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"Feeling Good" by David Burns. Sounds like a pop-psych title, but it is not. At 28 years of age, I am fairly certain this is the most important book I have ev

by lusr 15y ago

"Feeling Good" by David Burns. Sounds like a pop-psych title, but it is not. At 28 years of age, I am fairly certain this is the most important book I have ever and will ever read in my entire life (but then I desperately needed it - it is the user's manual to my brain that has allowed me to debug so much of my problematic thought processes).

charlieflowers 15y ago
I will second this. I read it over 20 years ago, when I was 17, and it changed my life. It is basically a friendly introduction to how to apply cognitive therapy to yourself. I've read a lot of books in my life that I said "Wow" about, but not many that I still say "Wow" about 20 years later.
- lusr 15y ago
  I was about to say I envy you for having 10 extra years to apply clearer thinking, but the funny thing is I discovered the book years ago and wasn't interested in getting past the first chapter. It was only when I crashed hard due to some messy circumstances that I realised I needed to go back to it and read it properly (and to perform the exercises!).
tryitnow 15y ago
I third this. I highly recommend this book, especially to people who are analytically oriented.
- lusr 15y ago
  I agree with the 'analytically oriented' part, although I've been wondering recently if that description is not just a indication of somebody who's willing to work systematically through something and apply it consistently over a course of time. People who don't realise that change is difficult will seek out books that promise merely reading something that hadn't known about before and simple attitude shifts will bring about change (hence the market for "The Secret" and its ilk). I understand this because that was my default thinking too. In time, experience led me to identifying this hidden belief and challenging it. Then I stumbled on my #2 book which describes the model for change that I use: "Changing for Good" by Prochaska et al. Just as with "Feeling Good", there are so many pages I'd read and think "Ahh I know exactly when I fall into THAT trap".

by lusr 15y ago

charlieflowers 15y ago

I will second this. I read it over 20 years ago, when I was 17, and it changed my life. It is basically a friendly introduction to how to apply cognitive therapy to yourself. I've read a lot of books in my life that I said "Wow" about, but not many that I still say "Wow" about 20 years later.

lusr 15y ago
I was about to say I envy you for having 10 extra years to apply clearer thinking, but the funny thing is I discovered the book years ago and wasn't interested in getting past the first chapter. It was only when I crashed hard due to some messy circumstances that I realised I needed to go back to it and read it properly (and to perform the exercises!).

tryitnow 15y ago

I third this. I highly recommend this book, especially to people who are analytically oriented.

lusr 15y ago
I agree with the 'analytically oriented' part, although I've been wondering recently if that description is not just a indication of somebody who's willing to work systematically through something and apply it consistently over a course of time. People who don't realise that change is difficult will seek out books that promise merely reading something that hadn't known about before and simple attitude shifts will bring about change (hence the market for "The Secret" and its ilk). I understand this because that was my default thinking too. In time, experience led me to identifying this hidden belief and challenging it. Then I stumbled on my #2 book which describes the model for change that I use: "Changing for Good" by Prochaska et al. Just as with "Feeling Good", there are so many pages I'd read and think "Ahh I know exactly when I fall into THAT trap".