The Secret Language of Eating Disorders: How You Can Understand and Work to Cure Anorexia and Bulimia

"I feel so dirty, hopeless, no-good, fat, scared, a failure. I don't deserve to live."

"My daughter is 5'8" and 60 pounds. She won't comply with anyone. She has ruined the family."

"I can't be cured. I'm too bad. I'm going to have to deal with this the rest of my life."

"My doctor told me that I don't want to grow up."

"I hate myself for being the cause of all of this."

"I don't want my daughter to die. They say we are a dysfunctional family, but we don't fight and we love our daughter. Surely something can be done."

All of these statements are based on myths and misconceptions about anorexia and bulimia. Unfortunately, these myths and others not only deepen the suffering of victims of eating disorders, but shape how we regard and treat those victims. If you are a parent , family member, loved one, or caregiver of a victim, or a victim yourself, you know the punishing pain and sense of hopelessness caused by eating disorders. Now an extraordinary new book offers new hope and help to all whose lives are threatened by these scourges. In The Secret Language of Eating Disorders, Peggy Claude-Pierre, founder of the world-renowned eating disorders program at the Montreaux Clinic in Victoria, Canada, puts these damaging myths to rest and reveals her groundbreaking theories on the ultimate cure for illnesses that current medicine treats with little success.

Peggy Claude-Pierre developed her unique insights into eating disorders through successfully treating her own two anorexic daughters and hundreds of acutely ill patients at Montreaux, which specializes in treating victims near death whom doctors and hospitals haven't helped. She became convinced that eating disorders stem from a complex negative mindset. Often established at birth, it causes sufferers to feel an overwhelming sense of worthlessness that frequently results in a slow process of self-destruction. It is Peggy Claude-Pierre's conviction that this mindset--and the resulting eating disorder--can be permanently reversed through a program based on unconditional love, regard, positive reinforcement, easing of the victim's burdens of blame and responsibility, and objectivity training.

In The Secret Language of Eating Disorders, Claude-Pierre details her theories on the true causes of anorexia and bulimia and lays out the basis of the Montreaux program, which has an astonishingly high success rate, curing even the gravest cases. She describes the origins of the negative mindset and the five stages of recovery from eating disorders, spotlights the special challenges of coping with them at home, and offers clear, practical guidelines to working effectively with health professionals. She also shares the voices of dozens of former patients who offer their own stories of recovery as inspiration to victims, their families, and loved ones. Peggy Claude-Pierre's heartfelt message of hope is that eating disorders can be cured, not merely managed, and that deep within every person suffering from these illnesses is a loving, deserving soul who can and should be saved. As Peggy Claude-Pierre writes to victims, "You are not failures at life, merely at understanding your own value. Soon professionals across the globe will discontinue treating the symptoms of eating disorders as the cause." This powerful, compassionate book will revolutionize the way we think about eating disorders and their victims. It will literally save lives.

Peggy Claude-Pierre opened her outpatient practice specializing in eating disorders in 1988; the Montreaux Clinic began its residential inpatient program in 1993. Millions have been introduced to Claude-Pierre's gentle yet positive approach to the treatment of anorexia and bulimia, thanks to her appearances on 20/20 (the first show on her work won a Peabody Award for excellance) and Oprah. She consults with health professionals and government representatives in North and South America, Western and Eastern Europe, as well as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. She has been nominated for the Kiwanis World Service Medal and the Institute of Noetic Sciences Altruism Award. She is currently working with the Montreaux staff to create a teaching clinic to offer professional training to others who wish to use the Montyreaux approach. She lives and works in Victoria, Canada.