Title: Life Without ED: How One Woman Declared Independence From Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too.
Author: Jenni Schaefer
Genre: Health/ Psychology
Rating: 4 Stars
Synopsis: I had purchased the 10th Anniversary Edition, which meant that Schaefer had included elements of her full recovery following the release of her successive book in 2009, Goodbye ED, Hello Me.
Schaefer wrote Life Without ED in 2004 as an almost fully recovered anorexic and bulimic. However, at the point of writing the book, she had still not succeeded in eradicating her eating disorder completely. The 10th anniversary edition will be the most helpful to read in my opinion, as Schaefer provides the reader an insight of a life after achieving full recovery. She allows us to discover that the only thing stopping us from achieving a full recovery is ourselves.
One thing that I found thoughtful was that the chapters were short, to account for the low concentration capabilities of the starved brain. This is a huge positive of the book, as it allows ALL eating disorder sufferers who are contemplating recovery access to the help they deserve. As well as this, she personifies the eating disorder, which is extremely helpful in identifying what thoughts are yours, what thoughts belong to the eating disorder, and how you can separate yourself from it. This is an extremely valuable tool for recovery.
The most important thing this book offers is hope, that full recovery is possible! The only thing stopping us is us. We are scared to let go of our eating disorders, and who can blame us? The eating disorder became a part of us. It feels like we are relinquishing a significant piece of our personality. It feels like we are getting rid of a piece of ourselves. But Schaefer normalizes this fear, and shows us that there is life after interaction with an eating disorder, and that we can find ourselves.
“Recovery is not a commitment to fight ED; it is a decision to listen to your heart and follow your dreams. When Ed was front and center in my world, I lost sight of what I really wanted out of life. All that seemed to matter was food and weight. I was so lost that I almost followed a completely different path in life. Ed was screaming so loud in my head that I could not hear the part of myself that wanted to sing and write. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that dreams don’t come true. Especially, don’t let Ed tell you that what you really want out of life is impossible. It may very well be impossible if Ed is running the show, but once he is knocked out of the driver’s seat, you will see that anything can happen.”
There were also many interjections (that were incredibly useful and easy to apply to your own recovery) from psychotherapist Thom Rutledge, who provided some really great exercises that I’ve found beyond helpful. Together, Rutledge and Schaefer offer ANYONE from ANYWHERE the hope, desire and motivation to begin the treacherous road to recovery. I really did love this book.
My reason for omitting a star is that I found the jokes a little too intense. However, this is probably not the book itself, rather this could be attributed to my dislike of written comedy! I like my books sad and gloomy! Despite this, I’ll be getting her second book soon, Goodbye ED, Hello Me.
I strongly recommend this book to ED sufferers, carers, family members and friends, so that they can try and understand what is happening to you a little more. Brilliant book. I really urge you to give it a go!
– @recoverywolf