Academy Chicago to Publish Guide to Overcoming Binge-Eating

Breaking the Spell of Binge-Eating
A Road to Balance in Your Life

by Joanna Kortink
Translated from the Dutch by Anita Miller and Valerie Thompson

“Joanna is my European soul sister.”
- Peggy Claude-Pierre, author of The Secret Language of Eating Disorders

Joanna Kortink is a spiritual psychotherapist from the Netherlands, and this book is a runaway bestseller in Holland. Kortink fashions a truly different approach in treating an array of eating disorders, including stress-induced eating, compulsive eating and bulimia. Her unique approach combines psychotherapy with creative expression, body training and natural medicine. Kortink has spent many years in support of people with eating disorders, and she knows first-hand the acute struggles her clients face since she actually suffered from bulimia herself. Bringing an intimate knowledge of what readers and her clients confront with eating disorders, Kortink has written a multifaceted and inspiring book that shows another side to eating patterns and includes many practical examples, tips and clear step-by-step guidelines for recovery and self-acceptance, and to making appropriate food choices.

Kortink says that eating differently starts with thinking differently. She inspires readers to start a journey to recovery by profiling compulsive eaters and the role that food plays in their lives. She looks at the causes of compulsive eating, and she notes that compulsive eaters are “rarely themselves, invariably they are playing a role.” She profiles some of her clients and conducts a dialogue between clients and what she calls “their inner saboteur.” Along the journey to physical and emotional detoxification, Kortink describes ways to increase vitality, feed the spirit, get back to basics, and listen to the signals of your body. This leads to greater energy and a comforting sense of self-forgiveness. There are tips for taking immediate self-action, and vital information for partners and friends of binge-eaters. Kortink sensitively describes difficult moments along the way, and combines compassion with a deeper understanding of what she calls the ‘biopsychsocial” aspects of eating disorders.

Kortink lives in the Netherlands and runs Artiva Food and Vitality Coaching.