Beat depression with Feeling Good The New Mood Therapy

Whilst "Feeling Good The New Mood Therapy" can be extremely helpful in helping you pinpoint distorted negative automatic thoughts and replace them with more balanced, positive thoughts it does not claim to replace seeing a therapist. Dr. Burns originally conceived his book as an aid to people seeing a professional cognitive therapist not as a replacement. If you feel very low or are having very strong anxiety attacks- see a professional therapist or Doctor at the first opportunity.

Cognitive and cognitive behavioral therapy has it's roots in traditional psychotherapy but instead of concentrating on experiences in the past it deals with how a person thinks about things in their life today. It isn't simply about venting emotions but about actually changing negative thought patterns. It is by recognising and correcting negative automatic thoughts and behaviors that can beat depression and anxiety.

It was discovered that people suffering depression or anxiety or any of the undesirable states that can block their potential for feeling good and being in the mood they want to be, tend to get stuck in negative thought patterns. In other words, it's not the situation or event that is creating the problem- it is a persons thoughts about the event. Two people may experience the same problems in life, yet one will feel fine whilst the other may spiral into isolation and apathy- what's the difference? The difference is how each one of them interprets the situation- what thoughts pass through their minds that allow them to remain in control of their emotions rather than being at the mercy of things.

Thought patterns become automatic and if they are mostly negative then this starts to affect a persons moods which then affects their behavior. This can re-enforce the negative thought patterns setting up a negative spiral robbing a person of self esteem, hope and ability. Cognitive behavioral therapy works by helping you pin point these negative automatic thoughts and replace them with more helpful and positive ones. If a person also changes their behavior to be more constructive this can also have a powerful positive impact on their moods.

Dr. David Burns, the author of Feeling Good graduated from Amherst College, received his M.D. from Stanford University School of Medicine and completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He has served as Acting Chief of Psychiatry at the Presbyterian / University of Pennsylvania Medical Center (1988) and Visiting Scholar at the Harvard Medical School (1998) and is certified by the National Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

He has received numerous awards, including the A. E. Bennett Award for his research on brain chemistry, the Distinguished Contribution to Psychology through the Media Award, and the Outstanding Contributions Award from the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists. He has been named Teacher of the Year three times from the class of graduating residents at Stanford University School of Medicine, and feels especially proud of this award.

In addition to his academic research, Dr. Burns has written a number of popular books on mood and relationship problems. His best-selling book, Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, has sold over 4 million copies in the United States, and many more worldwide. Feeling Good is the book most frequently "prescribed" for depressed patients by psychiatrists and psychologists in the United States and Canada. Surveys indicate that American mental health professionals rate Feeling Good as the #1 book on depression, out of a list of 1,000 self-help books.

In 1995, Dr. Burns and his family returned to California. When he is not crunching statistics for his research at Stanford, he can be found giving workshops for mental health professionals throughout the United States and Canada.

As Dr. David Burns explains in the book, negative automatic thoughts contain distortions, these distortions have been found to have patterns and can be quickly identified once you understand them. Dr. Burns describes the cognitive distortions in clear, non technical terms using examples and you get the chance to test yourself as you learn. As you get better at recognising these distortions you will be able to stop them taking over.

Dr. Burns provides a remarkably effective and simple technique using paper and pen to help you untwist distorted negative thinking and replace it with more realistic and positive thinking. He also introduces a number of other simple techniques that can be applied any time you need a boost.

Dr. Burns also introduces ways to gain control of any anger that is hurting you and shows a way to recognise whether the anger you may feel is healthy or otherwise, as often, unless anger drives you to take positive (not destructive) action it only serves to hurt yourself.

When someone criticises you do you get deeply hurt by it? Dr. Burns shows helpful ways of dealing with critics whether they are fair or unfair, it need not affect you in a negative way. Similarly, Dr. Burns shows ways of handling people who moan incessantly- the techniques are simple, effective and often, surprising!

Dr. Burns devotes a chapter to explaining the development and function of anti depressant and anti anxiety medications, how they are believed to work and the side effects of each. Ideally, cognitive behavioral therapy can negate the use of such medications, but sometimes antidepressant medication is used alongside therapy if the mental health professional considers it necessary.

This chapter also looks at which of these medications can be combined and which combinations are not safe, it's clear that Dr. Burns is very knowledgeable in this area as well as an expert in talking therapy.