Product Description

Thoughts and Feelings adapts the powerful and widely adaptable techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) into a set of tools readers can use, not to solve a particular problem, but to overcome any of the emotional and behavioral changes that life throws their way. CBT recognizes that most negative feelings arise from confused, irrational thoughts. By learning to identify and change these thoughts and by replacing destructive and limiting behaviors with new, more constructive ones, readers can start steering their lives in the direction they want to go.

Changes to this new edition include revisions and updates to the core CBT chapters as well as a new chapter on how to use mindfulness to bring focus and intention to the process of change.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6815 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From the Publisher
Thoughts and Feelings was among the first workbooks to show readers how to apply the techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to problems ranging from anxiety and depression to out-of-control anger and obsessive thinking. This revised edition includes significant updates and a totally new chapter on using mindfulness practice to support a CBT program.

About the Author
Matthew McKay, Ph.D., is a professor at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. He is the author and coauthor of more than twenty-five books, including The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, Messages, When Anger Hurts, Self-Esteem and The Self-Esteem Guided Journal. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology. In private practice, he specializes in the cognitive behavioral treatment of anxiety, anger, and depression.

Martha Davis, Ph.D., is a psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry of Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Santa Clara, California, where she does individual, couple, and group psychotherapy. She is author of Relax: The Stress Reduction System and coauthor of The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook.

Patrick Fanning is a professional writer in the mental health field and the founder of a men's support group in Northern California. He is the coauthor of eight self-help books, including Messages, Self-Esteem, and Couple Skills.

Customer Reviews

Balanced guide to controlling your thoughts and emotions
Making the effort to change your thoughts and emotions is not an easy road - but access to the right tools, techniques and resources can help. Matthew McKay, Martha Davis and Patrick Fanning offer a thorough handbook on using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to deal with such serious emotional problems as panic disorder, phobias, obsessive thinking, depression and more. This workbook is a comprehensive guide to CBT, covering what it is, how it works and how you can use it (including worksheets) to restructure your thinking. getAbstract salutes the authors for this valuable self-help manual, and recommends it to interested readers for their own use or as a reference to help a loved one who needs to regain control over runaway emotions.

Reminds Me Of!
Great book on showing you how to use those thoughts and feelings to create a life you desire. The book stresses positive thoughts which bring on those positive emotions. This does remind me of the law of attraction and my favorite workbook, Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbook that also stresses the positive and gives you many, many recipes on how to follow this premise.

Read this book. It will help.
This book was recommended to me by an LCS when I sought help for depression several years ago. I was also perscribed Prozac which I took for several months. The combination worked for me and the book in particular was a great tool for me long term. CBT worked for me and this book was key.

I appreciated that this book was about DOING something about your emotions vs. thinking about and reflecting on WHY you're depressed, anxious, etc. I, like many people, know exactly why I don't naturally have the best mental outlook- thinking and reflecting on the why (ruminating on a past I was powerless to change, worrying that more horrible things might happen) was part of the reason I would get so very depressed. Especially useful for me were the techniques detailed in the book to end negative loops of thought. It took time to master, but I now use the lessons I learned in this book reflexively, without effort. It has made a huge difference in my life: I deal better with negative emotions, I note the change in my moods without being trapped by them nearly as often and I am generally happier, more forward thinking and positive.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone. If it doesn't help you, it couldn't possibly hurt. Not all of it will apply to you (for instance, almost none of the anger related stuff applied to me). Changing how you think is possible and can dramatically improve your life. Try it.