A pack of wolves helped this woman recover from PTSD

Sarah Varley developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anorexia after being raped at the age of 19.

At her lowest weight, she weight just 6st 7lbs.

Varley, who is now 28, says her recovery is thanks to spending eight hours a day with a pack of wolves and mixed-species dog wolves.

Varley visited a wolf sanctuary her cousins ran, and gradually become so attached to them that she opened her own sanctuary.

The Metro reports Varley said:

I do not know if I would be here today without the wolves.

The way things were going, I was trying anything I could to numb the pain and you can only do that for so long before something happens.

I was scared of everything, but one day I went into the enclosure with a wolf and it was the first time my brain shut up. When you’re with a predator that can hurt you, your brain automatically focuses on that.

Instead of the million imaginary threats I had been on guard against, I was focused on this one threat and I was present in the moment.

When I first began spending a lot of time with them I definitely felt hyperaware and there were moments when it was scary.

She says wolves will let you know if something angers them, and that being that scared allowed her to feel like she had a legitimate fear, rather than be afraid of everything.

More: One simple technique for dealing with anxiety