Product Description

A revolutionary, proven-effective model that shows you how to:
· Identify symptoms of mixed anxiety and depression
· Cope with negative and painful emotions
· Calm your anxious mind
· Regulate dramatic mood shifts
· Learn how to soothe yourself
· energy and enthusiasm

Imagine feeling depressed and drained of energy and initiative while also being overwhelmed with feelings of dread and anxiety about the future. The consequence of this intolerable state of mind amounts to behavioral paralysis, a profound loss of control and quality of life. Therapist call this condition co-occuring depression and anxiety. Clinical research suggests that 60 percent of depression sufferers concurrently experience some kind of anxiety disorder. This book, the first written to general readers about this condition, uses the powerful techniques of dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, to help readers control both conditions.

DBT begins with the assumption that psychological problems are the result of feeling or emotional responses that are in conflict. It integrates a range of theraputic techniques to "tease apart" and resolve the competing internal needs and urges that generate anger, depression, and anxiety. By recognizing these conflicting emotions and forming new expectations, readers alleviate the symptoms generated by these conflicts. The book begins by having readers identify their most painful inner conflict. Then they develop compromises that acknowledge the issue but limit its ability to interfere with their lives—effectively reducing the extent to which their emotions govern who they are or what that are capable of. Exercises focus on assisting readers to become more responsive to uplifitng aspects of their enviroment and tolerant of unavoidable emotions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18159 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 280 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781572243637
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From the Publisher
An expert in dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, shows readers who struggle with both anxiety and depression how to use ideas from this powerful therapy to relieve their symptoms and regain control of their lives. Readers use mindfulness techniques and cognitive behavioral strategies to tolerate distress, silence negative self-talk, and resolve inner dialectical conflict.

· Statisticians report that more than 50 million Americans suffer from depression and anxiety
· This is the first book to address co-occurring depression and anxiety
· From a leading expert in dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT—the newest, breakthrough model in psychology today

From the Back Cover
As if coping with feelings of depression or anxiety by themselves weren’t difficult enough, clinical research suggests that as many as 60 percent of depression sufferers concurrently experience some kind of anxiety disorder. If you are in this group, it is quite common to simultaneously experience profound loss of energy and initiative along with substantial stress and anxiety. Caught between the push and pull of these two conditions, you might find that neither is easy even to recognize, much less cope with. But, by adapting for the first time the powerful techniques of dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, to the special needs of people troubled by co-occurring depression and anxiety, this book offers powerful tools for overcoming this condition. DBT is designed for people who have lost hope and meaningfulness in life, who question their own ability to be influential in their world, who find their emotions intolerable, and who find that they try to escape and avoid important aspects of their lives. DBT may be just the tool you’ve been looking for to move beyond depression and anxiety.

The step-by-step exercises, techniques, and worksheets in this book work to identify painful inner conflicts that might underlie depression and anxiety symptoms. Then, by negotiating a series of compromises, the techniques help acknowledge these issues while limiting their ability to interfere with your life—effectively reducing the extent to which your emotions govern who you are or what you are capable of. This book explains mindfulness techniques that encourage participation in the world and allow easier adaptation to change. It treats the difference between "threat cues" and "safety cues" and how recognizing and reacting to them constructively can reduce the effects of anxiety and depression. By teaching you how to monitor and limit negative self-evaluations and how to best tolerate negative experience, this book gives you a powerful set of tools for the control of co-occurring depression and anxiety.

About the Author
Thomas Marra, Ph.D., is the president of the Center for Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Monterey, California. He is the founder and clinical director of both the Monterey Psychiatric Health Facility and the Monterey Mental Health Network.

Customer Reviews

more questions than answers, did not work for me
Dialectical behavior therapy (a form of Cognitive Therapy), this book is based upon, is derived, in part, from a process in which seemingly contradictory facts or ideas are weighed against each other to come up with a resolution or balance. For instance, you might learn about accepting who you are, faults and all, while at the same time making changes in your thoughts and behaviors. Sounds great, doesn't it?

The first 10 pages were extremely interesting and hopeful. But then, suddenly, the book becomes cryptic and hard to follow.

I consider myself to be someone of at least average intelligence with a BA in psychology. I've read and used many of self-help books with a degree of success.

As much as I wanted to like this book, I failed to understand its philosophical foreign concepts. Even simple ideas, felt more complex than needed to be, given some esoteric definitions. I wish I could have given you an example, but unfortunately, I was so lost in this book.

I am not sure who is at fault: the author for not explaining it, myself for failing to understand, or DBT being so complex, but after about 2/3 of this book, I finally mindfully accepted that I needed to give up.

I my opinion,there are two problems with this book.

1. The author is just unable to explain new concepts to a newbie, especially when they are so "new-age". Marra is more suited to be a researcher, rather than write a self-help book for a patient who is confused and reduced by his/her problems in the first place and has no prior background in psychology or philosophy. (It can be done, just read Mind over Mood by Greenberg and you'll see what a clear and well organized self-help book has to look like).

2. Quite possibly, DBT is not well suited to be self-taught from a book.

At some point, I will give this book another go, and if I feel any different, I will amend my review accordingly. By no means, I would give up on DBT since study after study confirms its superior effectiveness in treating Borderline Personality Disorder as well as more common intense emotions.

A Pithy work
In purchasing T. Marra's work on Dialectical Behavior Therapy, I was believing I purchased a workbook suitable for use in session that would assist my struggling client's work through the complicated issues of low stress tolerance and other areas of dysregultaion. Alas, I was greeted with another author utilizing advanced terminology and contradicting the endorsement that this manual would "penetrate the jargon of dialectics." It is a useless manual for my clientele. Marra's work is yet another writing that requires too much effort at untangling his psycho language. The client's read the material and are lost at how to use the skills in a manner that will increase their quality of life. This is also my complaint with Marsha Linahan's works. Her material is appropriate for graduate work but not in the trenches of the clinical office. If an agency can afford her tapes, the material is then broken down but most non-profit agenices are not so fortunate. With Marra's manual, I discovered more of the same on my search to find materials helpful for breaking down the complicated techniques so they may be easily applied with the individual in session and in groups. GFL LCSW

Excellent therapy for depression and anxiety consumers
I'm the webowner of Mental Health Today. The author has taken dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) which was originally used for borderline personality disorder consumers and prepared it for the use of consumers who experience anxiety and depression disorders. The book is excellent! Workbook filled with wonderful exercises. It's about time DBT has been claimed to assist other disorders and has been done so well in this book. Highly recommend!