Bryant’s Doctor of Clinical Psychology Program Director and Professor Christina Tortolani, Ph.D. — alongside Northwestern University’s Renee Rieneke, Ph.D., FAED, and Harvard Medical School’s Melissa Freizinger, Ph.D. — recently co-authored the book Disobey: Finding Freedom from Your Eating Disorder, which is geared toward teen and young adult readers and includes first-hand perspectives. Published by Balance, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, the new release is now available for purchase. Bryant News recently chatted with Tortolani to learn more about her latest project:
You and your co-authors have been working on this book for several years now, and it’s finally here! Can you give us an inside look into what Disobey is about?
Disobey is a guide for adolescents and teens who are struggling with an eating disorder. It provides science-based strategies, stories of recovery, and opportunities to practice skills and reflect. It's presented in a way that we hope feels inclusive, practical, relevant, and easy to use.
We provide a framework of interventions and skills for recovery that we call the seven Ds. They stand for Distinguish, Disobey, Disagree, Dialectics, Dig Deep, Disconnect, and Discover. Each D is based on an evidence-based intervention, such as family-based therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders, and dialectical behavior therapy. Most importantly, we have collaborated with individuals with lived experience of both treatment and recovery, and they've shared their artwork and personal stories to inspire healing.
Eating disorders have a lot of rules about what you can eat, how much you must exercise to make up for eating what you shouldn’t have, how many calories you can consume, how much enjoyment you can feel when eating (none), and how you feel about yourself afterward (badly). When someone Disobeys their ED, they’re breaking free from the rules and rigidity of the disorder. This is an integral step in recovery and also why it’s the title of our book.
What motivated you to co-author a book on eating disorders for teens and young adults?
In my clinical work, I've lost count of how many adolescents and teens I've worked with who have asked for a book on eating disorder recovery that speaks to their experience. For years, I've recommended Life Without ED by Jenni Schaefer. I have a deep respect for that book, but it's written from an adult perspective, so this gap became clear to me and my co-authors, which led us to write a book for younger patients and include their voices.
How common are eating disorders today, and how are they being addressed?
Eating disorders are more common than the lay public believes. They can occur across diverse populations — including individuals of all genders, ages, and backgrounds (racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic). Despite how common it is, they still go unrecognized and untreated. Most eating disorders develop in adolescence.
There have been advances in awareness as well as science, but there are still gaps in early intervention, especially in pediatric settings. One critical gap is a lack of developmentally appropriate resources that can speak directly to adolescents in a way that feels relatable, engaging, and hopeful. We hope Disobey will play a key role in helping adolescents and their families recognize eating disorder symptoms earlier, feel less alone in the struggle and during treatment, and take meaningful steps toward recovery.
This book also includes journal prompts, art activities, and personal stories. Walk us through the thought process behind incorporating a mix of content for readers to engage with.
Our patients are our greatest teachers, so we created this book with our patients' experiences, needs, and wants in mind. To make it as helpful as possible, we crafted it in partnership with an advisory board of people in recovery, clinicians specializing in eating disorders, and advocates in the field.
A lot of our adolescent patients long for connection and inspiration during the most difficult moments of recovery, so we include journal prompts to support reflection because writing can be a powerful way to rewire patterns of thinking. We understand that words don't always come easily, especially when we're talking about painful topics, so we also incorporate opportunities for creative expression, so readers can share their feelings through art. Throughout the book, we offer ‘check-in and cope’ moments that validate how challenging even small change can be, and we offer commitments at the end of each chapter to help readers set intentions and realistic goals as they move toward recovery one step at a time.
In what ways does Disobey distinguish itself from other available resources for young people?
As eating disorder experts, we have learned that each person brings their own story and perspective, and everyone's path to recovery is unique. Disobey’s mantra is to ‘find your freedom’ so our book offers a unique combination of clinical intervention and wisdom that's grounded in real stories of those who have found their freedom.
It's not a replacement for therapy. Rather, we hope to support our readers as they are already doing therapy or to help them along as they're finding a therapist with whom to work with. We hope the book will help them connect with honest, inspiring depictions of doing the hard work and coming out the other side.
Throughout the writing process, was there a section of the book you found particularly meaningful?
Without question, it was bearing witness to the stories, the perspectives, the struggles, and the triumphs of recovery as shared through our contributors’ narratives and artwork. Every time we got a personal testimony in our inbox, it reaffirmed the power of recovery. There was so much depth and beauty and honesty and hope — it was incredible. Our contributors' voices are the heart of the book, and that's going to be the most inspiring part for our readers.
While this book is written for teens and young adults, are there any other groups that would benefit from this guide?
This is a great resource for caregivers to understand their kids’ eating disorders and for clinicians to use adjunctively in treatment; it offers individuals a more intimate and practical understanding of what it feels like to live with an eating disorder and choose recovery.
In my work with families, I often encourage caregivers to learn as much as they can about eating disorders — even to the point of becoming experts themselves. I've recognized the need for deeper learning in this area, so we hope Disobey helps with that. We are thrilled that there is already momentum around our book's release with many respected colleagues endorsing its potential impact.
For more content related to Disobey, follow @DisobeyYourED on Instagram and TikTok or visit Substack.