The Secret Language of Eating Disorders : How You Can Understand and Work to Cure Anorexia and Bulimia (Vintage)

Media:	Paperback
Author:	Peggy Claude-Pierre
Publisher:	Vintage
Release date:	29 December, 1998
List price:	~~$14.95~~
Our price:	$10.17 that is 32% off!

The Secret Language of Eating Disorders : How You Can Understand and Work to Cure Anorexia and Bulimia (Vintage)

Average rating: Stars

Life Saving

All my life I've hated the way my body looked like. I hated my body so much, that by the age of twelve, I just decided to give up on it. This is when a deep depression set in. I began contemplating suicide, cutting myself, and eating for comfort. As the years passed on with self-destructive behaviors, I gained a good amount of weight. By the age of fourteen I weighted 145 lbs.

During my freshman year of high school, I would come home and watch the Dr. Phil Show. Around this time Dr. Phil was having his big weight loss extravaganza! He explained to his participants that they were "comfort eating," like myself. From then on, I was determined that I was going to take control of my eating and not be one of those people.

That summer I began exercising and eating less. Before the summer was over, I lost 20 lbs. Everyone said I looked beautiful at 125 lbs, but I knew I had to keep going. I was going to weight a perfect 100 lbs and fit into a pair of Hollister pants. The first day of school, I dropped my caloric amount very low. (I will not share the exact number due to the fact someone could use it as a "teaching" guide.) My weight plummeted to the 90s and I suffered from amenorrhea. I hit rock bottom when I tumbled down my basement steps due to dizziness and broke my foot. I began outpatient treatment just days later.

Treatment was and still is the hardest thing I've ever done. But through my treatment, my therapist and I used my eating disorder as an evil being that lives inside of my body and makes me do unhealthy things. This was called my bad brain, which Peggy writes so wonderfully about. I named my eating disorder, wrote letters to it, and screamed at it. At times I became my eating disorder. I would curl into a ball, scream at people, and make no eye contact. My mom would ask me who was there, my eating disorder or myself?

Through my treatment my therapist recommended this book for me. I read it and felt like the author totally knew what she was talking about. She basically explained what was going on inside of my head. I was amazed that someone actually got it. After I finished reading it, my mom read and now I feel like she understands my disorder so much.

I recommend sufferers and supporters to read this amazing book. Sufferers should read this because it helps them with understanding the CNC or bad brain, which some of us are born with. This book is great for supporters because it explains our heads and gives them support tips. I loved this book and it truely helped me in recovery. I highly highly recommend this book to all!!!!

Oh yeah, the author has a degree in phycology and has a treatment center in Canada. The other reviewer does not know what she is talking about. Please, take it from a sufferer: this book won't cure, but it can help.

The Secret Language of Eating Disorders : How You Can Understand and Work to Cure Anorexia and Bulimia (Vintage) - Peggy Claude-Pierre

very disappointing

I found this book to be almost annoying in the level of arrogance the author exuded in her writing. She has absolutely no training in psychology apart from the fact that her daughters struggled with eating disorders. This book did not reveal any new insights or cures. I find it appalling how little training she has in the arena of eating disorders and yet feels qualified to open a clinic and write a book. She does not back any of her statements up with scientific data, and the book seems to be trying to sell her clinic more than inform others on how to help those struggling with eating disorders.

Peggy Claude-Pierre - The Secret Language of Eating Disorders : How You Can Understand and Work to Cure Anorexia and Bulimia (Vintage)

Peggy Claude-Pierre: The Human Angel

I have a B.A. in Psychology. I first read the book, then watched the 20/20 special featuring the Clinic and read the book again. Like many of you, I noticed that a) the author seemed arrogant in claiming to have "the" cure, b) she did not offer scientific data and c) she over-sold the revolutionary aspect of her treatment, instead of pointing out its obvious roots in cognitive-behavioral psychology. These were my thoughts the first time I read the book. But then...the video. I think watching this video was the first time I'd ever video footage of an anorectic near death. A thought occurred to me--
the viciousness of the Germans starving concentration camp victims. And, these girls are inflicting the same amount of damage to themselves. Claude-Pierre has an undeniable abbility to establish rapport and trust with these women. Although her theory needs refining and scientific support, I now believe it is essentially correct. Obviously, someone who treats patients who say they are "cured" (a very unusual statement by an anorectic) and successfully treats patients who are literally days or weeks away from dying is doing something right.

I will now address the criticisms of Claude-Pierre's theory and practice.

1) Why should we believe that someone with only a B.A. degree and little scientific expertise has found "the" cure? I would ask, do you believe that the millions of psychologists who have theorized and treated anorexics for more than a century have found the cure? These are the "experts," yet their success rate is really quite dismal. Is anorexia necessarily a hopeless disease or is it rendered hopeless by the poor quality of care available? Many psychologists have created interesting and useful theorys about the causes of anorexias, yet few have been able to translate their theories into good practice. Also, many of these people are flooding PEGGY with calls for help. Interesting.

2) An earlier review said that anyone receiving round the clock care would automatically show improvement? Technically, any hospitilized anorectic receives 24 hour "care" and most do not respond well. I would argue that perhaps Peggy's patients automatically have initial improvement because of 24 hour care in a caring, home-like environment. For a hospitilized anorectic, the facility is home. Having your home be a sterile hospital with unfeeling service providers would have a negative impact on patients.

3)Claude-Pierre absolves parents of responsibility. I do believe this is a fault in the theory. But I would argue that Pierre's restraint in blaming parents allows her patient's parents to participate more fully in treatment (hence, the high success rate). Also, I think the core truth is that while some parents of anorectics are abusive, neglectful, and creating "enmeshed" relationships, they don't intend to make their child starve themselves to death. It occurred to me a few years ago that reports of "enmeshed" parents may be exaggerated. After the disorder develops, parents naturally become more intrusive as they respond to this puzzling disorder. Remember the blame of the parents of autistic children--"the refridgerator moms"? In response to children incapable of affection, some moms stopped trying to initiate physical contact and thus were unfairly blamed for the problem.

4) Claude-Pierre's staff is not qualified. I agree that the staff should have outside training since they work with such a vulnerable population. But I believe that the in-Center training is legitimate, and in proper accordance with Claude-Pierre's methods. Former patients sometimes become counselors. I would bet $100,000,000 that a former anorectic knows more about treating anorexia than the average doctor. That anorectic knows something about recovery. A doctor who has not successfully treated the majority of his anorec. patients does not.

5) A few former patients, and some critics, call the clinic a cult. Some patients say they had no privacy. Since Claude-Pierre has a very high success rate, she is idealized by her patients. If you've never heard ANYONE articulate your pain, you would obviously look at the person who finally does as a Saint, of sorts. The privacy complaint is trivial. The mansion houses 9 patients who require 24 hour care. Obviously, one cost of treatment is the loss of privacy and some forms of independence. I attend a college with 500 students--the environment can seem clausterphobic, incestuous, lacking in privacy, but it is not a cult.

6) The patients relapse once they leave the clinic. I was very disturbed to read of three alleged deaths of Pierre's former patients. However, Pierre still has a high success rate. The fact that some patients relapse after being highly successful at the clinic should lead us to ponder--how can we shape our world to make it a place more conducive to healing? In the case of acute anorexia, I believe "sheltering" in such a clinic is absolutely necessary. In a real world setting, it would be impossible for therapists to combat the many triggers of the Negative Mind. In every situation, the anorectic perceives herself to be a burden to other people, an unworthy person. In a real world setting, an ordinary frustrating situation could instigate a devestating relapse.

Anyway, I'm done making my case. I do not mean to sound like a "know it all." I respect Claude-Pierre, the integrity of her work, and her committment to her patients. I would call Peggy an angel of sorts, because she has somehow tapped into a profound realization about this disorder. She has helped save people who do not consider themselves worth saving.

I would be more than happy to work at the Montreux Clinic in the future to help the Clinic gain some credibility, in terms of scientific corroboration.

Melissa Abrams

Bookstore Stores