marriage and trained as a psychotherapist. In 2009, she opened her Eating Disorder Center (center-fuer-essstoerungen.de) in her hometown of Dortmund. “I offer outpatient therapy tailored to the individual needs of the patients. Intensive cognitive work – similar to my treatment back then.”

Two years ago, she took another bold step and moved her practice to Dubai. “I had always wanted to live in another country – preferably in a place where it is always warm and close to the water.” On one of her trips, she fell in love with the oriental city. “I am alone, my children are grown – why shouldn’t I give it a try?”

Today, she says it was the best decision of her life. She speaks with her patients mostly online. Two or three times a year, she comes back to Germany. Some have already visited her in Dubai. The physical distance from the familiar environment makes it easier to break free from patterns. Sandra feels at home here, having met many motivating people. “I have grown very much in the last two years and hope to continue making a positive contribution to health in this new environment for a long time.”