Eat Without Fear: Harnessing Science to Confront and Overcome Your Eating Disorder

by Nicholas R. Farrell, Carolyn Black Becker, Glenn Waller

Overview

Eating disorders are serious conditions that can be hard to treat; however, the chances of overcoming an eating disorder increase when exposure therapy is used as part of the overall treatment strategy. Exposure therapy involves confronting (rather than avoiding) challenging scenarios that evoke distress, and though this technique has typically been used mainly by psychotherapists, people struggling with eating disorders can use it on their own to reduce troubling eating behaviors. Eat Without Fear provides practical, reader-friendly information about this innovative, scientifically-supported approach, as well as guidance on how to apply it effectively to beat an eating disorder using a "team approach" that involves family members, friends, and other loved ones. Readers will benefit from the use of easy-to-understand language describing the key concepts of eating disorders and how exposure therapy can help treat them. Additionally, the book guides readers through therapeutic activities that enable them to effectively practice exposure therapy techniques on their own. Given the value of involving family members and other supportive people in the eating disorder recovery process, this book encourages collaboration between readers and their loved ones and offers practical suggestions for how they can work together to achieve their desired goals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197642962
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/01/2024
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	7.03(w) x 9.99(h) x 0.53(d)

About the Author

Nicholas R. Farrell, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist and a Clinical Director at NOCD: OCD Treatment and Therapy where he provides clinical leadership and oversight of therapy services. Prior, he was a Clinical Director of eating disorders services at Rogers Behavioral Health. He has published numerous scholarly works on maximizing the effectiveness of treatment for eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and related conditions.

Carolyn Black Becker, PhD, ABPP is a Professor of Psychology at Trinity University, San Antonio, TX and a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, PTSD, and anxiety-based disorders. She is board certified in CBT and is a Past President of the Academy for Eating Disorders and the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology.

Glenn Waller. DPhil is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Sheffield. He is a qualified Clinical Psychologist, who has worked in the field of eating disorders since 1988. His clinical specialty is CBT for eating disorders, which is also the subject of most of his research and teaching. He has served as President of the Academy for Eating Disorders and is currently President of the Eating Disorders Research Society. He is a member of editorial boards for several CBT and eating disorder journals.

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1 - Overview of eating disorders
Chapter 2 - Overview of exposure therapy
Chapter 3 - Why would exposure therapy be helpful for me?
Chapter 4 - How does exposure work?
Chapter 5 - How much benefit can I expect from exposure therapy?
Chapter 6 - How are eating disorders maintained?
Chapter 7 - Using "functional assessment" to understand your eating disorder symptoms
Chapter 8 - Developing your treatment plan
Chapter 9 - Getting started with exposure therapy
Chapter 10 - Overcoming your fears about doing exposure therapy
Chapter 11 - Food exposure for eating-related fears
Chapter 12 - Exposure to anxiety about weighing
Chapter 13 - Emotion-focused and interpersonal-focused exposure
Chapter 14 - Learning to not react to familiar triggers for binge-eating (cue exposure)
Chapter 15 - Body-focused exposure for body image anxiety and avoidance
Chapter 16 - Other areas for exposure
Chapter 17 - Using field trips to practice exposure and "mix it up"
Chapter 18 - Involving carers and other support people
Chapter 19 - A summary of key things to remember about exposure therapy
References

Editorial Reviews

"As an eating disorders parent advocate, what I loved most about this well-written book is the inclusion of a chapter about involving family members and other caregivers as supports in exposure therapy. All too often, caregivers are underutilized in treatment and not recognized for their potential to contribute toward recovery. This book offers parents and caregivers clear guidance on how to best help their loved one eat without fear. I would definitely recommend it to parents of people affected by an eating disorder; it is easy to read, full of valuable information, and extremely enlightening. — Judy Krasna, Parent Advocate, Former co-chair of the AED's Experts by Experience Committee

"This book is a treasure. A compendium of cutting-edge evidence-based techniques, written by field-leading experts, made accessible and easy to understand in everyday language. This book is one that you're likely to read and re-read, and have separate "ah-ha" moments each time you read it. Simply put, this is a must for anyone helping someone work through an eating disorder." — Stuart B. Murray, DClinPsych., Ph.D., Della Martin Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Director, Eating Disorders Program, Director, Translational Research in Eating Disorders Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences,
USC Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

"It's easy for someone to tell you to face your fears. But showing you exactly how to do it? That's life-changing! Eat Without Fear is one-of-a-kind guide to using exposure therapy to finally break free from the anxiety that holds you back from full recovery. I plan to recommend it to all of my patients and families." — Jennifer J. Thomas, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Co-Director, Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital

From the Publisher