Patients Testimonials
Going back in to treatment after a relapse of my eating disorder was a pretty easy decision. I knew I couldn't continue to treat my body the way I was treating it. I never imagined how difficult the road to recovery would be this time around. I could barely force myself to eat the first 3 weeks of my stay. The Montecatini staff made the days and mealtimes bearable, supporting and encouraging me along the way. They were so patient with me! I formed a bond with them and with the other patients that made me strong enough to overcome all the negative messages I was hearing in my head. I never could have made it out of this relapse without Montecatini. The team approach that they use makes sure your WHOLE self gets treatment- mind, body, and spirit. I have now been out of treatment for several months, and my recovery is going really well. I'm so thankful to be out of the dark place that my eating disorder was!
C.D., 2008
I Was Granted the Gift of Life
I admitted myself into Montecatini as my last resort at trying to live a sane life. Between throwing up almost everyday, exercising compulsively for 2-3 hours daily, and living in a skewed and distorted mentality, I was left completely and utterly exhausted. I had no drive for life, no drive to live. If I hadn't gone [to Montecatini], I would not be alive today. Montecatini saved my life and GAVE me tools to living a new life.
It may have seemed like my life was 'perfect' on the outside, with my perfect grades, perfect body, perfect job, perfect clothes, perfect everything, but on the inside, I was miserable. At first, my parents really weren't supportive; they didn't think I was BAD enough. They thought this was just me trying to go and live somewhere else because I was bored with where I was at.
After speaking with the Intake Coordinator at Montecatini – I was hooked. She made me feel like there was hope for me and enforced the fact that I am so much more than my disease. When I arrived, I didn't know what to expect. As I got to know the staff, I realized that they truly do care about me as a human being and do want me to get better.
In all of my years of my eating disorder, through all of the therapists and doctors and dieticians, this was the ONLY place that helped me. It gave me the tools that I need to live life without an eating disorder.
S.S., Cincinnati, OH
I want to thank everyone for everything you have done for me. You have changed my life and saved me from myself. I felt so loved and safe here. I wouldn’t change anything about my experience and I am so sad to leave. This program is amazing and I will always be grateful. Thank You! J.S., 2008
You can say "Montecatini literally saved my life”. When I went to Montecatini, I had lost my job, my marriage was falling apart and I couldn't get out of bed except to buy binge food. Montecatini is a place of healing, serenity, strength and hope. The staff is so supportive, understanding and helpful. The weekly meetings with a psychiatrist, psychologist, family therapist and nutritionist make up the perfect team for recovery. Evenings spent at twelve-step meetings are the perfect release after long days of hard work, with the occasional evening outings for girls' night out for manicures or movie nights. One of my favorite tools there was the weekly dessert challenge where I learned to make peace with sugar. I left Montecatini with psychological recovery, a sense of self-worth, self-confidence, and significant spiritual recovery and growth. It is now a year later and I am still in recovery, still working the twelve steps, still continuing to release the weight and still deeply grateful to Montecatini."
Former Patient, 2007
I could not have come this far (despite my relapses) without Montecatini. I don't want to be sick anymore! I'm tired of running circles and I am tired of being my eating disorder’s puppet.
I am not the same person I was last year or in the last seven years...
However bad it gets, the world is not the dark place it used to be, and I remember this year for all its good and all of its bad and instead of running -- I am learning to embrace.
I asked myself one day what gives someone courage? and I thought.... Courage is being able to face something head on even when you are so scared of it and being able to admit the fear.
If it had not been for my stay, my world would have remained dark and I might have even ended up dead. Even though I recognize that I still have a long road a head of me in recovery I am not at the beginning and I have the knowledge to keep going.
I have my many thanks to you and Montecatini.
I can honestly say I like the person I am becoming too.
T.H, Alpine, CA
Going to Montecatini both saved and changed my life. Before going into treatment, I wasted countless hours a day bingeing and purging and didn't have the energy to go up one flight of stairs. Although I never imagined I could recover, the staff believed in me and fought for my life.
They helped me recognize and challenge my irrational beliefs and stood by me as I faced my biggest fears. I learned how to deal with my feelings, effectively communicate with others and even to believe in myself. All of the staff at Montecatini were more caring, compassionate and competent than I ever could have asked for. Thanks to them, I now have confidence in myself, balance in life and I live each day without being in my eating disorder.
-- N.J. 2009
