Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Dummies (For Dummies)

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy focuses on how you react to a situation, encouraging you to create new thought patterns to combat destructive beliefs and actions. This bestselling guide to CBT helps you identify the negative modes of thinking that have been holding you back and shows you how to assess and combat them. With new content on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and on overcoming addiction, this book is your toolkit for success. Whether you want to rise above anxiety or depression, boost your self-esteem or simply improve your overall outlook, the building blocks for a happier life are right here.

• Read the signs – learn to explore your emotions and spot errors in your thinking

• Maintain your mind – use psychological gardening to weed out negative thoughts and watch your positivity bloom

• Set the goalposts of success – train your sights on achievable tasks and look forward to the future

• Don't be afraid – discover how to control your anxiety and learn to face your fears

• Kick the habit – develop key skills to eradicate addictions and problem behaviour from your everyday life

Open the book and find:

• Techniques to refocus and retrain your awareness

• Why some 'solutions' are actually causing you problems

• Ways to get rid of unhealthy guilt

• How to tackle eating disorders and body dysmorphia

• The benefits of loosening your grip on control

• Ways to maintain and strengthen positive beliefs

• Guidance on accepting your past and enjoying the present

• How to lighten up and enjoy life

Learn to:

• Identify and tackle toxic thought patterns

• Banish the behaviours that are holding you back

• Use CBT to overcome addiction, depression, anger, and more

• Reassess your past and address the present to achieve a happier, healthier life

Once the province of mental health professionals, CBT (or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) has gained wide acceptance as the treatment of choice for anyone looking to overcome anxiety, manage anger, beat an addiction, lose weight or simply gain a new outlook on life. Written by two CBT therapists, this bestselling guide helps you apply the principles of CBT in your everyday life-allowing you to spot errors in your thinking; tackle toxic thoughts; refocus and retrain your awareness; and finally, stand up to and become free of the fear, depression, anger, and obsessions that have been plaguing you.

• Includes tips on establishing ten healthy attitudes for living as well as ten ways to lighten up
• Helps you chart a path by defining problems and setting goals
• Offers advice on taking a fresh look at your past, overcoming any obstacles to progress as well as ways to maintain your CBT gains
• Includes new and refreshed content, including chapters on how to beat an addiction and overcome body image issues

With indispensable advice on finding your way out of the debilitating maze of negative thoughts and actions, the book is brimming with invaluable suggestions that will have even a confirmed pessimist well armed for the journey forward.

Part I: Introducing CBT Basics.

Chapter 1: You Feel the Way You Think.

Chapter 2: Spotting Errors in Your Thinking.

Chapter 3: Tackling Toxic Thoughts.

Chapter 4: Behaving like a Scientist: Designing and Conducting Behavioural Experiments.

Chapter 5: Pay Attention! Refocusing and Retraining Your Awareness.

Part II: Charting the Course: Defining Problems and Setting Goals.

Chapter 6: Exploring Emotions.

Chapter 7: Identifying Solutions That Cause You Problems.

Chapter 8: Setting Your Sights on Goals.

Part III: Putting CBT Into Action.

Chapter 9: Standing Up to Anxiety and Facing Fear.

Chapter 10: Abolishing Addictions.

Chapter 11: Beating Body Image Blues.

Chapter 12: Deconstructing and Demolishing Depression.

Chapter 13: Overcoming Obsessions.

Chapter 14: Overcoming Low Self-esteem and Accepting Yourself.

Chapter 15: Cooling Down Your Anger.

Part IV: Looking Backwards and Moving Forwards.

Chapter 16: Taking a Fresh Look at Your Past.

Chapter 17: Moving New Beliefs from Your Head to Your Heart.

Chapter 18: Heading for a Healthier and Happier Life.

Chapter 19: Overcoming Obstacles to Progress.

Chapter 20: Psychological Gardening: Maintaining Your CBT Gains.

Chapter 21: Working with the Professionals.

Part V: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 22: Ten Healthy Attitudes for Living.

Chapter 23: Ten Self-Esteem Boosters That Don’t Work.

Chapter 24: Ten Ways to Lighten Up.

Chapter 25: Ten Books to Add to Your Library.

Appendix A: Resources.

Appendix B: Forms.

Index.