| Are Your Thoughts The Root Of Your Anxiety And Panic Disorder? The Feeling Good Handbook





300x250 Graphics

Are Your Thoughts The Root Of Your Anxiety And Panic Disorder? The Feeling Good Handbook

Posted on July 27, 2010
Filed Under Uncategorized |

I recently picked up the book Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Revised and Updated by Dr. David Burns. I must say that after a little bit of skepticism and reluctance to dive in to the book, I’ve really come around and realized that Burns may be correct in his declaration that our thoughts directly contribute to our anxiety and depression levels.

This book leads the reader through the basic assumptions and distortions we all make in our thoughts which cause stress. It’s a bit embarrassing and humbling to realize that you have been making many generalizations and assertions about your self and your circumstances without really even questioning them. When you use Dr. Burns’ tools to uncover how you’re being somewhat unrealistic and even untruthful in your perceptions, things can really begin to change.

This book uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you confront thoughts that you often have at the unconscious level. Seeing your assumptions - sometimes for the first time - can be extremely eye-opening.

I’m not even close to being finished reading this 700+ page book, but with every page I realize something profound about myself and how I automatically distort my perceptions of events and conversations. Early in the book Burns lays out how the book has actually been used in clinical trials and was found to lower depression and anxiety levels in large numbers of readers within months. I don’t know about you, but expecting a massive change in depression and anxiety levels by reading a book sounds about as easy and effective as it gets.

Also check out The Feeling Good Handbook, in which you are led through the lessons with a series of simple writing drills. Getting your thoughts out on paper where your false generalizations, distortions, labeling, and rationalizing literally stare you in the face from the page has an enormous effect on those who use this method. Thinking about your thoughts is one thing, but having them out in the open, laid out for you to realize can trigger a different breakthrough style altogether.

If you want to get The Feeling Good Handbook you don’t necessarily have to read Feeling Good
first. The same ground is covered and the drills are laid out for you to jump in to from the start.