Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Product Type: Book Author(s): David D, MD Burns, Aaron T. Beck Publisher: Avon Release Date: April, 1999 List Price: $15.00 Our Price: $10.50
What Other Customers Had to Say About This Item
[ Average Customer Rating: 4.49 ]
Rating: 5 :: 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.
Rating: 4 :: Cognitive therapy...one of the few that works. And not just for depression. I find that the critical thinking skills taught in this book can be helpful for nearly everyone. After doing cognitive therapy for depression, I realized that even people who are not considered 'depressed' often make painful mistakes in logic which can lead to all sorts of problems...one possibility being depression. Yes, it may be a chemical disorder (I find Dr. Burns to be very objective in stating that ALL the evidence just isn't in yet) but is it going to do any good to tell someone with this disorder that it's all chemical and not in their power to control? I don't advocate blaming the patient for his/her problem, but people need to start taking as much responsibility as they can for the way they feel. This book can help you do that, even if you still depend on medication. I found that I did not need to take anti-depressants by using the techniques of cognitive therapy. I love logic, I love rational thinking, and I love feeling like I have control over my life and the way I feel. I do not want to surrender this freedom to drugs, or to thinking that my mind is just a bowlful of chemicals that I cannot control. Also, I find it a nice change compared to modes of therapy that dredge into your childhood and personal life to find someone else to blame. Sorry, but I don't feel like lying on a couch so some neo-Freud can get off on all the dirty little details of my sex life and potty training...for months or years. Cognitive therapy can work swiftly, and by spending 7 bucks on this book, you can avoid lining a scam artist's pocket with thousands of your dollars. Dr. Burns may be mushy at times, but I believe he is sincere in his mushiness...and putting up with it is a small price for learning a technique that can make your life better.
Rating: 4 :: Excellent book, with a few problems, but still very good This book would get five stars from me if it weren't so long. On page 272 of this rambling marathon of words, there is an absolutely fantastic self-administered test that's kind of an emotional general battery of questions. It alone is worth the price of this book. The few chapters that follow it describing the test's findings are also excellent. There's also a short test of the severity of one's depression toward the front of the book that's very good. It yields a number that tells you if your depression is mild or severe or at a dangerous level. But this book is TOO LONG! Seven hundred pages of ideas that could have easily been conveyed in two or three hundred pages. I think I read that Dr. Burns favors a combination of drug therapy and cognitive therapy over twenty times. I really only needed to read that once.
This one's like going to a flea market. You have to sort through lots and lots of rather dull, uninteresting text to find the jewels. But to be fair to the author, there ARE jewels in this one. I recommend it highly, even though it's parity on brevity and conciseness.
