Firstly, let me say that I'm glad for you if you found something in this book that is helping you ...
I haven't read any of Geneen Roth's books; but since this latest book was mentioned here twice, I did a google search and read some reviews about it; plus part of the first chapter & the epilogue & the Inquiry technique, etc from the book itself (Woman, Food & God) through Amazon.com.
GENEEN ROTH may have found something that helped her to lose weight or heal, or found her own kind of god, which she calls self; BUT that doesn't coincide with my Christian spiritual beliefs in any way.
QUOTE: "In each moment of kindness in which you lavish upon your breaking heart, or the size of your thighs, with each breath you take, god is here. She is you." (Btw, does this sentence even make sense?)
She states that "food is all we know of heaven and our big thighs are all we know of ****" -- well, I don't think that! That is an insult to GOD and to the real place of heaven He created for us, where food won't even exist unless we want it to; for GOD is bigger than food. In the real heaven, we won't even need food anymore. Plus, food is not my "spirituality" or replacement for GOD. BTW, a guy once said that to me about sex ...
What I did find interesting was that some of her ideas are very similar to others that I have read before many times, including some of my own thoughts which I have posted here for all to see. The "Inquiry" technique I read about in college over 30 years ago.
Yep, we know that we eat from our emotions; yes, we know that we need more LOVE & KINDNESS ... yes, we know that now. BUT what real, practical help does she offer her readers and clients but to pay lots of money to buy her books and go to her retreats where they learn to LOVE THEMSELVES AGAIN (funny, I just said that in my Emotional Eating thread that I posted recently). I don't have to buy a book or go to retreat to find that out; I got that from the Bible and from praying and just listening and watching people over my lifetime (I am a trained Social Worker and counselor).
Just listen to the people on this site and you will realize that they use food to comfort themselves. No, it's not heaven or anything close to it -- food is fuel and an enjoyable one at that; and I think that's OK! Now, there are some things that she says that I do agree with, ie "some people diet because they want a quick solution". There may be some truth in that statement.
I actually think that we should not deprive ourselves of food, but should eat what we like and tastes good; but we also know that it isn't that simple ... As soon as I hear someone start to talk that way (over-simplistic), they lose me -- big time.
Why do people drink too much? Why do they abuse drugs, food, or booze or their bodies? One answer: emotional and/or physical pain! Emotional pain that needs healing; and only you and me and GOD can heal that ... and that will take some time ...
(Note: we may help each other or find some help from other sources as well, like counseling.)
I do agree that we have to "practice" counter-acting the "neggies" or negative thought patterns that were instilled in some of us early on (I also mentioned this in my thread). I learned this technique from the Bible; and from other great positive thinkers like Norman Vincent Peale & Robert H Schuller, etc.
We have to "practice patience" while we "practice kindness" and "practice loving ourselves" ... becuz somewhere along the way we didn't get these things OR we are not getting what we need now. That's right, what we NEED ... we all need love and GOD IS LOVE -- so we do need HIM in our lives (He can bless us richly).
It's too bad that GENEEN took the 60's or was it, the 70's "you have to find yourself route" ... like one lady said, "She missed a great opportunity here." Some say that her earlier books are better, esp the one called, "When Food is Love".
This is a fairly new book, so not many people have read it yet; that is probably why you haven't had a lot of responses to your post. I like to read reviews before I buy something as I have a strict budget to keep to; and honestly, after what I read of the book itself, I changed my mind about buying the book.
Women, Food & God
