The Feeling Good Handbook
by David D. Burns
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Book Reviews of The Feeling Good Handbook
Book Review: Which comes first, thought or emotion?
Summary: 3 Stars
As a book on cognitive therapy, this book is well-reputed and worth reading if only for the sections on communication. However, this kind of therapy depends a lot upon the patient's thinking process and the theory that feeling follows thought. While I agree with optimistic thinking, maintaining positive thoughts, and having a disciplined thought life, I do not agree with the idea that suppressing emotions by using pseudo-logic to dismiss and discount one's feelings to be any better than lying to yourself and denying what you feel. Burns demonstrates this problem himself in his book with the contrary advice he gives in the "Ten ways to untwist your thinking," and the advice he gives in the sections on communication where using techniques to untwist thinking is the wrong thing to do when trying to communicate with someone else. Thus, he wants you to talk to yourself in ways that he doesn't advise using with your friend which results in a self-inflicted hypocrisy where finding "what's true" or valid in the other persons communication is completely ignored in analyzing your own communications with yourself.
The critical aspects of untwisting your thinking are mostly valid from the standpoint of logic if your thinking is illogical to begin with, but it doesn't follow that the illogical thought causes the feeling in as much as the feeling causes people to form thoughts about their feelings using irrational thinking to demonstrate its emotive quality, which gets expressed in a language that can be corrected by logic. (That is, the fact that it is illogical (usually by universalizing or by moralizing) is what conveys the fact that it is a feeling being refered to, and that the feeling is the cause of the universalizing or moralizing conclusion.) For example, if a person says they feel like a failure, Burns' technique is to put the lie to the statement by looking at the person's successes as compared to failures and looking at the failures as learning experiences. Yet, the person may not be referring to specific failures exaggerated out of proportion to successes, but rather to a consistent failure to make himself happy even when successful; thus the person is saying that they are a failure at being happy. Consequently, the fact that we think with an acquired language, and that language is the media of expression, does not mean that the expression has a necessary identity with the emotion referred to. If so, then we would not be able to refer to an emotion, only express it. Thus, the thought/language may be formally incorrect in logic and composition simply because of an error in precision, yet still be a valid attempt to construct a language/media to express the emotion, much like bad art or poor grammar. Burns implicitly admits to the limited success of his "ten ways to untwist your thinking," when he discusses the problems he had using these techniques with patients and then goes on to effective communication techniques where the feeling is validated despite any irrational composition of the language expressed.
From one point of view, the techniques to untwist your thinking model a parental role like that in transactional analysis and can be successful for those who lacked parenting where logical thinking was modeled as a skill for problem solving. This is much like Alcoholics Anonymous where the program and a sponsor become the parent. The success of such techniques depend much on a persons susceptibility to authority and a degraded self-concept where they need someone else (whether a program, guru, or doctor) to assume responsibility for "fixing" them.
The section on communication is more balanced in that there is more of a co-operative dialogue where mutual dignity and validation is prominent and each person maintains authority over their own feelings and thoughts without having them discounted and dismissed. There is less of a competition to be "right" or superior to another and no "authority" to abuse or bully compliance. The techniques of communication have more relationship value while the techniques to untwist your thinking have a potential as tools for abuse simply because of their logical "authority." Thus, while they are helpful for an individual who can apply them as tools for self-help, they can be misused when used to attain authority over someone else.
If you believe that you feel the way you do because you think a certain way about yourself, this book is useful in changing the way you feel by changing your thinking, or by giving you a rationale for suppressing your feelings. If you think the way you do because you feel that way, then this book can do little more than offer some tools for communicating.
Book Review: Very important book
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a crucial book to evaluate for those suffering from depression but skeptical of the effectiveness of most psychologists and self-help books.Burns is one of the biggest popularizers of cognitive-behavioral therapy, one of extremely few therapeutic forms that have stood up to any scientific scrutiny. Over the last 20 years, CBT has become the predominant form of therapy practiced by psychologists. This book is intensive CBT, much more involving and direct than the form practiced in most psychologists' offices.
Burns takes a very simple approach: he does not place any weight on diagnostic categories or figuring out "why" people behave the way they do or the roots of their problems. Instead, every depressed thought is traced to irrational thought processes. Why those thought processes were developed is irrelevant; the challenge is identifying one's distortions and learning to think more rationally.
Contrary to some reviewers' opinions, I believe this book is best for people who have long-term depression in the medium range (recurrent major depression or dysthymia), with substantial experiences with psychologists. Clearly for more extreme cases - a manic depressive or a suicidal person - the first course of action should be a psychiatrist or psychologist, not a self-help book. This book requires a very high level of involvement and personal responsibility. I believe that it is patients who think of themselves as having a medical problem, seeing psychologists and taking medication for years and perhaps feeling dependent on them, who will at some crisis point become frustrated, develop the energy and motivation to work through a book like this and benefit the most from it. Patients with more minor depression will not feel sufficiently motivated to actually do the exercises, which take a substantial amount of time and clash with other life priorities.
CBT encourages short-term (only 12 weeks on average if seeing a psychologist!) therapy and extreme personal responsibility. For most problems, I believe CBT, either in the form of this book or combined with short-term therapy, is much better than seeing a psychologist long-term. Long-term psychotherapy without very clear goals strongly encourages dependence on the psychologist or medication and reinforces the idea that one is permanently ill. This dependence produces further irrational thinking and can very easily lead to continual depression. Reading a book like this and doing its exercises is an exercise in independence and self-reliance and a major accomplishment in itself. The ability to solve one's own problems is difficult to achieve but extremely powerful - perhaps the only solution - for relieving long-term depression.
Burns feels that virtually no one should be on medication long-term - more than about a year - a view that is somewhat debatable (he excludes, obviously, bipolar and schizophrenic patients). The long-term effectiveness of SSRIs is unproven, but Burns' one-year limit seems purely arbitrary.
CBT is also more art than science - although anyone with any experience with psychologists or self-help books will realize that this is true of the entire field. Often Burns' methods and categorizations of irrational thoughts seem completely arbitrary and hardly authoritative. They could probably use more refinement and clarity. What I think is important is that CBT, and even simply reading Burns' book "Feeling Good", have been demonstrated through scientific means - double-blind testing - to produce considerable improvement.
All in all, this is a book with a clear philosophy that has stood up to scientific scrutiny, unlike psychoanalysis or most other therapeutic methods practiced by psychologists. It requires high involvement and emphasizes personal responsibility, and one has to develop considerable motivation to make any use of it. But the results can be extremely worthwhile.
Book Review: Works for many, for all not
Summary: 3 Stars
I have suffered from on/off depression for the last 18 years or so. Some years ago, I stumbled upon CBT and tried it to improve my life: this, I did in many ways. Recently, I've been feeling particularly low and, looking around on the Web, I decided to get myself a copy of Burns' and a copy of Ellis'(REBT) books.
To my dismay and to that of my therapist, these techniques did not seem to work.I was advised to change to another CBT therapist. However, on a lucky and inspired decision, I went for a non-CBT therapist. In just one session, the clues which had been surfacing for some time became clear.
The reason why I could not let go of my perfectionism, my high expectations of moral and societal behavior, my aspiration for a life less ordinary, etc and the reason why I could/would never be happy if I had to let go of these was that these so-called "distorted thoughts" apply to a majority of people but not to all. To a minority of people, these are not distorted thoughts but are the very essence of their self/soul.
I got myself a book on gifted adults and learned about the new definition of giftedness. It had very little to do with IQ but was more a question of certain definite traits. I was so relieved to learn that I was not abnormal for being so different from the people around me. I do not think the way others do, I do not share many of their views but now I know that this is OK. I do not have to beat myself to be like them.
This does not mean that I am done with my unstable mood but it's a new beginning for me.
I do not dispute the fact that distorted thoughts do exist and that they indeed make our life miserable. For example, feeling bad for a whole week because you inadvertently slighted someone or 'mind-reading' somebody without any evidence are, of course, not conducive to a healthy mindset. But, as for anything else, when reading/using the book, you have to make proper discernment. You need to be very careful as to what applies to you and to your PRESENT situation, and to what does not.
I'd say that, as long as applying a technique and getting rid of a 'distorted' thought works (makes you happier), then so good! But, beware if you've been trying to counter a 'distorted' thought for some time and it just does not sit in. You are trying to go against your natural self. It's a lost battle; you'll never feel comfortable walking the path you were not meant to.
If you've never tried CBT before, go ahead and try this book. But ask yourself questions if you do not get the results you were expecting. Sit back and think awhile if you beat your self and yet can't get rid of a 'distorted' thought.
Depression is indeed THE illness of the century. The traditional views on the causes of it are getting more and more supplemented by new discoveries. There are thousands of possible causes for your depression. Harbouring 'distorted' thoughts is just one of these. I found a new one recently: many people around the globe get depressed because they cannot fit in; they beat themselves to be like the mainstream and they fall into depression. They do not realize that they are different and rightly so. They are a group which has been coined gifted. The problem is that many people will not even consider that fact; after all, we've been trained to be modest and humble. Is it not so terribly vain and pompous to call oneself gifted?
Book Review: Not for me
Summary: 1 Stars
There are obviously many people who were helped by this book, but I am not one of them. This book is the result of a very major effort, but what turns me off is that the author seems overly optimistic about the results you can get from his methods, and at times seems a bit condescending and even a bit self-congratulatory. He also appears at times a little naive.
Dr. Burns seems to believe that all problems are created equal, or at least capable of getting dramatically better, even for those who are marginalized or ignored by the rest of society. In these cases, for someone to suggest that someone's depression is simply the result of "faulty" thinking is offensive to me. It encourages the rest of society to be comfortable in believing that it is the depressed person's fault for being the way he/she is, and for not working hard enough to correct his "wrong" thinking. What social justice is there in that?
For the doctor to suggest that he can put an end to marital conflict to me is nothing but pure bunk. There is no way to permanently end marital conflict except to get a divorce. Many other experts say that couples who can openly argue with one another actually have BETTER marriages. To say that marital conflict can be ended is to say that we can have a world without war. Conlict is an inevitable part of life, and we should work to minimize it, but sometimes it cannot be prevented.
It really disturbs me that an entire school of thought has developed around the idea that nobody needs to be depressed, and that if they are, it is simply because they are not being "rational". For many people this is true. For example, I don't think that Britney Spears or Paris Hilton ever needs to get depressed. When they do, it is very apparent to me that they are being irrational. But for many of the rest of us, being depressed is simply being realistic. If rational-emotive therapy is so great, how come it wasn't developed sooner? I believe that this is just the thinking of the age, and that someday it may be partially discredited, just as was Freud and psychoanalysis. I don't think it will be entirely discredited, because some of the ideas can be effective if applied correctly.
It is almost a scientific fact that people need to be acknowledged. When a baby is ignored by its mother, very often it will get sick and die, even if it gets plenty of food and water. I believe that there is a biological need for love, no matter how old we are. Humans also have a variety of other needs, as discovered by Abraham Maslow in his heirarchy of needs. People who are mentally or biologically inferior have more difficulty in getting these needs met, and to me it is a mistake to label these people as "irrational". We are, indeed, not created equal, nor are we equally capable of being happy. In many cases it will be possible to feel "better", but it may never be possible to feel "good".
Book Review: Genuinely useful
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this book a few years ago and find myself visiting this page at Amazon because I want to recommend it to a friend and find that my own copy is out on loan to someone else!There are so many self-help books on the market that I tend to be wary of them, but I found this one genuinely helpful at a time when practical help was really needed. Dr Burns says it very clearly himself - you have to do the exercises to get the benefit, because this sort of approach is all about getting intimate with the thoughts in your own head. The book does give theoretical explanations, but fundamentally it's a practical tool to help you to get inside your own head and change what's going on there. Dr Burns' approach is about challenging your own negative thoughts, which some people might say you don't need a book and exercises to do. I can only say that when I was deeply depressed it was exactly what I did need - someone to take me gently but firmly by the hand and lead me through my own head in order that I could get through the paralysis and begin functioning again.
Dr Burns includes a depression rating test which enables you to monitor your own progress. I found that this had 2 applications - firstly it helped me to take my own depression seriously, and secondly it encouraged me to keep going as I could see the results of Dr Burns' approach on a daily basis.
A lot of people don't like being told what to do, especially when it comes to dealing with their own problems. This book does require that you come at it with an open mind and are willing to be guided to some extent, and are willing to be honest about what's really going on with you. The exercises are deceptively easy and for this reason I can see that some people might be dismissive of the approach. On the plus side you can hit the exercises absolutely at your own level - you don't have to tackle everything all at once. Start with the 'little' things if that's where you're at (motivating yourself to eat lunch, for instance). No-one else can tell you exactly why you're depressed and what's going to make it change for you. This book is for people who really want to feel better and are willing to make an effort on their own behalf but want to do it at their own pace and not feel bullied. It isn't easy to come through depression - it's paralysing by nature. This book can't do it for you, but it can be a companion through it.
I still do refer to this book and use the exercises when I get stuck (it also includes a fantastic section on procrastination which I would recommend to anyone, depressed or not!) I also want to add, though, that at the time that I was first using the book I was also taking anti-depressant medication - without that I wouldn't have been able to even pick up a book like this, never mind work with it! It's not the same for everyone, but don't beat yourself up if you need the medication too.