Books


Resources are provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed or relied upon as medical, therapeutic or dietic advice.

Recovery Self-help/Education

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8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder - Carolyn Costin & Gwen Schubert Grabb

A unique and personal look into treatment of eating disorders, written by a therapist and her former patient, now a therapist herself.

This is no ordinary book on how to overcome an eating disorder. The authors bravely share their unique stories of suffering from and eventually overcoming their own severe eating disorders. Interweaving personal narrative with the perspective of their own therapist-client relationship, their insights bring an unparalleled depth of awareness into just what it takes to successfully beat this challenging and seemingly intractable clinical issue.

For anyone who has suffered, their family and friends, and other helping professionals, this book should be by your side. With great compassion and clinical expertise, Costin and Grabb walk readers through the ins and outs of the recovery process, describing what therapy entails, clarifying the common associated emotions such as fear, guilt, and shame, and, most of all, providing motivation to seek help if you have been discouraged, resistant, or afraid. The authors bring self-disclosure to a level not yet seen in an eating disorder book and offer hope to readers that full recovery is possible.
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8 Keys to Recovery From an Eating Disorder: Workbook - Carolyn Costin & Gwen Schubert Grabb

Readers are walked through strategies by a therapist and her former patient.

8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder was lauded as a "brave and hopeful book" as well as "remarkably readable." Now, the authors have returned with a companion workbook―offering all new assignments, strategies, and personal reflections to help those who suffer from an eating disorder heal their relationship to food and their bodies.

Filled with tried and true practical exercises, goal sheets, food journal forms, clinical anecdotes and stories, readers are guided in exploring their thoughts, feelings, and coping strategies while being encouraged to choose how they want to approach the material.

This book is an important resource to anyone living with destructive or self-defeating eating behaviors.
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Overcoming Body Image Problems including Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Many people occasionally suffer from a negative body self-image but, for an increasing number of people, this can turn into a more serious preoccupation.

One per cent of the population will develop Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), a condition characterised by severe preoccupation with a perceived physical defect.

Body image problems can cause significant distress and can lead to further problems such as anxiety, eating disorders and social phobia.

It has long been recognised that negative body image problems are a factor in the onset and maintenance of many eating disorders. However, they can be successfully treated with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

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Sick Enough

A guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders

Patients with eating disorders frequently feel that they aren’t "sick enough" to merit treatment, despite medical problems that are both measurable and unmeasurable. They may struggle to accept rest, nutrition, and a team to help them move towards recovery.

Sick Enough offers patients, their families, and clinicians a comprehensive, accessible review of the medical issues that arise from eating disorders by bringing relatable case presentations and a scientifically sound, engaging style to the topic.

Using metaphor and patient-centered language, Dr. Gaudiani aims to improve medical diagnosis and treatment, motivate recovery, and validate the lived experiences of individuals of all body shapes and sizes, while firmly rejecting dieting culture.

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A Mother's Perspective

Insights and experience gained in supporting my daughter in her recovery.

When my daughter was diagnosed with an eating disorder I desperately needed information to help make sense of what was happening and to help me understand what I should be doing. I would have given so much to know what I now know. If I’d had the knowledge back then, her road towards recovery would have started a lot sooner.

My search for good information highlighted how there are few resources available to parents who are looking for direction and insight. In essence, there is a huge knowledge gap to be filled when it comes to helping parents understand how we can best take on our support role.

What I’ve written here is what I wished someone had given me at the outset. I would have felt more empowered having this information as I would have been able to make better decisions sooner and avoid many mistakes. In essence, the faster the recovery journey can occur after diagnosis, the increased likelihood of a faster recovery.

Timing is everything.
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Emily's Guide to Eating Disorders - Sherri Hicks, LMSW & Stacey Lyddon, Artist

This is an amazing healing workbook to help children who have a loved one working towards Eating Disorder Recovery! When a loved one has an Eating Disorder it effects the entire family and often young children have thoughts and emotions that need to be expressed. Emily’s Guide encourages self-expression for children who witness confusing Eating Disorder behaviors.
Being honest and answering a child’s questions about Eating Disorders is extremely important to helping them to be resilient against their own Eating Disorder.
The artwork is simple yet impactful when talking about something as abstract as “ED” (Eating Disorders) for children and lets them express themselves through art and writing. This book is positive and uplifting helping to build self-esteem and understanding that recovery is difficult but possible.
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Tu Tu Thin

In her book, TuTu Thin, Dawn tackles the topic of eating disorders in the dance world in a way that has not been handled to date. She helps dance teachers, parents and dancers understand how an eating disorder can take over and how to prevent the kind of thinking and behavior that will lead to a serious problem. -From the Foreword written by Carolyn Costin, MA, MEd, MFT, CEDS Chief Clinical Officer, Monte Nido & Affiliates. Author of Your Dieting Daughter The Eating Disorder Sourcebook 8 Keys to Recovery From an Eating Disorder.
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Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works - Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch

First published in 1995, Intuitive Eating has become the go-to book on rebuilding a healthy body image and making peace with food. We've all been there―angry with ourselves for overeating, for our lack of willpower, for failing at yet another diet. But the problem is not us; it's that dieting, with its emphasis on rules and regulations, has stopped us from listening to our bodies.

This revised edition includes updates and expansions throughout, as well as two brand new chapters that will help readers integrate intuitive eating even more fully into their daily lives.
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Intuitive Eating: Workbook - Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch

10 Principles for Nourishing a Healthy Relationship with Food

Do you use food to comfort yourself during stressful times? The Intuitive Eating Workbook offers a comprehensive, evidence-based program to help you develop a healthy relationship with food, pay attention to cues of hunger and satisfaction, and cultivate a profound connection with your mind and body.

The Intuitive Eating Workbook offers a new way of looking at food and mealtime by showing you how to recognize your body’s natural hunger signals. Structured around the ten principles of intuitive eating, the mindful approach in this workbook encourages you to abandon unhealthy weight control behaviors, develop positive body image, and—most importantly—stop feeling distressed around food!

You were born with all the wisdom you need for eating intuitively. This book will help you reconnect with that wisdom and ultimately change your life—one meal at a time.
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Life Without Ed - Jenni Schaefer

Jenni had been in an abusive relationship with Ed for far too long. He controlled Jenni’s life, distorted her self-image, and tried to physically harm her throughout their long affair. Then, in therapy, Jenni learned to treat her eating disorder as a relationship, not a condition. By thinking of her eating disorder as a unique personality separate from her own, Jenni was able to break up with Ed once and for all.

Inspiring, compassionate, and filled with practical exercises to help you break up with your own personal E.D., Life Without Ed provides hope to the millions of people plagued by eating disorders. Beginning with Jenni’s “divorce” from Ed, this supportive, lifesaving book combines a patient’s insights and experiences with a therapist’s prescriptions for success to help you live a healthier, happier life without Ed.
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Mom in the mirror - Dena Cabrera and Emily T. Wierenga

Mom in the Mirror: Body Image, Beauty, and Life after Pregnancy is for every woman who has ever doubted herself or her self-worth after the birth of a child. Because most women spend much of their lives attempting to change their bodies, it’s not surprising that the weight gain that comes along with pregnancy (and post-pregnancy), coupled with the challenges of parenting, only exacerbate issues with weight, body image, disordered eating, and self-esteem.

Drawing on the wisdom of eating disorders expert Dr. Dena Cabrera, as well as the personal experiences of former anorexic Emily Wierenga, Mom in the Mirror is a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual response to a female generation seeking its true identity in an appearance-based world. With chapters that deal with bruises from the past, misconceptions about pregnancy, life before and after children, marriage and motherhood, spiritual and physical nourishment, relationships with friends and family, and the changing role of a mother as her children age, it is a holistic approach to the age-old questions: Who am I, and why am I here? Comprising personal stories, expert advice, reflection questions, and helpful tools, this book is an inspiring read intended for women everywhere who want to restore a positive body image and to overcome the insecurities that arise when pregnancy is over and child-rearing begins.
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The Breakthrough Experience - Dr. John F. Demartini

This book is about breaking through the barriers that keep us from experiencing our true nature as light.
It presents inspiring science and philosophy in a way that is completely accessible to anyone, to reveal and explore the universal laws and principles that underlie our very existence. Those principles are set forth in extraordinary but true stories of ordinary people having astonishing and moving life experiences, and they make the most profound concepts easily understood. Most important, it is an extremely real and practical manual for understanding why we live the way we do, and how to transform our lives into our highest vision.
This book will deeply touch and inspire you with respect to your own greatness and potential—and the magnificence of every single human soul. This is not just a book, it is what the title implies—an Experience—and it is impossible to go through it without being moved, challenged, and changed.
Welcome to . . . The Breakthrough Experience.
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The Truth About Exercise Addiction: Understanding the dark side of thinspiration - Katherine Schreiber and Heather A. Hausenblas

Designed for individuals concerned about their workout habits, personal trainers, family and friends of folks with a problem, as well as working mental health professionals treating exercise addicts, The Truth About Exercise Addiction provides an easy-to-read, illuminating glimpse into the rising trend of over-exercise.
Delving into the history of exercise addiction and the growing influence of “thinspiration,” Katherine Schreiber and Heather A. Hausenblas illustrate the symptoms and dangers of obsessive exercise with true stories from sufferers, all while exploring why and how such a seemingly healthy behavior morphs into a dangerous means of self-destruction. Analyzing the causes and consequences of excessive physical activity alongside the influence of genetics, culture, and personality, this book allows readers to gain a greater understanding of what exercise addiction looks and feels like.
The Truth About Exercise Addiction also provides an unprecedented list of resources to address exercise addiction, a snapshot of treatments currently available for sufferers, and to top it off: guidelines on how to confront and care for someone who may have a problem.
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Mindfulness/Spirituality

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The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment – Eckhart Tolle

Much more than simple principles and platitudes, the book takes readers on an inspiring spiritual journey to find their true and deepest self and reach the ultimate in personal growth and spirituality: the discovery of truth and light.

In the first chapter, Tolle introduces readers to enlightenment and its natural enemy, the mind. He awakens readers to their role as a creator of pain and shows them how to have a pain-free identity by living fully in the present. The journey is thrilling, and along the way, the author shows how to connect to the indestructible essence of our Being, "the eternal, ever-present One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death."

Featuring a new preface by the author, this paperback shows that only after regaining awareness of Being, liberated from Mind and intensely in the Now, is there Enlightenment.
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Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha - Tara Brach Ph.D

Radical Acceptance

“Believing that something is wrong with us is a deep and tenacious suffering,” says Tara Brach at the start of this illuminating book. This suffering emerges in crippling self-judgments and conflicts in our relationships, in addictions and perfectionism, in loneliness and overwork--all the forces that keep our lives constricted and unfulfilled. Radical Acceptance offers a path to freedom, including the day-to-day practical guidance developed over Dr. Brach’s twenty years of work with therapy clients and Buddhist students.

Writing with great warmth and clarity, Tara Brach brings her teachings alive through personal stories and case histories, fresh interpretations of Buddhist tales, and guided meditations. Step by step, she leads us to trust our innate goodness, showing how we can develop the balance of clear-sightedness and compassion that is the essence of Radical Acceptance. Radical Acceptance does not mean self-indulgence or passivity. Instead it empowers genuine change: healing fear and shame and helping to build loving, authentic relationships. When we stop being at war with ourselves, we are free to live fully every precious moment of our lives.
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The mindful path to self-compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions - Christopher K. Germer Ph.D

“Buck up.” “Stop feeling sorry for yourself.” “Don’t ruin everything.” When you are anxious, sad, angry, or lonely, do you hear this self-critical voice? What would happen if, instead of fighting difficult emotions, we accepted them? Over his decades of experience as a therapist and mindfulness meditation practitioner, Dr. Christopher Germer has learned a paradoxical lesson: We all want to avoid pain, but letting it in--and responding compassionately to our own imperfections, without judgment or self-blame--are essential steps on the path to healing. This wise and eloquent book illuminates the power of self-compassion and offers creative, scientifically grounded strategies for putting it into action. You’ll master practical techniques for living more fully in the present moment -- especially when hard-to-bear emotions arise -- and for being kind to yourself when you need it the most. Free audio downloads of the meditation exercises are available at the author's website: www.mindfulselfcompassion.org
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The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz

In The Four Agreements, bestselling author don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.
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The Path of Practice- Bri. Maya Tiwari

"We are wellness. We are consciousness. That is our natural state. Disease is an imposter."

Diagnosed with ovarian cancer at twenty-three, Bri. Maya was given two months to live. Her doctors' advice: die painlessly with heavy dosages of morphine. Instead, in the middle of winter, she left her career as a popular fashion designer in New York City and began several months of intensive meditation and holistic nutrition alone in a remote Vermont cabin. By Spring, her health and vitality had been restored. Inspired by dramatic visions and dreams of her family and ancestors, Bri. Maya became a student of one of India's few living masters of the traditional Vedas. Today, healthy in body and spirit, she devotes herself to teaching the wisdom practices of the Vedas to help others heal emotional and spiritual discomfort, dis-ease, and physical illness.

Filled with illuminating insights, easy-to-follow recipes, and meditations and exercises that can be adapted to different lifestyles and traditions, The Path of Practice is one of the only holistic programs designed for women by a woman. Imbued with the spiritual strength and centeredness of its remarkable author, here is a practical and profound book you will turn to time and time again for instruction, wisdom, and peace of mind.
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A new perspective on weight

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Health at Every Size - Linda Bacon Ph.D

Fat isn’t the problem. Dieting is the problem. A society that rejects anyone whose body shape or size doesn’t match an impossible ideal is the problem. A medical establishment that equates “thin” with “healthy” is the problem.
The solution?

Health at Every Size.

Tune in to your body’s expert guidance. Find the joy in movement. Eat what you want, when you want, choosing pleasurable foods that help you to feel good. You too can feel great in your body right now—and Health at Every Size will show you how.

Health at Every Size has been scientifically proven to boost health and self-esteem. The program was evaluated in a government-funded academic study, its data published in well-respected scientific journals.

Updated with the latest scientific research and even more powerful messages, Health at Every Size is not a diet book, and after reading it, you will be convinced the best way to win the war against fat is to give up the fight.
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The Obesity Paradox - Carl J. Lavie MD with Kristin Loberg

Most of us think that longevity hinges on maintaining a normal Body Mass Index. But research conducted over the last decade hit the media in January with explosive news: Overweight and even moderately obese people with certain chronic diseases—from heart disease to cancer— often live longer and fare better than normalweight individuals with the same ailments.

In this groundbreaking book, Carl Lavie, MD, reveals the science behind the obesity paradox and shows us how to achieve maximum health rather than minimum weight. Lavie not only explains how extra fat provides additional fuel to help fight illness, he also argues that we’ve gotten so used to framing health issues in terms of obesity that we overlook other potential causes of disease. Picking up where the bestseller Fat Chance left off, The Obesity Paradox will change the conversation about fat—and what it means to be healthy.
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The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health - Paul Campos

After years spent scrutinizing medical studies and interviewing leading doctors, scientists, eating- disorder specialists, and psychiatrists, Professor Paul Campos is here to lead the backlash against weight hysteria—and to show that we can safeguard our health without obsessing about the numbers on the scale. But The Obesity Myth is not just a compelling argument, grounded in the latest scientific research; it’s also a provocative, wry exposé of the culture that feeds on our self-defeating war on fat.

In this paradigm-busting read, Professor Campos challenges the conventional wisdom regarding the medical, political, and cultural meaning of weight and brings a rational and compelling new voice to America’s increasingly irrational weight debate.
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Body Acceptance

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The Good Body - Eve Ensler

Botox, bulimia, breast implants: Eve Ensler, author of the international sensation The Vagina Monologues, is back, this time to rock our view of what it means to have a “good body.” “In the 1950s,” Eve writes, girls were “pretty, perky. They had a blond Clairol wave in their hair. They wore girdles and waist-pinchers. . . . In recent years good girls join the army. They climb the corporate ladder. They go to the gym. . . . They wear painful pointy shoes. They don’t eat too much. They . . . don’t eat at all. They stay perfect. They stay thin. I could never be good.”

The Good Body starts with Eve’s tortured relationship with her own “post-forties” stomach and her skirmishes with everything from Ab Rollers to fad diets and fascistic trainers in an attempt get the “flabby badness” out. As Eve hungrily seeks self-acceptance, she is joined by the voices of women from L.A. to Kabul, whose obsessions are also laid bare: A young Latina candidly critiques her humiliating “spread,” a stubborn layer of fat that she calls “a second pair of thighs.” The wife of a plastic surgeon recounts being systematically reconstructed–inch by inch–by her “perfectionist” husband. An aging magazine executive, still haunted by her mother’s long-ago criticism, describes her desperate pursuit of youth as she relentlessly does sit-ups. Along the way, Eve also introduces us to women who have found a hard-won peace with their bodies: an African mother who celebrates each individual body as signs of nature’s diversity; an Indian woman who transcends “treadmill mania” and delights in her plump cheeks and curves; and a veiled Afghani woman who is willing to risk imprisonment for a taste of ice cream. These are just a few of the inspiring stories woven through Eve’s global journey from obsession to enlightenment. Ultimately, these monologues become a personal wake-up call from Eve to love the “good bodies” we inhabit.
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New

Living with your body & other things you hate - Emily Sandoz phD & Troy DuFrene

Dr. Emily K. Sandoz, along with Troy Dufrene, walks readers through how difficult thoughts and feelings may have come to be present in our lives - and gently guides us to notice the areas of our lives that have been negatively influenced by struggles with body image. She uses exercises, in both written and audio-recorded formats, to help readers become mindful of the present moment and of their values. In Living with Your Body..., readers will learn to focus on moving toward valued activities, rather than struggle with attempts to make bad thoughts or feelings about their bodies go away.
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Fat!So?

Fat!So? ...Because you don't have to apologize for your size - Marilyn Wann

Fat? Chunky? Less than svelte? So what! In this hilarious and eye-opening book, fat and proud activist/zinester Marilyn Wann takes on Americas' biggest fear—worse than the fear of public speaking or nuclear weapons—our fear of fat.
Statistics tell us that about a third of Americans are fat, and common sense adds that just about everyone, fat or thin, male or female, has worried about their appearance.
FAT!SO? weighs in with a more attractive alternative: feeling good about yourself at any weight—and having the style and attitude to back it up. Internationally recognized as a fat-positive spokesperson, Wann has learned that you can be absolutely happy, healthy, and successful...and fat.
With its hilarious and insightful blend of essays, quizzes, facts, and reporting, FAT!SO? proves that you can be out-and-out fabulous at any size.
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Miscellaneous

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Eating in the Light of the Moon - Anita Johnston Ph. D

By weaving practical insights and exercises through a rich tapestry of multicultural myths, ancient legends, and folktales, Anita Johnston helps the millions of women preoccupied with their weight discover and address the issues behind their negative attitudes toward food.
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The Five Love Languages - Gary Chapman

In the #1 New York Times bestseller The 5 Love Languages®, you’ll discover the secret that has transformed millions of relationships worldwide. Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today.
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Milk and Honey - Rupi Kaur

#1 New York Times bestseller Milk and Honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. About the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity.

The book is divided into four chapters, and each chapter serves a different purpose. Deals with a different pain. Heals a different heartache. Milk and Honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.
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