Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Dummies (3^rd Ed.)

Retrain your thinking and your life with these simple, scientifically proven techniques!

Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT for short, is often cited as the gold standard of psychotherapy. Its techniques allow you to identify the negative thought processes that hold you back and exchange them for new, productive ones that can change your life. CBT's popularity continues to grow, and more individuals are turning to CBT as a way to help develop a healthier, more productive outlook on life.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Dummies shows you how you can easily incorporate the techniques of CBT into your day-to-day life and produce tangible results. You?ll learn how to take your negative thoughts to boot camp and retrain them, establishing new habits that tackle your toxic thoughts and retool your awareness, allowing you to be free of the weight of past negative thinking biases.

• Move on: Take a fresh look at your past and maybe even overcome it
• Mellow out: Relax yourself through techniques that reduce anger and stress
• Lighten up: Read practical advice on healthy attitudes for living and ways to nourish optimism
• Look again: Discover how to overcome low self-esteem and body image issues

Whatever the issue, don?t let your negative thoughts have the last say?start developing your new outlook on life today with help from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Dummies!

Introduction 1

Part 1: Introducing CBT Basics 7

Chapter 1: You Feel the Way You Think 9

Chapter 2: Spotting Errors in Your Thinking 21

Chapter 3: Tackling Toxic Thoughts 43

Chapter 4: Designing and Conducting Behavioural Experiments 55

Chapter 5: Pay Attention! Refocusing and Retraining Your Awareness 67

Part 2: Charting the Course: Defining Problems and Setting Goals 79

Chapter 6: Exploring Emotions 81

Chapter 7: Identifying Solutions That Cause You Problems 105

Chapter 8: Setting Your Sights on Goals 119

Part 3: Putting CBT Into Action 129

Chapter 9: Standing Up to Anxiety and Facing Fear 131

Chapter 10: Abolishing Addictions 143

Chapter 11: Building a Better Body Image and Beating BDD 161

Chapter 12: Deconstructing and Demolishing Depression 183

Chapter 13: Sleeping Soundly 201

Chapter 14: Overcoming Obsessions 211

Chapter 15: Overcoming Low Self-Esteem and Accepting Yourself 225

Chapter 16: Cooling Down Your Anger 241

Chapter 17: Healing Illness Anxiety 261

Part 4: Looking Backwards and Moving Forwards 267

Chapter 18: Taking a Fresh Look at Your Past 269

Chapter 19: Moving New Beliefs from Your Head to Your Heart 287

Chapter 20: Heading for a Healthier and Happier Life 301

Chapter 21: Overcoming Obstacles to Progress 317

Chapter 22: Psychological Gardening: Maintaining Your CBT Gains 327

Chapter 23: Working with the Professionals 337

Part 5: The Part of Tens 351

Chapter 24: Ten Philosophies for Living That Work 353

Chapter 25: Ten Self-Esteem Boosters That Don’t Work 361

Chapter 26: Ten Mythical Monsters of Mental Health 367

Part 6: Appendixes 373

Appendix A: Recommended Resources 375

Appendix B: Forms 379

Index 395

Rhena Branch is an accredited CBT practitioner, supervisor and trainer who has trained hundreds of counselors. She is currently a lecturer at the University of East Anglia.

Rob Willson, PhD, is a cognitive behavioural therapist with over 25 years experience. He teaches and supervises internationally on CBT for OCD and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).