Best Cbt Books?

[hummm_mabbe]

Hulloooo

I dont personally use CBT anymore as I had it for a few years and went as far as I could with it, but I find myself recommending it to others from time to time. Back then I had some good books, that I still recommend now, but I wondered if mabbe I am a bit out of date. I recommend David Burns books, like "feeling good", and "When Panic Attacks", as well as "Mind over mood" by Padesky - but I wondered if there are newer, better titles that people have come across?

That way I wont be recommending old crusty ones to people

Ross

[just.me]

I have to say that sometimes trying to cure yourself does not work. I would not even begin to try to cure my personality trait, i.e the emotional side of my head. I know it is around 18 years old, and I have no idea how to unlock it to reach my actual age.

I would suggest books for anxiety/panic attacks, but not for anything that is more complex.

You could actually cause more damage than you would do good.

[hummm_mabbe]

I have to say that sometimes trying to cure yourself does not work. I would not even begin to try to cure my personality trait, i.e the emotional side of my head. I know it is around 18 years old, and I have no idea how to unlock it to reach my actual age.

I would suggest books for anxiety/panic attacks, but not for anything that is more complex.

You could actually cause more damage than you would do good.

Who said anything about trying to cure yourself?

If I do at all, I recommend books as a prelude to or add on to therapy, or in the hope that someone who is totally resistant to the idea of therapy might be encouraged to take up some by reading the books relevant to that therapy style. There is method to my madness ...

Even some depressions remain intractable without therapy, in fact Im of the view that only the mildest depressions and anxietites respond to self help. Even face-to-face CBT itself has a woeful relapse rate and only a middling initial success rate (are you still believing the clinical trials? Out in the wild the numbers dont quite stack up).

They dont call it "self help hell" for nothing..., but that said, self education goes a long way and is an important part of therapy.

Ross

[just.me]

I tried CBT I went once! That was for anxiety/depression. I already knew about writing all the shite down, and for me once was enough. I got out of the depression myself, but in part believe the meds play a huge role.

I've bought a BPD book! and previously one about Panic Attacks!

I think we are all different Ross, I've no patience I can read, but the meditating and stuff don't think I could ever get into, because of my hyperactivity! and not being able to stick to anything!

I think CBT does work for somethings, and some people, unfortunately like meds we have to try a lot of things on for size before we find it fits!

[thesloaneranger]

im with sioux...had CBT once and it made all my probs seem even more real!!

when it comes to self help, im afraid im a "dummies" fan....got all sorts of them, inc the CBT one which i found was more helpful than an actual course. prob an old crusty one to you ross, but sometimes the old ones are the best!

having said that, im reading "moving forward" just now, and its deffo giving me food for thought.xxx

[msmaz]

I have just ordered a book called'understanding panic attacks and overcoming fear' by Dr Roger Baker.i don't think it will cure me but may gave me a better insight into panic attacks,hopefully :rolleyes:

[Lily-Bee]

I thought"Feeling good" was really good,it for depression but really explaines CBT well,its a selfhelp sorta books loads of examples on how to use CBT tools,and those can apply to anything you want/need to work on,not just depression.

Lilly

[Lily-Bee]

Oopsy you already mentioned that one yourself!

Lilly

[Dani]

im finding cbt a real help right now and was thinking about getting a book to read too.

im a very practical person and i feel that works better with cbt.

that said as said b4...we are all different :)

[suzieq]

I had CBT for many years, 3 different times with different therapists. Whilst it felt like it was helping at the time, as soon as the therapy stops, so does my belief that there is anything that will ever really be useful. Can't get out of bed let alone keep a diary of feelings/thoughts and the (sometimes harmful) self analysis that it seems to promote.

Have read many books over the years but as far as helping to understand yourself personally I found (as Ross mentioned) "Mind Over Mood" by Pardesky pretty useful.

Rossy, I know you are a fan of "Mindfulness" as am I. There is no self analysis required with that, just a different way of looking at the world and life in general. I feel that CBT brings a lot of negative feelings to the fore, whereas "Mindfulness" simply teaches you to accept thoughts and feelings for what they are without having to relive the experience..

Have to also agree with Sioux, what benefits one person may be detrimental to another. Trial and error is the only way to find out what does or doesn't work for each of us as individuals.

[hummm_mabbe]

OK

First, I wanna say thanks to those folks who made suggestions, I shall notch them up in me brainie part.

But Ive sort of been holding my tongue on this one, but now Im going to say it, because well, I felt a little bit irked. Not enraged, not shoutey, but a bit irked ... mildly miffed ... at some of the replies. I know people aren't being horrid, and if I phrased myself badly, then maybe ive added to my own prollems, but I felt like I was trying to be pretty clear Perhaps I have some self discovery to do ...

Nowhere in this thread have I suggested CBT to anyone. That is not the point of what I was asking.

Sometimes, with some people, I talk about books. Some of those books are CBT ones I usually talk about books when the person does not want to enter therapy, has had therapy and thought it sucked (but might go back) or when they have no access to any kind of help at all, or are on one of the NHS's famous waiting lists for that therapy. Other than that, I tend to avoid book recommendations. CBT is IMO good for a limited range of things, and especially in PD's - if appropriate at all - will be generally one part of an ongoing plan of attack. Books similarly - the reason I recommened a book is pretty much when all other avenues are exhausted, or when its possible that reading might open the person up to new ideas - eg therapy. I might recommend a book if a person is feeling stuck in a certain kind of therapy, and feel that a book from a different approach miught add a new dimension. Anyone who has ever read my posts will know that even if I talk about therapies, I usually try to come up with a range of alternatives. I actually make quite an effort NOT to favour any one type because Ive been picked up on it in the past, but also because I recognise different therapies work well for different folks.

The reason I have posted is because, if and when I suggest any kind of CBT book I want to make sure its an up to date one. I like to recommend all sorts of books (when and only when it seems appropriate) including mindfulness based, DBT based, schema based, trauma based, abuse based, attachment based, inner child based - that is to say many other books than just CBT ones. I just happened to wonder if my CBT books were a bit old. As some of you may know, I have been in and out of therapy for about 7 years, and had a number of therapies, so Im pretty surprised that people got the idea that I would in any way think that CBT is a panacea, especially when I actually said in my opening post that it only went so far for me.

I feel surprised that people have felt the need to add caveats to a thread that in no way shape or form was actually recommending CBT to anyone. I just wanted to make sure that the CBT part of my library was up to date, with books people DID like and thank you to those folks who made suggestions

Please, can we actually try to keep any dicussion to what was asked - eg books you may have found helpful? Im fully aware of the limitations of CBT as Ive had it for 3 years myself, as well as studied it. Im not about to blithely tell someone in the depths of crisis that if only they 'challenged their irrational thoughts' they would feel much better. There's also the fact that people are intelligent - they have the right and capacity to decide if what I am blithering on about is at all relevant for them.

That said I would always be up for contributing to a new thread on the experiecnes and pros and cons of different therapies people have had. I think that would be really useful.

Mini-rantette over **offers conciliatory huggle if people arent feeling too irritated to have one**

Ross

[Dani]

well i havent read any yet...but would like to.not sure what to start with.

xx

[hummm_mabbe]

well i havent read any yet...but would like to.not sure what to start with.

xx

Hi Dani Tinkles

When my therapist is in CBT mode (she does a couple of types) she gives her patients a book called Mind Over Mood by Greenberger and Padesky, the same one that suzie said she had too. Its very detailed, and really breaks down the process for you and gives lots of examples. Maybe you likey, maybe you not :)

[Dani]

thanks ross

i shall have a look

anything to help e along the way xx

[thesloaneranger]

just picked up a fairly good book yesterday, although its VERY heavy going. perhaps because im out of the worst im able to read it more, and im not sure if anyone whos currently feeling right-royally crap will be up to it.

its called "cognitive therapy of depression", and although originally printed in 1979, this is a new re-print, so its ovbiously useful as they wouldnt keep printing it if it wasnt! lol! i believe its used alot by psychology students to help them learn and it covers everything........i still prefer the "dummies" guide to cbt tho as its just so much easier to understand.

ross, you kinda lost me in your mini-rant, but i can see what you meant.....i like self help books, and wether or not what im reading is actually going to help me is irrelevant as its all learning at the end of the day :)

[hummm_mabbe]

just picked up a fairly good book yesterday, although its VERY heavy going. perhaps because im out of the worst im able to read it more, and im not sure if anyone whos currently feeling right-royally crap will be up to it.

its called "cognitive therapy of depression", and although originally printed in 1979, this is a new re-print, so its ovbiously useful as they wouldnt keep printing it if it wasnt! lol! i believe its used alot by psychology students to help them learn and it covers everything........i still prefer the "dummies" guide to cbt tho as its just so much easier to understand.

ross, you kinda lost me in your mini-rant, but i can see what you meant.....i like self help books, and wether or not what im reading is actually going to help me is irrelevant as its all learning at the end of the day

Lol yus my powers of summary are still rather weak arent they My midi-chlorian count must be low ...

Is that the one by Aaron T Beck (the big daddy of CBT lol)? Glad you are liking them bookies. If only they could make ones that climb off your shelf and give you cuddles. Lol awww

[thesloaneranger]

yup....Aaron T Beck it is! would i be right in assuming thats a book which is gracing your bookshelf? lol!

the dummies books are fab, and they do give u cuddles lol! ive got them on everything from body language to arizona!! pmsl!

[hummm_mabbe]

Hi sloane

No i dont have that one, but Ive heard a lot about Mr Beck, as David Burns talks about him a lot. My therapist from 2003 talked a lot about him too. Albert Ellis is the other big heavyweight, the fellow who came up with REBT, the sort of forerunner of CBT.

Ross

[thesloaneranger]

ill let u know what i think of it then, but its going to take a while to plough through thats for sure! x

[littlevic]

The Compassionate Mind by Paul Gilbert. He also wrote the book overcoming depression before CM came out. It's specifically for people with personality disorders and I have just finished a programme of compassion focussed cbt in Derby which he provides the therapeutic model for. This book is excellent as is the programme, it gives some amazing insight into how our brains develop and why we think the way we do. It's written in an easy to follow style - here's the blurb pinched from another website, I would definitely recommend it - there are some really helpful exercises in there and you can see the influence of Pedesky and Beck, be kind to yourselves and get it

Compassion and particularly compassion towards oneself can have a significant impact on our wellbeing and mental health. Developing our sense of compassion can affect many areas of our lives, in particular our relationships with other people.

In this book, Professor Paul Gilbert explores how our minds have developed to survive in dangerous and threatening environments by becoming sensitive and quick to react to perceived threats. This can sometimes lead to problems in how we respond to life’s challenges and scientific evidence has demonstrated that compassion towards oneself and others can lead to an increased sense of happiness and wellbeing - particularly valuable when we are feeling stressed.

Based on evolutionary research and scientific studies of how the brain processes emotional information, this compassionate approach offers an appealing alternative to the traditional western view of compassion, which sometimes sees it as a sign of weakness and can encourage self-criticism and a hard-nosed drive to achieve.

[hummm_mabbe]

Hi littlevic

That book is a real chunky volume innit! Dont drop it on your foot lol. Then again I have got the hardback ...

Ross

[littlevic]

I have the hard back too, all the better for battering people when I can't control my anger muahahahahaha :lol:

[amaca]

I'm not surprised you think it's heavy going as it's aimed at therapists - it's by Beck (et al) who dreamed up Cognitive Therapy (note that CT and CBT aren't quite the same thing) and it's in constant reprint because it's on every CBT student's reading list. You might also be interested in Cognitive Therapy of Personality Disorders, (Beck, Freeman and Davis) (2004) and Schema Therapy (Young, Klosko and Weishaar) which Ross also recommends. Schema Therapy is largely about BPD now and CToPD covers all personality disorders with a chapter on each.

A.

[hummm_mabbe]

Schema therapy is huggie I like it

Ross

[amaca]

Albert Ellis is the other big heavyweight, the fellow who came up with REBT, the sort of forerunner of CBT.

Arch rivals. Ellis was slightly ahead of Beck but they both started in the late 50s, early 60s with similar ideas (mainly that person-centred counselling and psychoanalysis was bollocks). REBT is still around though in my experience CBT has nicked the best bits and is a bit less religious about it.

A.