The human mind- a fictitious tale

There's a woman I know who rarely leaves her bed. She has been this way for eight years. She is not bed bound. She can walk. She chooses not to. Over time, her body has atrophied and it hurts to walk, so she doesn't. She lies in bed, becomes more atrophied and when she does get up , it hurts even more. And the cycle continues. She also chooses not to eat. It almost seems that in all that not getting up that she was doing, her circle of influence got really, really small and now in order to have a sense of control, she can't eat. She knows it's strange. She tells me so. She's young- in her fifties. She used to be a successful business woman.  She's so used to this lifestyle that as the windows for change are opening up with the possibilities of successfully eating and strength building, that she is unconsciously manifesting new physical ailments to excuse away her not getting up and not eating. She sees it happening. She tells me so. But she can't see it stopping. She doesn't know how.
The power of the human mind...