|
7.
THE RULES OF "NORMAL" EATING
A Commonsense Approach for Dieters,
Overeaters, Undereaters, Emotional Eaters, and Everyone
in Between!
By: Karen R. Koenig, LICSW, M.Ed.
Gurze Books, CA, 2005
235 pp., $29.95 CAN
|
| Reviewed
by Kate Lum
The subtitle says it all. For Karen Koenig, the question
is not how we are abusing food; the question is, why? She
does not dwell on the differences between the choices, and
bodies, of anorectic and compulsive eaters. Instead, she
digs below the surface of these matters, to uncover what
she calls "a basic yes-no disorder." What are
the core beliefs, she asks, which underlie such behavior?
What ideas do we say yes and no to, and why? With diagrams,
exercises, and simple discussions, Koenig takes us through
the workings of our minds.
Psychologically, she explains, we all like the familiar.
Changing habits, even hurtful ones, will always be slow.
It will take "the courage of a lion" to identify
and end self-hurting beliefs, says Koenig, but the rewards
will be "like none other."
Koenig does an excellent job of identifying those habits
of thought which help eating disorders to thrive. She offers
a working system for testing thoughts, to see if they are
actually rational, and then, a system for taking them apart
and replacing them with rational, helpful beliefs. She gives
a simple description of how the brain incorporates change,
and does a squirmingly good job, describing the discomfort
that plagues us all when we're making change happen.
She prescribes patience as we're "sitting with
the anxiety of wanting," and reminds us to notice and
celebrate small improvements. For her, eating disorders are
a symptom of punitive thought systems that shape our whole
lives: "...the odds are excellent," she
says, "that your life will change exponentially for
the better when you stop depending on food to help you through
emotional turbulence."
Some may find Koenig's emphasis on slowness a little
discouraging; unlike some authors, she does not suggest that
healing from disordered eating can happen quickly. She does,
however, offer a solid tool kit for the examination and reframing
of ideas about food and life. This book does not explore
every aspect of disordered eating; it does not say a great
deal about media influences, for example, or about race,
age or gender. It does not take much account of the physiological
impact of unhealthy weight, which can profoundly affect a
person's thought processes. It is, however, a straightforward
and effective book, and will, for many, help bring an end
to what Koenig calls an "unhealthy love affair" with
food.
|
