Product Description

FEELING GOOD FEELS WONDERFUL
The good news is that anxiety, guilt, pessimism, procrastination, low self-esteem, and other "black holes" of depression can be cured without drugs.In FEELING GOOD, eminent psychiatrist, David D. Burns, M.D., outlines the remarkable, scientifically proven techniques that will immediately lift your spirits and help you develop a positive outlook on life. Now, in this updated edition, Dr. Burns adds an ALL-NEW CONSUMER'S GUIDE TO ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS as well as a new introduction to help answer your questions about the many options available for treating depression.

- Recognize what causes your mood swings
- Nip negative feelings in the bud
- Deal with guilt
- Handle hostility and criticism
- Overcome addiction to love and approval
- Build self-esteem
- Feel good everyday

BEGIN NOW, TO EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF FEELING GOOD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #541 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10-01
• Released on: 1999-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 736 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780380810338
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"A book to read and re-read!" -- Los Angeles Times

About the Author
David D. Burns, M.D., graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College, received his M.D. degree from Stanford University School of Medicine and completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Pennsylvania. He has served as Acting Chief of Psychiatry at the Presbyterian / University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and Visiting Scholar at the Harvard Medical School. In 1995 Dr. Burns and his family returned to California. He is currently Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at his alma mater, the Stanford University School of Medicine, where he is actively involved in research and teaching. Dr. Burns is certified by the National Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Dr. Burns has received numerous awards including the A. E. Bennett Award from the Society for Biological Society for his research on brain chemistry and the Distinguished Contribution to Psychology through the Media Award from the Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology. In 1998 he received the Teacher of the Year award from the graduating residents in the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

When he is not crunching statistics he can be found giving lectures to professional groups around the world.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One

A Breakthrough In the Treatment of Mood Disorders

Depression has been called the world's number one public health problem. In fact, depression is so widespread it is considered the common cold of psychiatric disturbances. But there is a grim difference between depression and a cold. Depression can kill you. The suicide rate, studies indicate, has been on a shocking increase in recent years, even among children and adolescents. This escalating death rate has occurred in spite of the billions of antidepressant drugs and tranquilizers that have been dispensed during the past several decades.

This might sound fairly gloomy. Before you get even more depressed, let me tell you the good news. Depression is an illness and not a necessary part of healthy living. What's more important--you can overcome it by learning some simple methods for mood elevation. A group of psychiatrists and psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has reported a significant breakthrough in the treatment and prevention of mood disorders. Dissatisfied with traditional methods for treating depression because they found them to be slow and ineffective, these doctors developed and systematically tested an entirely new and remarkably successful approach to depression and other emotional disorders. A series of recent studies confirms that these techniques reduce the symptoms of depression much more rapidly than conventional psychotherapy or drug therapy. The name of this revolutionary treatment is "cognitive therapy."

I have been centrally involved in the development of cognitive therapy, and this book is the first to describe these methods to the general public. The systematic application and scientific evaluation of this approach in treating clinical depression traces its origins to the innovative work of Drs. Albert Ellis and Aaron T. Beck, who began to refine their unique approach to mood transformation in the mid-1950's and early 1960's.* Their pioneering efforts began to emerge into prominence in the past decade because of the research that many mental-health professionals have undertaken to refine and evaluate cognitive therapy methods at academic institutions in the United States and abroad.

Cognitive therapy is a fast-acting technology of mood modification that you can learn to apply on your own. It can help you eliminate the symptoms and experience personal growth so you can minimize future upsets and cope with depression more effectively in the future.

The simple, effective mood-control techniques of cognitive therapy provide:

Rapid Symptomatic Improvement: In milder depressions, relief from your symptoms can often be observed in as short a time as twelve weeks.

Understanding: A clear explanation of why you get moody and what you can do to change your moods. You will learn what causes your powerful feelings; how to distinguish "normal" from "abnormal" emotions; and how to diagnose and assess the severity of your upsets.

Self-control: You will learn how to apply safe and effective coping strategies that will make you feel better whenever you are upset. I will guide you as you develop a practical, realistic, step-by-step self-help plan. As you apply it, your moods can come under greater voluntary control.

Prevention and Personal Growth: Genuine and long-lasting prophylaxis (prevention) of future mood swings can effectively be based on a reassessment of some basic values and attitudes which lie at the core of your tendency toward painful depressions. I will show you how to challenge and reevaluate certain assumptions about the basis for human worth.

The problem-solving and coping techniques you learn will encompass every crisis in modem life, from minor irritations to major emotional collapse. These will include realistic problems, such as divorce, death, or failure, as well as those vague, chronic problems that seem to have no obvious external cause, such as low self-confidence, frustration, guilt, or apathy.

The question may now occur to you, "Is this just another self-help pop psychology?" Actually, cognitive therapy is one of the first forms of psychotherapy which has been shown to be effective through rigorous scientific research under the critical scrutiny of the academic community. This therapy is unique in having professional evaluation and validation at the highest academic levels. It is not just another self-help fad but a major development that has become an important part of the mainstrem of modem psychiatric research and practice. Cognitive therapy's academic foundation. has enhanced its impact and should give it staying power for years to come. But don't be turned off by the professional status that cognitive therapy has acquired. Unlike much traditional psychotherapy, it is not occult and anti-intuitive. It is practical and based on common sense, and you can make it work for you.

The first principle of cognitive therapy is that all your moods are created by your "cognitions," or thoughts. A cognition refers to the way you look at things--your perceptions, mental attitudes, and beliefs. It includes the way you interpret things--what you say. about something or someone to yourself. You feel the way you do right now because of the thoughts you are thinking at this moment.

Let me illustrate this. How have you been feeling as you read this? You might have been thinking, "Cognitive therapy sounds too good to be true. It would never work for me." If your thoughts run along these lines, you are feeling skeptical or even discouraged. What causes you. to feel that way? Your thoughts. You create those feelings by the dialogue you are having with yourself about this book!

Conversely, you may have felt a sudden uplift in mood because you thought, "Hey, this sounds like something which might finally help me." Your emotional reaction is generated not by the sentences you are reading but by the way you are thinking. The moment you have a certain thought and believe it, you will experience an immediate emotional response. Your thought actually creates the emotion.

Customer Reviews

Best of the Self-Help Books
I have been dealing with anxiety and depression for many years and have read just about every type of book imaginable. The only reason I'm writing this review is that I found this book to be the best overall work I have ever read in the realm of self-help psychology.

One of the greatest parts about the book is that Dr. Burns' model of cognitive behavioral therapy is very thorough, yet it is easy to understand and incorporate into one's daily living. He recommends cognitive behavioral therapy as the first line defense in dealing with mood disorders. However, the beauty of the book lies in the fact that Dr. Burns does not simply dismiss psychotropic medications. He clearly states that medications in addition to his therapeutic techniques are wholly appropriate for many people. In fact, it this updated edition he goes into detail about the different classes and types of drug options available on the market today. This approach is refreshing for someone who is benefitting from the use of medication and wanting to incorporate cognitive behavioral therapy into their recovery without having to read a book which outright dismisses the role of medication in treatment.

Also of special significance is his list of 10 'Cognitive Distortions'. Here, he lays out a plan for recognizing faulty thinking, how these thoughts affect our moods, and how to correct these distortions.

In summation, Dr. Burns' book is a practical encapsulation of the ideas and theories of some of the great pioneers in the field of mental health such as Drs. Abraham Low, Albert Ellis, and Aaron Beck.

If you made it this far to decide whether or not to buy this book, read some of the other reviews then put it in your cart.

Best book of its kind
This book explains CBT in a very simple an easy to read fashion. It was the first Burns book (he has several), and so doesn't contain all the exercises that he developed later. I own all the books and use them in my own therapy and also when dealing with clients. These techniques work. When incorporated correctly and dilligently followed, I believe anyone can benefit from these concepts. CBT is quite simple really. Your moods are created by your thoughts and how you view your world. Change the thoughts and your are on your way to managing your moods.

One important note: Burns makes it time and time again in this book and the other books he has written. YOU MUST DO THE WRITTEN EXERCISES!! Otherwise you probably won't get it. Intellectual internalization by reading is not enough. You may learn a little but probably not enough to change your behavior or your moods. CBT is the leading technique in treating depression today.

The Power of Logic and Positive Thinking
As a counsellor, I am quite familiar with the use of Cognitive Therapy, not only in treating depression, but as a means of bringing balance and harmony to one's life, depressed or not. Cognitive Therapy is based on mood modification - a principle one can use on their own to eliminate symptoms and achieve personal growth. "Feeling Good" is aimed at ridding ourselves of negative thinking, that which holds us stagnant and inhibits personal growth. Even if you are on medication for depression, you can still use the principles outlined in this book as a form of self-help. Through these pages, the author will help the reader to understand why you feel as you do, the power of positive thinking, how to develop self-control and how you can change through mood modification. The book is quite lengthy and certainly not a book one should speed read. To maximum its use, one should read, digest and absorb the material slowly and attentively. It is an excellent self-help book written in a style that is easily understood by the layperson; you do not need a course in psychology to understand its meaning.