The Feeling Good Handbook
Author: David D. Burns
List Price: $17.95
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 0452281326
Publisher: Plume (December, 1999)
Sales Rank: 416
Average Customer Rating: 4.63 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 3 out of 5
A moderately effective course in cognitive therapy
Many people don't buy into the whole "root of your problems" mentality that seems to infect the mental health fields nowadays. That's understandable. There certainly is something to be said for a more pragmatic, straightforward approach to the treatment of certain mental states. It is to this group of people that Dr. David Burns addresses his Feeling Good Handbook. The methods in The Feeling Good Handbook are aimed at helping those suffering from depression, anxiety, and other "mild" mental issues to train themselves into healthy mental patterns. Burns has put together a series of writing exercises and journaling that is intended to help readers recognize fallacies in their thought processes. He then spends a great deal of time on each of these fallacies of thought and how to overcome them.
Burns is an avid supporter of cognitive therapy. It is obvious that Burns feels the best way to mental health is through learning to master these negative thought processes. Furthermore, he states outright that it is possible to train yourself to be positive and happy by following these exercises.
Like most self-help books, Burns' popular book has both positive and negative attributes. Burns has managed to accurately classify the thought traps that those suffering from clinical depression and anxiety fall into. He also presents them in such a way that they are easily memorable and will often return to the reader's mind throughout the course of the day. Burns also includes a surprisingly accurate quiz to gauge the progress of the reader.
However, Burn's book depends very heavily on the reader following his instructions with exactness--and some of them are extremely tedious. This is, perhaps, not the best way to help those suffering with depression. Usually depression saps an individual of their desire to do anything at all. Additionally, Burns tends to be a little over-simplistic about his methods and even more over-enthusiastic about their results.
On its own, The Feeling Good Handbook is a moderately useful book in the amateur diagnosis and treatment of mild depression. When used in conjunction with a counselor who understands cognitive therapy, this book is an excellent tool in training the reader to think in a new way.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Great workbook!!
This book clearly lines out principles and procedures of cognitive therapy. Readers will learn how to conquer depression, raise self-esteem and overcome anxiety.
The book contains many helpful self-help exercises which get to the heart of things. What I especially liked about this book is its applicability in real life. Apart from depression and anxiety you'll find information about giving good job interviews and procrastination.
But the greatest assets of the handbook are in my opinion the chapters about communication. Here, Burns clearly outlines how to deal with critical and angry people in a non-hurtful, but nonetheless authentic way. I greatly urge you to read this book, even when you've already read his first book "feeling good". The handbook contains some more useful information and applications. Apart from this, it's never wrong to get practice in disputing your dysfunctional thoughts
Rating: 5 out of 5
Excellent practical advice!
Because I suffer from bipolar disorder (manic-depression), I have been looking for a something that can help me in some way. Most self-help type books have not helped me. This is the first book that really enabled me to see some light. It has excellent practical advice regarding how to manage your emotions by behaving and thinking in new ways. It takes you through the process step by step and can be understood by ordinary people like myself without rereading it five times. After benefiting from reading this book for a while, I became curious of why this type of thing works so well for my depression. After a long search, I discovered a book called "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato that explained this beautifully. Sato's book is more theoretical but it is full of truly amazing insights that I can understand. I feel that it is a true blessing to have people like this share their insights and knowledge to the rest of the world. Similar Products
Ten Days to Self-Esteem
The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook
Feeling Good : The New Mood Therapy
Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think
Book Index