Shannon Cutts - Beating Ana: How to Outsmart Your Eating Disorder and Take Your Life Back

Praise forBeatingAna

In Beating Ana, Shannon Cutts offers a wealth of guidance that will do nothing less than save lives. Shannon has taken her vast experience and condensed it into an intelligent, captivating, and motivating work. This is a book that needs to be in the hands of every person in the eating disorder world: those who suffer, those who love them, and every professional who treats them. I would not stop there... the truly amazing beauty of this literary treasure is that it is a book every adult needs to read. As Shannon wisely points out, when it comes to problematic behaviors, Everybody has something! This book can teach us all.

Doris Smeltzer, M.A., Author of Andreas Voice: Silenced by
Bulimia, and the Advice for Parents Blog (Gurze Books)

Unlike any other book about eating disorders, Beating Ana uniquely illustrates the importance of people connecting with one another for support and encouragement along the recovery road. I would never have recovered from my own eating disorder without the help of recovered women who held my hand along the way. Shannons depth of passion and honesty will provide much-needed hope to all those touched by this insidious illness.

Jenni Schaefer, Author of Life Without Ed:
How One Woman Declared Independence
from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too

Beating Ana is a breath of fresh air. Not only is it an important document to add to the record and an item worthy of being in any man or womans recovery tool bag, but the way in which it is written (engaging, honest, interactive, and fun) guarantees that itll be a tool thats lovingly worn with repeated use. Recovery often feels like a lonely journey, but thanks to Shannons innovative approach, the specter of flying solo is no longer a certainty.

Ron Saxen, Author of The Good Eater

In Beating Ana, Shannon takes readers on a journey of self-discovery and self-healing that will leave them truly understanding that recovery is possible. I especially liked how each chapter included a Life Celebration Affirmation and Recovery Workshop. These action items engage the reader and compel them to take control of their situation and recover. I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with an eating disorder, and I plan to use some of the material in my own support groups. I just wish this book was around when I was overcoming my eating disorderit would have made the process much easier.

Andrea Roe, Author of You Are Not Alone Volumes I & II (www.youarenotalonebook.com) and Founder of the You Are Not
Alone Eating Disorder Society (www.youarenotalonesociety.org)

Through Shannons beautiful prose, she offers her readers honesty, truth, and compassion. She holds a mirror up for us to explore who we are and how we came to be. Shannon provides us with tools for our healing and generously lifts us with her hope. She believes in us. After reading this book, we are left believing in ourselves.

Barb Steinberg, LMSW, Workshop Presenter
& Consultant (www.barbsteinberg.com)

Beating Ana has the potential to make a real impact on people dealing with eating disorders, particularly anorexia. The format for this book is unique in the market. I am unaware of any other book on anorexia that uses the format of someone going through the experience and then immediately confronts their thinking with empathy, compassion, and advice learned through having experienced many of the same things. I love that. So often, as I read the letters, I think, She sounds just like me. Shannons responses are always well thought out, helpful, and recovery focused. This book is more like a therapy session that you have written down and can refer back to.

Jen L., Anorexia Survivor

Beating Ana is riveting, compassionate, and remarkable. Shannon brilliantly reveals how individuals can move beyond the grip of their eating disorder to lead an extraordinary and fulfilling existence. Shannon is dynamic and insightful, and each word she writes comes from the heart and soul. She understands the Key to Life that exists within all of us. I would recommend this book as a recovery companion to all those suffering from an eating disorder.

Lisa C. Palmer, L.M.F.T., C.H.T., Ph.D., The Renew Center
of Florida, www.TheRenewCenter.com,
MyEDHelp.com, www.MyEDHelp.com

In Beating Ana, I found it easy to feel the love, compassion, and understanding the author has for her mentees and others who struggle with eating disorders. Beating Ana helps the reader to truly experience the heart and mind of someone struggling with an eating disorder and gain an accurate measure of understanding and empathy. I felt touched, motivated, and inspired to apply the many lessons taught as well as the heartfelt, practical advice from someone who truly knows the eating disorder recovery process from firsthand experience.

Lynette L. Taylor, MT-BC,
Music Therapist, Center for Change, Inc.

Mentoring is an ancient and honorable tradition. It brings to mind the relationship with older siblings, trusted community elders, apprentices and master craftspeople, and even traditional spiritual advisors. In Beating Ana, Cutts brings experience and compassion to the craft of mentoring and brings it into a fieldeating disorders recoveryrich in opportunities to nurture and support each other.

Laura Collins, Author of Eating
With Your Anorexic, Founder of F.E.A.S.T.

Beating Ana is a gift! Shannon gets to one of the core problems in eating disorders. Secrecy! This secret leads to shame, isolation, and loneliness. Those struggling with ED feel alone and imprisoned in these vicious lies of the eating disorder. So I strongly agree with Shannon, the way of escape is through mentoring relationships. Shannon invites us into the sacred places she has walked with her mentees. Through letters you see the real anguish of those tormented by ED. Shannon gently, but powerfully challenges their erroneous beliefs, and becomes a healthy mirror through her Life Celebration Affirmations. Shannon is able to build trust through sharing experiences of her own recovery and therefore offers real hope. Shannon gives practical, relatable how tos through creative journaling exercises, which become a map toward recovery. I would recommend this book to my clients.

Colleen OGrady-Long, M.A., L.P.C., L.M.F.T.

Beating
ANA

How to Outsmart
Your Eating Disorder &
TAKE YOUR LIFE BACK

Shannon Cutts

Health Communications, Inc.
Deerfield Beach, Florida
www.hcibooks.com

All names found in this book (except as otherwise noted) have been changed to respect privacy.

The information contained in this book is based upon the research and personal and professional experiences of the author and reflects the authors professional opinion. The publisher does not advocate the use of any particular healthcare protocol but believes in presenting this information to the public. Should the reader have any questions concerning the appropriateness of any procedures or preparation mentioned herein, the reader should consult a professional healthcare advisor.

The author has no affiliation with the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous or any Twelve Step-based organization.

Permissions

The excerpts from A.A. material are reprinted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. ( AAWS ) Permission to reprint these excerpts does not mean that AAWS has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication, or that AAWS necessarily agrees with the views expressed herein. A.A. is a program of recovery from alcoholism onlyuse of these excerpts in connection with programs and activities which are patterned after A.A., but which address other problems, or in any other non A.A. context, does not imply otherwise.