Please note that this is an Archived article and may contain content that is out of date. The use of she/her/hers pronouns in some articles is not intended to be exclusionary. Eating disorders can affect people of all genders, ages, races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes, and weights.

I received a sweet email from one of my former clients reminding me of good therapy moments shared when she was here at CFC. It made me smile and remember many of you beautiful women that have crossed into treatment with courage and a desire for healing. I thought I might venture into this blog world to share some ideas that I hope will be a boost (no pun intended) to you or at least make you smile. One of the therapy moments that she was referring to was my analogy of the “solid bunny”.

When I was much younger I loved getting a chocolate bunny for Easter. I would prance down the hallway of my house giggling with my sister Christi as we joyfully burst into the living room to see our Easter baskets filled with fun treats. Candies of many varieties were delightful but nothing could compare to my small chocolate bunny carefully boxed and sitting so cute in my basket. I would carefully break off a bit here and there to savor that solid milk chocolate bunny lasting for days’ maybe weeks!! One year as I dashed to my basket I almost passed out as I beheld the most beautiful bunny I had ever seen. This bunny was 3x bigger than any I had every received and it had bright pink candy eyes and a cute bow and little yellow candy buttons down the front. I was so amazed and excited. I actually didn’t even want to open the box until much later that day when I finally with great care opened the box quivering with anticipation. I picked up the bunny and something was different as I pulled it out of the box my thumb broke through the side of my beautiful bunny. IT WAS HOLLOW INSIDE!!! I was shocked and upon tasting the chocolate was dismayed. Not only was it hollow it didn’t taste good!!!Beautiful on the outside but hollow on the inside.

We have to work on the inside and understand who we really are and then the beautiful outside will take care of itself. If we spend all of our time worrying about how we look to others we are always nervous about someone finding out we are hollow bunnies and just hopping around hoping that we will be good enough for someone else. Maybe my solid bunnies weren’t as spectacular as the beautiful bunny but I loved them much better. See the magnificent solid bunny that you are and then you will be truly beautiful inside and out.

Written by: Julie Clark, PhD
Clinical Director