Stage 2: Withdrawing and Mirroring. During your time in this rehabilitation program, you will interact with fellow patients during meals, therapy, and structured social time. Be aware that these relationships may prove complex. Some girls withdraw by initiating arguments or avoiding their peers. Others find comfort in their fellow victims and cling to one another, a process known as “mirroring.” Either strategy is part of a normal recovery, and many girls cycle through both at different times.
Expect to revisit this stage in various ways in the days, weeks, or even years to come. Your evolving relationships highlight a fundamental truth about recovery: it is a process with a beginning but no end.