Reading a new book

I just started reading Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David Burns. Has anyone tried to read this book? Is it any good? From what I've read it is one of the few books that has provided scientifically backed results, so I decided to try it. Between that, my meds and the T, maybe I can make some progress.

No, but I am a sucker for books. Please let me know how it goes.

I have read through most of it. I particularly like the fact that they give a lot of examples and come at it from a clinical approach with a lot of exercises to do. I've used a fair amount of the techniques they've mentioned and it really helped put things in perspective. For example. One of the exercises is to get a counter (like a golf one) and click it everytime you have a negative thought about yourself. And then of course you follow up with rationalizing it and etc. I found it fascinating to note that I started easily close to the hundred range and after a week or so it went down to the 20s. Part of it was because it was just to exhausting to rationalize so my mind just didn't bother to say it anymore haha but it worked so I don't care how it happened. The book is nice best of luck using it!

One the one hand, the general approach you'll find in Burns' Feeling Good book has not worked for me. On the other hand, I think you are working the problem in an outstanding manner -- coming at it from multiple angles:

• formal therapy
• medications (psychiatrist or other doctor)
• self-help

Unless the multiple approaches become overwhelming, you are maximizing your chances for progress.

I wish you success!

Thanks, I'm going to give things a try.... I haven't been able to get out of bed all afternoon so I might as well read something useful! The meds are starting to kick in and I feel less aggressive and angry. What I'm hoping to get either from the book or my T is some strategy to actually accomplish real world tasks. Right now I haven't even been able to make a phone call. So that's my goal at the moment.

not read it. but perhaps i should now you mention it

though i seriously doubt it will do me much good..

I've read it but found the exercises to be overwhelming for me. I guess I didn't get it. When I read it, it made sense but when I tried to do the exercises I couldn't think of anything to write. I think if there was a class based on it, I would have understood it better. It just seemed to be a waste of time for me to try and do the exercises, but it did have a lot of good information and was worth reading.

Maybe I should mention it to my T and see if he can help me with it... Apparently it's based on some sort of cognitive therapy and there are many ts that base their practice on it. I'm just sick of sitting there and having someone just listen... I want someone to tell me what to do!

That sounds like a good idea. I think if I had had a guide to help me it would have been beneficial.

Would you try it again with your T?