A Substance Called Food (Tab Book) [Paperback]

Gloria Arenson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1989 | Series: Tab Book (Book 3430)

An experienced psychotherapist and teacher who has worked with thousands of bulimics, compulsive overeaters, and anorectics provides startling insights into the emotional factors that drive people to view eating as an escape from their problems and offers realistic solutions that can help those people overcome their obsession.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

McGraw-Hill authors represent the leading experts in their fields and are dedicated to improving the lives, careers, and interests of readers worldwide

Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (October 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830634304
• ISBN-13: 978-0830634309
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As a child I loved to read and learn. I was fascinated by ancient times and eventually majored in archeology in college and graduate school. But along the way I decided that live people were more interesting than dead ones, and I became a psychotherapist and teacher. For over 25 years I have worked with and learned from thousands of people. Thanks to my friends and colleagues in the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology I am able to help spread the word about the amazing and rapid ways energy psychology techniques can contribute to emotional healing on the planet. I specialize in using energy modalities, especially EFT to help people recover from eating disorders, compulsive spending, anxiety, trauma, fears, relationship problems and more. I have written 6 books. Five Simple Steps to Emotional Healing is an award winning book that will teach you how to use EFT to deal with many emotional issues. Born to Spend, Desserts Is Stressed Spelled Backwards, and How to Stop Playing the Weighting Game address compulsive eating and bulimia. Freedom at Your Fingertips is the latest exciting book for EFT enthusiasts or people who want to find out what the bleep this new fangled technique is all about. EFT For Procrastination, a book about how to stop putting up with putting off is now available. Don't put off reading it! I am in private practice in California and also enjoy counseling by phone or Skype.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Changed my LIfe, April 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Substance Called Food: How to Understand, Control and Recover from Addictive Eating, 2/e (Paperback)

After a lifetime of binge eating I found my solution in following the Four Level Plan that the author describes. I was able to see the relationship between my moods and my compulsive eating. Yes, she is right when she says that binges are temper tantrums! I began to see how I was stuffing my feelings down with food. This book takes the reader through a clearly described program for change. There are easy to follow instructions and great stories about people I could identify with. It is not about dieting. It is about living your life in a new way and learning to get your real needs met instead of using food.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mostly for Anorectics and Bulimics, August 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Substance Called Food: How to Understand, Control and Recover from Addictive Eating, 2/e (Paperback)

I picked up this book because all signs seemed to point to a self-help book about compulsive overeating, and how to stop binging, etc. What I found was that most of what I was reading pertained to anorexia and bulimia, rather than the rest of us who do not purge what we take in. It does contain some useful information here and there, but minimum at best. It is a helpful tool for realizing some of the underlying reasons behind the compulsive desire to eat, so it is not all a loss. However, it would have been nice to read more about how to overcome the problem. That section is rather small, which I find most important. The book is also filled with typing errors, which can be pretty annoying after the first 5, and you're still counting. Rather disappointing as a whole.

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and It Works!, March 30, 2008

By 

L. T. Brockway "artizen" (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Substance Called Food: How to Understand, Control and Recover from Addictive Eating, 2/e (Paperback)

This book has been in print for twenty years and still has an active following! This book has helped me and many others I know. Here's practical tools for you if you have any difficulty controlling what you eat. Ms. Arenson really knows what she is talking about. She has been an eating disorder specialist for more than 25 years. Her approach is unique in that she encourages overeaters and bulimics to understand how stress creates cravings. Her 4 Level Plan teaches readers how to compare the intensity of the urge with the intensity of emotions and allows overeaters to stop hating themselves when they realize that food is not the problem but the way they medicate emotional pain. The book is filled with real life stories that readers will identify with. If you like this book, make sure to read Five Simple Steps to Emotional Healing Five Simple Steps to Emotional Healing: The Last Self-Help Book You Will Ever Needand Born to spend to find out more about controlling compulsive behaviors.