Ever think that there must be another way to work on your eating problems? FINDING YOUR VOICE THROUGH CREATIVITY: THE ART AND JOURNALING WORKBOOK FOR DISORDERED EATING by Mindy Jacobson-Levy and Maureen Foy-Tornay (Gürze Books, 2010) offers an approach that encourages you to use creativity to access your innermost thoughts and feelings about your disregulated eating.

As the authors, both art therapists and professional counselors, say, “Art bypasses the flow of thoughts and words that continually run through our heads. Although words can be meaningful…they can also serve as a façade that masks true feelings. This is particularly true for individuals with chaotic eating patterns whose negative self-talk has become a habit and focal point.” This workbook taps into the non-verbal part of your brain, using creativity to help you shut off those pesky thoughts and teach you to recognize exactly what you’re feeling.

The authors maintain that disregulated eaters too often let their disorder speak for them because they don’t have better ways of expressing themselves. This happens when you don’t know where you end and others begin, are uncomfortable with your body fat or thin, have trouble identifying and stating your needs, and treat everyone else better than yourself. Frustrated and confused, you often turn to abusing food. However, when you know what you think and feel and have confidence in asserting your needs, there’s a better chance that you will let words and conscious actions speak for you.

This workbook gently teaches you about what is wrong in your life and how to right it. Through drawing and journaling, you’ll begin to understand yourself from the inside out. Both art and writing serve as a kind of play—where anything goes and no one is judging you—that will lead you more deeplyinto the issues that plague you and cause your unhealthy relationship with food. “Play” is crucial for disregulated eaters who have difficulty letting go, staying in the moment, and authentically being themselves.

You can feel the authors’ kindness and concern for your well-being and success on every page. They are there to reassure you as you cover new ground, freeze up, and melt down, and to support you in the “ah ha” moments you’re sure to have if you give yourself over to the exercises the workbook provides. Anyone can do this unique workbook. You need no special skills and you can go at your own pace. Discovering your voice through creativity is an effective way to heal yourself. Give it a try.