For Teens October 16, 2017 Issue

The tie that binds

Jenny Sawyer

When you’ve been through something difficult, it can help to have a friend who gets where you’re coming from. That’s why one of my friends, who has struggled with an eating disorder, likes talking with fellow teens in the eating disorder community.

“I relate to them better than I do my other friends,” she told me. “Because they actually understand my pain, and I understand theirs.”

Helping and being helped. It’s a natural foundation for a friendship. But is pain really the tie that binds us together? And do we need to have experienced pain or trauma in order to effectively understand, support, and help others?

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