How My Christian Faith Shaped My Eating Disorder Recovery. Thoughts from a New Jersey Faith-Based Eating Disorder Therapist

By: Gabrielle Morreale, M.A. LPC

Being a Christian while recovering from an eating disorder was a truly tender and conflicting experience. Looking back, I know God was always with me, but there were times I ran from God or felt disconnected. That disconnection often left me feeling isolated and alone. Exactly where my eating disorder wanted me. However, despite the disconnect, He loved me anyway, and He loves you! Over the years of my recovery journey, God met me in the most unexpected ways, gently guiding me toward healing. While there were times I felt lost and weary, my faith reminded me that I was never alone. God’s presence was steady, even in the moments when I didn’t feel strong enough to keep going.

Today, I want to share how my relationship with God and my faith has been a source of hope, comfort, and renewal in my eating disorder recovery journey. If you are searching for encouragement, know that eating disorder recovery is possible, and there are faith-based resources that can help you along the way. Here at Recovered and Restored in addition to our traditional services, we can offer faith-based eating disorder treatment. Here is a link to learn more. https://www.recoveredandrestoredtherapy.com/christian-therapy-for-eating-disorders

Feeling all the feels with God: Honest Faith in Recovery

During my disorder, my relationship with God was full of emotions. I am here to assure you this is ok! You’re allowed to be upset with God. Talk to him about it. For me, the more I engaged in my disorder, the further from Him and angrier I felt. My disorder not only isolated me from others but at times from him. If you are in the thick of your eating disorder and you feel far from God, know he is right there with you. He is not mad at you; He does NOT want to punish you or view your disorder as a sin. He just wanted to LOVE you! As we begin to heal from our disorders, we often can start to feel emotions more deeply share whatever you may be feeling with him. Christian eating disorder therapy gave me language and space to bring everything to Him. 

I often return to 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” This verse became a reminder that I didn’t have to carry everything by myself.  Including my heavy and hard emotions. Feeling our emotions is also healing our emotions. God gave us feelings for a reason; they are meant to be felt, and he wants to walk alongside you in that process.

Discovering My True Identity Beyond Body Image

Part of my recovery was untangling where I found my worth. My body or my thinness did not need to define me. I was and am so much more than my appearance. Diet culture, purity culture, and society often flood us with messages about appearance, discipline, and achievement. I absorbed those messages and believed they determined my value. I also believed I was worthy of love only when I looked a certain way. This belief fed my eating disorder for years, and I am proud to say today it is a message I no longer believe, thanks to my recovery and healing through the Lord. His Love is amazing and truly unconditional. Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV) “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

No matter where we are or how we identify, God loves us deeply.

Over time, through A LOT of therapy and my Christian faith, I began to see myself differently. Psalm 139:14 says: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” These words remind me that we are all created with intention and love, and we are all deserving of love, both self-love and the love of others. 

Additionally, I no longer see my body as something to fix, but as a gift—something that allows me to show up for life, for relationships, and for the work God has called me to do. This shift wasn’t overnight, but with prayer and gentle body image therapy practices, I learned to treat myself with more kindness. Here is a blog written by our incredible registered dietician, Rachel, on how God sees food and body. https://www.recoveredandrestoredtherapy.com/post/what-does-god-have-to-say-about-food-and-your-body

Grace Over Perfection: What Scripture Taught Me

While my family, community, and faith were the heart of my recovery, I also needed practical support to help me live out what I was learning. Through professional counseling, I began to practice skills that helped me bridge faith and healing in real, tangible ways. One of the most meaningful tools I learned was body neutrality—the practice of viewing my body with acceptance, even on days when love or even like felt out of reach. Instead of focusing on appearance, I learned to honor my body for what it allows me to do each day and to thank God for creating it with purpose.

Another skill that helped me and as an eating disorder therapist, is learning to “act as if.” On hard days, when I didn’t feel strong or confident, I practiced showing up as if and using the skills I was learning to promote healing and growth even when it felt impossible. As the old saying goes, “fake it until you make it, well I I like to say faith it until you make it! Either way, acting as if built up my distress tolerance and led to meaningful steps in recovery. 

Therapy also taught me the value of radical honesty—to stop pretending I was okay when I wasn’t, and to face my feelings. My faith helped me use grace instead of denial or shame. That honesty opened space for healing, both with myself and with God. By letting in my community and allowing others to walk beside me, I began to see God’s love reflected back through their compassion. Healing became a shared journey—a sacred blend of faith, truth, and connection. To this day, my tribe means the world to me. I am forever thankful God knew what I needed, and we don’t have to do life alone. 

As Ephesians 4:25 reminds us, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

If you’re looking for support, here are a few resources:

• National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org– offering education, tools, and helplines.

• Recovered and Restored Eating Disorder Therapy – a Christian therapy practice providing compassionate, faith-informed care. https://recoveredandrestoredtherapy.com/

  
  

Grace for the Journey

One of the most beautiful truths I’ve learned is that recovery doesn’t require perfection. The statement we all love/loathe, recovery is not linear…well it truly isn’t. In the past, I held myself to impossible standards, and when I stumbled, I felt like I had failed. But God’s grace tells a different story.

Lamentations 3:22–23 says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning.” These verses gave me permission to begin again, again and again, without shame. Breaking up with the cycle of shame is forever one of my favorite parts of the recovery process. As I leaned into His grace and His Love, my years of shame slowly melted away. If you are stuck in a shame spiral or cycle, know you are not alone and you are so VERY loved. 

For me, recovery became less about “getting everything right.” You don’t have to be perfect in life or recovery. Honestly, perfection is an illusion, and we are all beautifully imperfect. The more we can ease into our imperfection, the more we can heal. 

Nourishing Body 

This one might sound obvious, but learning that all foods fit was a game-changer for me. Rejecting food rules and breaking up with diet culture narratives around carbs and sugar was a game-changer. Also embracing the idea that God wants us to enjoy food and that it can be a source of joy, comfort, and nourishment was transformative as I made peace with food and body. Food no longer needed to be ridge or strict, it could be fun! 

Encouragement for You

If you are walking through an eating disorder, please know this: you are not alone. Healing may feel slow, but every gentle step forward is meaningful. Faith-based healing is not about becoming a different person—it’s about rediscovering who you already are: deeply loved, created with care, and held by God.

Faith and recovery do not erase the hard days, but knowing it is possible can bring comfort, strength, and hope. God’s love is steady, and His healing is possible for you, too. You are worthy of life without your disorder. 

Closing Thoughts

When I reflect on my recovery, I see how my faith carried me in ways I couldn’t carry myself. God's love taught me all feelings are welcome, reminded me of my identity, and poured out grace when I needed it most. Healing from my eating disorder has allowed me to live a life I at one time dreamed of and prayed for. You CAN have this too! 

If you are in this process, I encourage you to hold onto hope. Healing is possible, and your faith can be a powerful companion along the way. You are loved by the Most High King! 

For more support, you can explore resources like Recovered and Restored Eating Disorder Therapy, which offers compassionate care for those seeking Christian eating disorder recovery.

Other Mental Health Services Offered in PA, NJ, DE, SC, MD, CT, VT, and FL

We offer a wide variety of services related to eating disorder recovery including trauma therapy!  We offer Weekly Support Groups, Nutrition Services,  and Family and Parent Therapy as well as Coaching, all tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual. We offer our services for Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating, and Orthorexia as well as Maternal Mental Health, and eating disorder therapy for athletes online in New Jersey, Delaware, South Carolina, Maryland, Florida, Vermont, and Connecticut! We are here to offer our support and understanding in a safe and non-judgmental environment.

We have immediate openings right now for eating disorder therapy in:

Delaware, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland South Carolina, Connecticut, Vermont, and Pennsylvania.

And recovery coaching worldwide.

Click here to get started with therapy today!

Recovered and Restored is an eating disorder therapy center founded by Gabrielle Morreale, LPC. We specialize in helping teens and young women heal from eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia, and binge eating disorder and treat disordered eating, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. We provide eating disorder therapy in the towns of Horsham, Upper Gwynedd, Lower Gwynedd, North Wales, Lansdale, Hatfield, Blue Bell, Doylestown, and nearby towns with eating disorder therapy. Also providing virtual eating disorder therapy in New Jersey, Delaware, and Florida. Some towns served virtually but are not limited to Pittsburg, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Center City, Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Mount Laurel, Cape May, Avalon, Brick, Dover, New Castle, Bethany Beach, Marydel, and Oceanview