With over 40 user-friendly "helpful sheets," Thomas Cash, a respected pioneer of the psychology of appearance and author of more than 100 articles and books, shows how to discover your personal body image, harness knowledge for change, improve "private body talk," practice body-mind relaxation, stop self-defeating behaviors, and treat your body right!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Thomas F. Cash, PhD, is university professor of psychology at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. During his career, he has published more than 200 scholarly articles and six books on topics related to body image and human appearance. He is the founding editor-in-chief of Body Image: An International Journal of Research.

REVIEWS. . .

"How we see ourselves can have a powerful effect upon our lives. For some, having a negative body image can lead to extreme unhappiness, low self-esteem, and ultimately to development of an eating disorder. This book offers thoughtful and practical steps to learn to love our bodies and treat them with respect.

An international authority and pioneer in body image disorders, Dr. Cash first developed programs for professionals treating body image disturbance. Noting that most people with these problems don't seek help, in 1997 Dr. Cash set out to develop a self-help program; this book and a videotape of the same name resulted. In The Body Image Workbook, Dr. Cash takes readers on a detailed journey of self-discovery through greater self-awareness and positive change. The 8 steps include discovering your own body image and setting goals for change, getting comfortable with your body, changing private negative body talk, overcoming self-defeating behaviors, treating your body right with positive activities, and improving and preventing relapse by planning ahead.

The workbook contains many tests and worksheets to guide readers along the major steps. For example, ‘The Body Areas Satisfaction Test’ asks readers to record how satisfied they are with each aspect of their body---from the face to waist, hair, height, and body tone. Another, 'The Wishing Well Test,' invites readers to express what they consider their ideal heights, complexion, hair color, and muscle tone, for example, then asks how important the ideal is to the reader.

The workbook is comprehensive, challenging, and very instructive. Dr. Cash notes, 'So often in life our views of reality hold us back, preventing us from becoming everything we can be. In the blockbuster movie Forrest Gump, Forrest didn't know he wasn't supposed to be able to do all the things he imagined. So, he lived his dreams. He happily became his aspiration, despite his imperfections.' Dr. Cash calls upon readers to challenge their creativity and put ideas into action, learning about themselves through positive physical activity and positive self-affirmations."
—Eating Disorders Today Newsletter, Spring 2003, Vol 1 No 4