Feeling Good about the Way You Look: A Program for Overcoming Body Image Problems [Paperback]

Sabine Wilhelm PhD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2006

In a society where a blemish or “bad hair” can ruin an otherwise perfect day and airbrushed abs dominate the magazine rack, many of us feel ashamed of our bodies. If dissatisfaction with your looks is a distressing preoccupation, this compassionate book offers a way to break free from the mirror. Harvard psychologist Sabine Wilhelm leads you through a step-by-step program that helps you fight the urge to spend hours “fixing” your skin and hair, working out, or shopping for flattering clothes. Reality-check exercises based on cognitive-behavioral therapy demonstrate how to identify unfounded beliefs about your appearance. Once you understand the negative thoughts and feelings that distort your self-image, you’ll be able to shed lengthy grooming rituals and overcome the embarrassment that keeps you from enjoying life. With Dr. Wilhelm’s expert guidance, you’ll learn to replace self-doubt and insecurity with confidence and a positive outlook. Whether you’ve spent thousands on plastic surgery or avoid trips to the beach, dating, or socializing, you owe yourself this opportunity to make peace with your looks. If you or someone you care about is struggling with a body image problem, effective care is finally at hand.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Millions of people suffer from body image concerns. Some are paralyzed by them. Here, Dr. Sabine Wilhelm offers a systematic, scientifically based program of self-treatment. For many, this will be a welcome alternative to expensive professional therapy."--Harrison G. Pope Jr., MD, Harvard Medical School; coauthor of The Adonis Complex

"Dr. Wilhelm, one of the few experts on the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), has written a landmark book for the millions who suffer from this underrecognized and often disabling illness. For those struggling to overcome the torment of BDD, this book offers invaluable guidance and hope."--Katharine A. Phillips, MD, Brown Medical School, author of The Broken Mirror

"Dr. Wilhelm is one of the world's experts in body image and a pioneer in the treatment of body image disturbance through cognitive-behavioral therapy. This is an authoritative, lucid, wise, and engaging book. More than that, it is an important book--it will change lives. If you are constrained by anxiety and shame about your appearance, Dr. Wilhelm maps out the road to freedom; to feeling truly and authentically good about the way you look."--Nancy Etcoff, PhD, Harvard Medical School; author of Survival of the Prettiest

"As someone who experienced body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), when you’re at your lowest, you really believe you will never have a normal life...This book can and will help many people. I wish there had been a book like this when I was at my lowest points!"--LG, Massachusetts

"Until now, very little self-help material was available on body dysmorphic disorder, a distressing condition that can lead sufferers to depression, unneccesary cosmetic surgery, and even suicide. If you are struggling with body image problems or care for someone who is, this excellent book offers very helpful guidance."--David Veale, MD, London, UK

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Sabine Wilhelm, PhD, founder and director of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Clinic (BDD) and Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, is Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She is internationally recognized as a leading researcher in BDD, a distressing level of dissatisfaction with one's body, and is the principal investigator of two studies investigating treatments for the disorder funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. She lives with her family near Boston.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (June 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572307307
• ISBN-13: 978-1572307308
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > German
  • #67 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Recovery > Drug Dependency
  • #72 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Eating Disorders

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New hope for those with BDD, August 23, 2006

By 

Scott M. Granet (San Mateo, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Feeling Good about the Way You Look: A Program for Overcoming Body Image Problems (Paperback)

I found Sabine Wilhelm's book to be both easy to read and very informative. The step by step approach detailed in the book is exactly what is needed for patients and clinicians alike. I have enthusiastically been recommending it to all of my clients who have BDD, and to colleagues interested in learning more about it. This book offers new hope to the millions of people worldwide who live with this troubling, but treatable disorder.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm Impressed!, January 11, 2011

By 

Hi there :) (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Feeling Good about the Way You Look: A Program for Overcoming Body Image Problems (Paperback)

I just started this book and I haven't completed it yet, I'm extremely impressed already. This book is a powerful resource. It is well written and it works! It was written for us folks with small/large body image dilemmas (mostly non-eating disorders).

It can be used as a self help resource or in conjunction with therapy. It can even be given to your therapist as a resource for them to help you. I struggle with acne scars and I am relieved to find the first pages (and subsequent pages) directly address this issue.

This book gives hope and help. I can't say enough positive about this book. It is life-changing.


God bless the author

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, October 21, 2010

By 

Mark Book "Mark Book" (Earth) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Feeling Good about the Way You Look: A Program for Overcoming Body Image Problems (Hardcover)

this is a great book! the discussion of CBT is inestimable. It is useful even if you don't have BDD -- Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Dr. Wilhelm is a nice person.