The Anorexia Workbook: How to Accept Yourself, Heal Your Suffering, and Reclaim Your Life

Description

Leading researchers in acceptance and commitment therapy suggest to readers struggling with anorexia that strategies to control their disorder are themselves problems. Instead, they use the techniques of acceptance and commitment therapy, or ACT, to teach how better to cope with out-of-control emotions and thoughts. The aim of this book is to teach anorexia sufferers how to redirect the drive for thinness to achieve more healthful goals.

Michelle Heffner, MA, was trained in the West Virginia University Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry eating disorders program. She has assessed and treated eating disorder clients in the West Virginia University Department of Psychology clinic and the West Virginia University Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services. Georg H. Eifert, Ph.D., is professor and chair of the department of psychology at Chapman University in Orange, CA. He was ranked among the top thirty researchers in behavior analysis and therapy in the 1990s, and he has authored over 100 publications on psychological causes and treatments of anxiety and other emotional disorders. He is a clinical fellow of the Behavior Therapy and Research Society, a member of numerous national and international psychological associations, and he serves on several editorial boards of leading clinical psychology journals. He is also a licensed clinical psychologist. He is coauthor of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders and ACT on Life, Not on Anger.

"Drawing on Hayes's principles of acceptance and action, Michelle Heffner and Georg Eifert have produced a remarkably useful book, full of easily understood but not simplistic principles for self-change. Individuals experiencing anorexia, as well as their therapists, families, and friends can find useful wisdom in this book, reassured that it draws on new but sound principles in clinical psychology." --Ian M. Evans, PhD, fellow of the American Psychological Association and Royal Society of New Zealand, and author of Non-Aversive Intervention for Behavior Problems "Michelle Heffner and Georg Eifert have done a wonderful job in applying ACT to anorexia. I believe that the practical exercises and advice in this book can certainly help people who want their lives no longer be ruled by anorexia. In particular, this book offers an avenue of hope and encouragement that is not only ultimately humane but completely different from other scientifically-driven approaches to the problem of anorexia. I have no doubt that it will transform the lives of many people." --Frank W. Bond, Ph.D., senior lecturer of psychology at Goldsmiths College, University of London "This is an engaging and highly readable book for those hoping for a different perspective on a problem that is difficult to treat. The Anorexia Workbook is a life-affirming and soothing guide that teaches the art of accepting and letting go as a way to a healthy lifestyle. Rather than focusing on what is wrong, it helps the reader find the path to what is right through wonderful metaphorical images, written exercises, and active participation.I enjoyed reading this book from start to finish and learned as much about treating anorexia using ACT as about ACT itself. I actually used some of what I learned in a session with a student immediately after reading the book. This is great stuff and a gem for patients and clinicians alike!" --Jeanne M. Walker, PhD, director of Psychological Counseling Services at Chapman University in Orange, CA "This workbook will be a great resource for people whose lives are affected by anorexia. It is easy to read, well structured, and compassionate. It takes people on a journey, helping them to travel beyond anorexia towards a more valued life path. Importantly, the workbook techniques have been supported by substantial scientific research. This book is an excellent investment and will be of benefit for years to come." --Joseph Ciarrochi, PhD, senior lecturer of psychology at the University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, and associate editor of Cognition and Emotion "ACT is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received during my education and training as a doctor and general psychiatrist in private practice. ACT has the credentials of a sound scientific foundation and, as a functional approach, it allows practitioners to design highly flexible interventions with different patient populations even under the severe time constraints of a busy practice. Instead of focusing on symptoms and pathology, this treatment brings real life, values, and humanity into the doctor's office.With this marvelous book, Ms. Heffner and Dr. Eifert present ACT to the lay public for the first time. They do so in an excellent and very convincing way with a disorder that is notoriously difficult to deal with for patients and professionals alike. Highly recommended." --Rainer F. Sonntag, MD, psychiatrist and psychotherapist in private practice in Olpe, Germany "This beautifully written book challenges the change agenda so often emphasized in the treatment of eating disorders. Instead, it focuses on acceptance, choice, and making commitments to living consistent with one's values and goals. The person-focused perspective, coupled with numerous examples and exercises, provide a wonderful guide for those wishing to consider an alternative to the trap of struggle and control over body image, food, and weight. The reader will find a fresh and empowering perspective on what it means to live a full, rich, and valued life and how to go about doing just that." --John P. Forsyth, PhD, director of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program at SUNY, Albany