188 pg, paperback, '04

"Ed and I lived together for more than twenty years. He was abusive, controlling, and never hesitated to tell me what he thought, how I was doing it wrong, and what I should be doing instead. . . Ed is not a high school sweetheart. Ed is not some creep that I started dating in college. . . Ed's name comes from the initials E.D. —as in eating disorder. Ed is my eating disorder.” —from the Introduction

Jenni had been in an abusive relationship with Ed for far too long. Then she met psychotherapist and author Thom Rutledge who taught her how to treat her eating disorder as a relationship, not a condition. By separating herself from her eating disorder, Jenni says goodbye to Ed forever.

Inspiring, compassionate, and filled with practical exercises to help you break up with your own personal E.D., Life Without Ed provides new hope for the disorders that plague millions of women and young girls. This supportive, lifesaving book combines a patient's insights and experiences with a therapist's prescriptions for success to help you live a healthier, happier life without Ed.

Therapists have told us that this a good book to read out-loud to patients.

CONTENTS:

1 – Filing for Divorce – Separating from Ed
2 – It’s Not About Food?! – How Food Is Involved
3 – Mirror, Mirror on the Wall – Is Thin Really Everything?
4 – Merry-Go-Round – The Nuts and Bolts of Recovery
5 – Ed’s Last Stand – Surviving Relapse
6 – The Hard Truth – Getting Serious About Getting Better
7 – Believe It – What It’s All About

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Jenni Schaefer appears regularly on television and national radio to raise awareness about eating disorders and recovery. She writes for self-help/recovery publications nationwide and has been featured in Cosmopolitan, CosmoGirl, Publishers Weekly, and in Woman’s World. A talented singer and songwriter living in Nashville, Jenni devotes much of her time to speaking around the country about eating disorder awareness. For more information, visit jennischaefer.com

Thom Rutledge, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and the author of Embracing Fear: How to Turn What Scares Us into Our Greatest Gift. For more information, visit thomrutledge.com.

REVIEWS:

“Jenni’s quick wit and brilliant honesty are an inspiration to those trying to divorce themselves from an eating disorder. And Thom’s guidance will provide both therapists and clients with fresh insight into the healing process. An accessible, helpful must-read!”
— Lindsey Hall, author, Bulimia: A Guide to Recovery

“A personal and honest account of the struggle with and recovery from ‘Ed’”
— Ira M. Sacker, MD, coauthor, Dying to Be Thin; President/ Medical Director, HEED Foundation

“Infused with humor, rich in vivid imagery, and deeply compassionate, this book brings hope to those who suffer from eating disorders.”
— David B. Herzog, MD., professor of professor of psychiatry (pediatrics) Harvard Medical School