Another of Turk’s clients, a chiropractor who asked not to be identified, had a similar reaction after being photographed by Turk last year.

"It was like a reprogramming of all the negative tapes in my head," says the 42-year-old, who has despised her body since she was mocked as a chubby child.

But many body image and eating disorders experts emphasize the need for caution.

"This method could be very dangerous by just scratching at the surface," says Gerri DiBenedetto, a New York City therapist who treats eating disorders.

She doubts one photo shoot with Turk can be a cure-all for deeply rooted eating disorders and body image problems. DiBenedetto and other experts argue that while the idea might seem promising, women see themselves in pictures all the time and yet the distortions persist.

"If she professes to help people with body image problems, she’s trying to be a therapist and then trying to cover herself by saying, ‘I advise people to get therapy,’ " says Denise Heebink, a psychiatrist at New York Hospital’s eating disorder program.

Although Turk has no degree in psychiatry or therapy, she does have a master’s degree in special education.

And Turk admits that her method is no science.

"I can do only what I can do," she says.