Anorexia is a complex illness often borne of trauma experienced in the early developmental stages of a person’s life. It is an illness related to a desperate need for control when there has been a painful experience alongside feelings of lack of control. That control is then displaced to food intake which in turn can make a person feel powerful that they don’t need food…translate this as not needing anything – love, attention, friends… Thus the anorexic is god, apparently surpassing and denying basic human need – this then feels safe. Eating awakens an appetite, and this can leave the anorexic (unconsciously) terrified that their entire coping mechanism is breaking down. Crazy as it may seem an anorexic will opt for the paradoxical safety of starvation rather than the terror of being human and therefore vulnerable. This lady who the court has ruled should be force fed to save her life should also be provided with counselling – intensive, qualified, experienced anorexia and trauma counselling – to make the force feeding worthwhile and not just another abusive act that she tolerates until she can kill herself in another way. I do believe that ‘no hopers’ can get well and I have witnessed the miracle many times. But always the key to the miracle is to inspire from the inside. Battering on the outside only reinforces the defences…I hope she can ALSO find someone she can talk to and work with.
See more of this story at http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jun/15/anorexic-woman-fed-judge?newsfeed=true
A very valid point Mandy – there’s absolutely no point in force feeding her, if they aren’t going to work on the psychological issues that are at the root of the eating disorder, or maintain it. Sadly, the weight gain/feeding, seems to be the focus, as it so often is – and as we know, that just leads to the ‘revolving door syndrome’. Let’s hope that she gets the help she needs!