CBT Therapy books?

[Belle]

Has anyone looked at CBT Therapy for Dummies? I was thinking of buying it to add to my library. Is it worth looking at? Can anyone recommend a good book on CBT Therapy? Cheers

[magister_perotinus]

I have been using "The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Anxiety" and I'd say that it was a worthwhile purchase. It helped with some things, but it's no substitute for actual CBT with a therapist. But it's good to know that if I'm having a particularly hard time I can pull the book out and feel like I'm doing something about it. I'm sure it depends on the person, though, and it could be that the book alone is enough to bring your anxiety down to a manageable level if you can stay on top of things and motivate yourself.

I'm not sure if this is the kind of book you were asking about. It's a workbook with worksheets and exercises and explanations of things like depression or emotional tolerance or strategies for dealing with panic, etc.

[Belle]

Thanks, yes that's what I was after. I actually purchased that one last night before I read your message from Amazon, so I'm glad you recommend it. :) I should get it be end of December, so I will work through it during christams break and I'm also back to seeing a therapist to guide me through some cbt again.

[tmays]

Been there Done that? Do This! by Sam Obitz is a really simple CBT book and kind of like a CBT for dummies as they stick to the essentials and it has helped me immensely. The TEA form exercise in it works amazingly well if you commit to them as I have.

[trackstar]

Been there Done that? Do This! by Sam Obitz is a really simple CBT book and kind of like a CBT for dummies as they stick to the essentials and it has helped me immensely. The TEA form exercise in it works amazingly well if you commit to them as I have.

I wholeheartedly second this recommendation. The TEA form exercise has been essential to my coping and recovery :D

[squirt]

Been there Done that? Do This! by Sam Obitz is a really simple CBT book and kind of like a CBT for dummies as they stick to the essentials and it has helped me immensely. The TEA form exercise in it works amazingly well if you commit to them as I have.

I wholeheartedly second this recommendation. The TEA form exercise has been essential to my coping and recovery :D

I guess I third it then LOL. The TEA forms work so well :)

[tmays]

Thx for the back up everyone :tongue:

[trackstar]

Easy to back up good recs that work well :mrgreen:

[Beachgirl]

Been there Done that? Do This! by Sam Obitz is a really simple CBT book and kind of like a CBT for dummies as they stick to the essentials and it has helped me immensely. The TEA form exercise in it works amazingly well if you commit to them as I have.

This is the book that helped me and the TEA forms work great if you use them!!!

[tmays]

Been there Done that? Do This! by Sam Obitz is a really simple CBT book and kind of like a CBT for dummies as they stick to the essentials and it has helped me immensely. The TEA form exercise in it works amazingly well if you commit to them as I have.

This is the book that helped me and the TEA forms work great if you use them!!!

This is on the money, but you really have to dedicate yourself to spend a few minutes on them everyday to get them to become your normal way of processing your thoughts :agree:

[Beachgirl]

Thanks Tmays :)

[Beachgirl]

Tmays I hope you are well? Long time since I heard from you :(

[y8gamesfree]

I wholeheartedly second this recommendation. The TEA form exercise has been essential to my coping and recovery :D

thanks so much:)

[Beachgirl]

thanks so much:)

Welcome to the site :-)

[squirt]

This is on the money, but you really have to dedicate yourself to spend a few minutes on them everyday to get them to become your normal way of processing your thoughts :agree:

This is very true, but as you get better you don't have to spend as much time on the TEA forms. I only spend a few minutes several days a week and still feel swell :)

[Beachgirl]

This is very true, but as you get better you don't have to spend as much time on the TEA forms. I only spend a few minutes several days a week and still feel swell :)

I am happy to report this has been my experience as well. But I do keep doing them because I don't want to slide back to where I used to be!!!

[squirt]

Good job beachgirl!

[VincentNew]

He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.

[Beachgirl]

He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.

I'm not a math wiz but wouldn't he still have one woe? ;)

[trackstar]

Don't post for a while and the philosophers seem to be taking over the site LOL!

[Beachgirl]

Don't post for a while and the philosophers seem to be taking over the site LOL!

It appears they have gone now. So we can get back to helping people who want to be helped again :)

[trackstar]

It appears they have gone now. So we can get back to helping people who want to be helped again :)

Hip hip Hooray!

[Beachgirl]

CBT, CBT and more CBT. Try it and you'll like it :)

[MainerMikeBrown]

Sometimes, self-help books can be helpful. But they shouldn't be used in place of seeing a therapist. Instead, they're better as supplement to therapy, as a therapist can give you advice for your specific issues with mental illness. That's something a self-help book cannot do for you as well.

[trackstar]

Very good point Mike!

[MainerMikeBrown]

Another reason self-help books shouldn't be used in place of therapy is that if a therapist gives you good advice, it's more likely to have a positive impact on you than reading the same advice out of a book. It's just human nature to be more influenced by someone telling you something than by getting it from a book.

[trackstar]

Another reason self-help books shouldn't be used in place of therapy is that if a therapist gives you good advice, it's more likely to have a positive impact on you than reading the same advice out of a book. It's just human nature to be more influenced by someone telling you something than by getting it from a book.

No doubt about that. The problem is many therapists do not give good advice. Good ones are priceless though. I believe if you are self motivated and understand how to use the CBT tools in books they will help you more than the average therapist. Certainly a good therapist will accelerate your progress though!

[Beachgirl]

No doubt about that. The problem is many therapists do not give good advice. Good ones are priceless though. I believe if you are self motivated and understand how to use the CBT tools in books they will help you more than the average therapist. Certainly a good therapist will accelerate your progress though!

I would have to agree. I went to a lot of bad therapists that cost me a lot of cash and did not help me nearly as much as I have helped myself doing TEA forms daily!!

[trackstar]

I would have to agree. I went to a lot of bad therapists that cost me a lot of cash and did not help me nearly as much as I have helped myself doing TEA forms daily!!

I heard one CBT expert point out that one of the key aspects of CBT is that you are helping yourself and that builds your confidence and self-esteem along while you are defeating your anxiety provoking thought patterns.

[tinabeena]

Hi all!
I read the Sam Obitz book. And I agree it's a great read. I am attempting to do the Tea forms but I am unsure if I am
Doing them right...

Are the answers things that u actually feel or what u feel is right?
Are u supposed to think about the thought and dig into why u feel that way by asking question after question and then the answer by the answer to the root question or is it only a response to the initial though?
During the 20 mins a day do u go over the same thought of thoughts u have while
Sitting down? Or thoughts from the day before?
Sorry I am
Just confused on what to do
Thanks in advance for all help, and if chat is a better way to communicate I am
All
For it, I really wanna start helping myself
Pronto!
Lol
Thanks to all:)

[Beachgirl]

Hi all!
I read the Sam Obitz book. And I agree it's a great read. I am attempting to do the Tea forms but I am unsure if I am
Doing them right...

Are the answers things that u actually feel or what u feel is right?
Are u supposed to think about the thought and dig into why u feel that way by asking question after question and then the answer by the answer to the root question or is it only a response to the initial though?
During the 20 mins a day do u go over the same thought of thoughts u have while
Sitting down? Or thoughts from the day before?
Sorry I am
Just confused on what to do
Thanks in advance for all help, and if chat is a better way to communicate I am
All
For it, I really wanna start helping myself
Pronto!
Lol
Thanks to all:)

Hi Tina,
Let me try and help. The Answers in the TEA forms are what is objective and realistic. For ex: if you have the thought 'blank is going to be horrible.' You would answer it with something like this: Chances are blank won't be horrible. Not many things are completely good or completely bad so it's highly probable blank will be a mixture of good and bad and my thniking it will be horrible only serves to make me feel anxious and miserable.
Obviously the more specific the thoughts the more specific your answers will be and the more helpful they will be in re-conditioning your brain to eliminate future anxieties.
Using the putting things back into perspective exercise is when you ask question after question to get at deeper thoughts to counter in the TEA forms.
I hope that helps?

[tinabeena]

Thanks it does, but also are the daily tea forms of thoughts from that day? Or thoughts from in general? Do u keep practicing the same teas form thoughts again and again? How do u know if you are doing them right? Will they help from depression as well? Sorry all the questions :(

[drksydeone]

Tina
I have also read SAMs book. It's fantastic. I do the t forms usually in the morning. Generally people with a and d tend to constantly have negative thinking habits and these thoughts left unchallenged are what starts the ball rolling into full blown attacks. I have seen great progress in my growth when I stick with them and notice that I can quickly fall back into old thinking habits when I don't. Stick with them and don't be so critical on yourself or the tea forms. Just do them. If you want to share some I would be glad to help you tighten them up. And absolutely I believe they help with depression. Action leads to motivation.

[Beachgirl]

Thanks it does, but also are the daily tea forms of thoughts from that day? Or thoughts from in general? Do u keep practicing the same teas form thoughts again and again? How do u know if you are doing them right? Will they help from depression as well? Sorry all the questions :(

I find that the TEA forms are most effective when you counter the inaccurate thoughts as you are troubled by them. But any thoughts you counter are helpful. The nature of our thoughts is that they are repetitive so it is not uncommon to be countering the same thoughts over and over again for a while. I found once I got a handle on my initial troubling thoughts they were replaced by others and then I worked on those. Even to this day I'll occasional have one of my original thoughts sneak back in, but they usually leave after one or two TEA forms on them.

[Beachgirl]

Tina
I have also read SAMs book. It's fantastic. I do the t forms usually in the morning. Generally people with a and d tend to constantly have negative thinking habits and these thoughts left unchallenged are what starts the ball rolling into full blown attacks. I have seen great progress in my growth when I stick with them and notice that I can quickly fall back into old thinking habits when I don't. Stick with them and don't be so critical on yourself or the tea forms. Just do them. If you want to share some I would be glad to help you tighten them up. And absolutely I believe they help with depression. Action leads to motivation.

Wow, nice post Drksydeone. Welcome to the board. I generally do my TEA forms right when I wake up and consistently doing them has helped me make them part of my routine and increased their value to me. I love your last part about action leading to motivation, that's awesome thx :)

[drksydeone]

Sam says that he always did his Tea forms in the morning but just doing them is progress. If we do them in the morning I couldn't agree with you more that we make it part of our routine or like Sam would say replacing a bad habit with a new better habit. Action leads to motivation which leads to more action is also from Sam so I can't take credit for it. Keep up the great work and keep tea forming. I notice how better I feel after doing them. Sam still does tea forms. He doesn't do them everyday but told me there is rarely a week that goes by where he hasn't done any. A few other great habits are making your bed each morning, wearing a counter so you can click all your accomplishments for the day, and drop the word should. About the counter, do tea forms mark it, make bed mark it, brush your teeth mark it and so on. He did it while he was overcoming his anxiety and depression. Anyway hope this helps. Have a great week.

[trackstar]

That's a lot of awesome input drksydeone. Where did you see Sam Obitz talk? I have only read his book (and swear by the exercises in it) but would love to see him speak in person. I don't post that often these days but welcome to the site, you have already added a new and valuable perspective! Love how positive and encouraging you are too.

[drksydeone]

Trackstar
After reading Sams book I felt that is exactly what I needed and wanted to contact him. I have worked with therapists before and always found myself not keeping with it or not getting much from it. I was really running around in circles. I knew I wanted to work with Sam so I contacted him and I told him my story. I wanted to learn from someone who has come through this first hand, so know I'm working with him and did in fact get to meet him on the west coast. One of the first things he said to me was if I knew the difference between stepping stones and stumbling blocks. I said no. He replied with "how we perceive them". How are you coming with the tea forms?? Keep me posted. I can help if you need it.

[trackstar]

Trackstar
After reading Sams book I felt that is exactly what I needed and wanted to contact him. I have worked with therapists before and always found myself not keeping with it or not getting much from it. I was really running around in circles. I knew I wanted to work with Sam so I contacted him and I told him my story. I wanted to learn from someone who has come through this first hand, so know I'm working with him and did in fact get to meet him on the west coast. One of the first things he said to me was if I knew the difference between stepping stones and stumbling blocks. I said no. He replied with "how we perceive them". How are you coming with the tea forms?? Keep me posted. I can help if you need it.

That's freaking awesome that you work with him directly drksydeone!!! I wish I knew it was that easy to work with him when I got started on my journey to recovery. Of course logistically I probably could not have worked it out anyway because he's in southern california right? He comes across well in his book, but is he a good guy in person or has he changed now that he's been better for years? I heard he speaks to groups regularly and I would really like to hear him speak sometime. I love the stepping stones and stumbling blocks quote thx for sharing it.
I also appreciate your offer to help me with the TEA forms, but I am pretty much fully recovered and just do the TEA forms for maintenance purposes now. Tell Sam you met a guy who really benefitted from his book and tries to turn others onto the TEA forms whenever possible :)
Take care, you are a great addition to the site and I'm sure your experiences will be helpful to a lot of people here!

[drksydeone]

Trackstar

I was kind of thinking to myself after rereading your earlier entry that you are recovered. Although you know what Sam would say you really never had anything to recover from only a bad thinking habit. I still fight him on that one. Anyway would love to hear your story where you found help and how you overcame your bad thinking habits. I have a feeling the tea forms really helped. Working with Sam took some doing. Had to submit in writing what I expect to get out of working with Sam. Had to jump through a few hoops, very much worth it. I do via telephone as I'm east coaster he's west coast. He tells me he sees a lot of himself in me which is a good thing. Anyway glad to hear you have picked up some new and better habits and still like to hear your story. Have a great week.

[drksydeone]

Also like to add that he is a great great guy who always makes our sessions as long as they need to be. He says the harder I work the harder he works.

[Beachgirl]

Thanks for sharing all that personal info Drksydeone. Really cool that you are working with Sam Obitz and it seems to be going well for you. I have never heard him speak, just read his book and worked the TEA forms. Been doing them for years and they keep me sane and on a more even keel. I hope you keep progressing with them too :)
So cool to hear he's a good guy too (how can you not be once you've dealt with anxiety problems and finally feel better with so much weight off your shoulders at that point?). I hope you keep posting because a lot of people who start recovering leave and old timers like me try but don't always get here to encourage others as much as I'd like to and there's always new people coming here who need encouragement just like I did in the past. Thanks again for sharing your experiences working with him with us!

[drksydeone]

Beachgirl

Thanks for touching base. I would love to hear your personal story. It's always encouraging to hear any ideas or skills that have helped. I see a definite difference in my perception of events when I use tea forms. Still trying to make them a everyday habit. It's hard to change old ways and as detrimental as my thinking can be, there is a familiarity that keeps me coming back to this bad habit. That's why it's do important to keep up with the tea forms, they allow you to counter and see how erroneous our thinking can be. Anyway thanks for the encouraging words.

[fogor]

Books always make me sleepy.

[Beachgirl]

Beachgirl

Thanks for touching base. I would love to hear your personal story. It's always encouraging to hear any ideas or skills that have helped. I see a definite difference in my perception of events when I use tea forms. Still trying to make them a everyday habit. It's hard to change old ways and as detrimental as my thinking can be, there is a familiarity that keeps me coming back to this bad habit. That's why it's do important to keep up with the tea forms, they allow you to counter and see how erroneous our thinking can be. Anyway thanks for the encouraging words.

My personal story? Well I was always an anxious child, maybe the curse of being the middle child IDK? My family had dysfunction (what family doesn't) but it was basically a loving environment so I can't really say what started my anxiety issues, but by my mid teenage years things got worse for me and that's when I started having panic attacks and went on meds. I was on them and in and out of therapy before learning about CBT and the TEA forms. I have to admit I thought they were too basic to help someone as messed up as I thought I was at the time. Little did I know that a majority of my anxiety was being created in my head by virtue of how I learned to process everything. I globalized just about everything and always focused on my faults and ignored all the good that was in me. It has taken a lot of work but it's amazing to me that I have been able to turn my life 180 degrees around.
I know what you mean about the familiararity problem, I struggled with that too. I can tell you now looking back that all the new better habits have become my new familiar and it feels 10,000 times better than the old familiar ever did. Just keep doing what you are doing and you'll get to where I am sooner than you thought possible and have the rest of your life to enjoy your new familiar:)

[Beachgirl]

Books always make me sleepy.

You must be reading the wrong books ;)
Lots of good and horrible books out there!

[ananxiousgirl]

What Doesn’t Kill Us: My Battle with Anxiety is nice. It's on the list of the top 10 best anxiety books.

Here's the list:

http://www.anxietydisorderphobia.com/index.php/top-10-self-help-books-for-anxiety-disorder/

[Beachgirl]

Interesting list, thanks for sharing.
I was surprised it didn't have the two best books I have read for overcoming anxiety and depression
Been There Done That? DO This! By Sam Obitz and Michelle Craske
Feeling Good by David Burns.
Both excellent CBT books.

[trackstar]

Trackstar

I was kind of thinking to myself after rereading your earlier entry that you are recovered. Although you know what Sam would say you really never had anything to recover from only a bad thinking habit. I still fight him on that one. Anyway would love to hear your story where you found help and how you overcame your bad thinking habits. I have a feeling the tea forms really helped. Working with Sam took some doing. Had to submit in writing what I expect to get out of working with Sam. Had to jump through a few hoops, very much worth it. I do via telephone as I'm east coaster he's west coast. He tells me he sees a lot of himself in me which is a good thing. Anyway glad to hear you have picked up some new and better habits and still like to hear your story. Have a great week.

Thx for the great reply. I still do TEA forms and they still keep me motivated on the days I wake up dragging. That's cool that he said he saw a lot of similarities with you since he's better now. I kinda tend to agree about bad thinking habits being the culprit now but I was sure i was defective before I read his book and started doing the work.
Hope you are still making headway and sorry I too9k so long to respond!
Have a happy halloween

[trackstar]

Interesting list, thanks for sharing.
I was surprised it didn't have the two best books I have read for overcoming anxiety and depression
Been There Done That? DO This! By Sam Obitz and Michelle Craske
Feeling Good by David Burns.
Both excellent CBT books.

Surprising but not shocking.... so many books hard to get all of them on one list and read them all too.

[trackstar]

Also like to add that he is a great great guy who always makes our sessions as long as they need to be. He says the harder I work the harder he works.

Happy to hear that and way to get beachgirl out of her shell ;)

[Beachgirl]

Happy to hear that and way to get beachgirl out of her shell ;)

Very funny, wiseguy! I hope you are well and hope darksydeone comes back. Hope my coming out of my shell didn't scare him off.
He has not been back since I answered his question :(

[trackstar]

Very funny, wiseguy! I hope you are well and hope darksydeone comes back. Hope my coming out of my shell didn't scare him off.
He has not been back since I answered his question :(

:)
I would not take it personally Beach, he's probably just busy with life and the holidays!

[anxiousrhino]

Just read your top ten books, interesting website, thanks for putting it together Anxious girl.
There is also a book called when panic attacks by Aine Turbridy which is my all time fave

[johnmawson]

I've read something a while ago, and forgive me, but I do not have any sources to back this up...
But CBT is not very beneficial. in fact most studies have shown it to be only temporary, in up to 90% of all cases.

I really don't want to put CBT down, I'm not a scientist, psychologist or anything like that.
But I HAVE overcome anxiety and depression. It took me 4 months (2 months research, 2 months going all out to apply everything) But I got there.
And I've suffered with anxiety for 18+ years quite badly.
CBT didn't help me at all, and I was in CBT therapy most of my life...

What worked for me was a combination of a LOT of techniques.
I wrote everything down that worked, and have put it on my website/blog/book.
So if you're interested (and it's free) Go ahead click on my profile and go through to my website.
Even if it's not for the CBT books you are looking for, i'm sure there will be at least one good thing you can take away and learn from.

Contact me if you need any help!

Best
John

[DrAnxiety]

Hi John, you are mistaken. CBT has been demonstrated to be effective for Anxiety Disorders. Moreover while the effectiveness of any treatment diminishes over time, CBT has been shown to have particularly good long-term outcomes with anxiety disorders. Studies that break down the components of CBT have shown that the behavioral exercises in CBT are particularly effective. I'd be happy to provide references for anyone who is interested.

It is important to realize that CBT will not work for everyone. Nothing will work for everyone as every case is unique and people have unique needs. If CBT doesn't seem right, you might consider Acceptance and Commitment Therapy which has been shown to be effective in treating mixed anxiety disorders.

[Beachgirl]

Hi John, you are mistaken. CBT has been demonstrated to be effective for Anxiety Disorders. Moreover while the effectiveness of any treatment diminishes over time, CBT has been shown to have particularly good long-term outcomes with anxiety disorders. Studies that break down the components of CBT have shown that the behavioral exercises in CBT are particularly effective. I'd be happy to provide references for anyone who is interested.

It is important to realize that CBT will not work for everyone. Nothing will work for everyone as every case is unique and people have unique needs. If CBT doesn't seem right, you might consider Acceptance and Commitment Therapy which has been shown to be effective in treating mixed anxiety disorders.

Nice post Dr. CBT is what has allowed me to enjoy my life again and has done wonders for many others I know. I found it interesting that John said he has been doing CBT most of his life? CBT by it's very nature is not long-term treatment. A lot of therapist claim to be CBT based but in fact are not, so I wonder what exercises they had John doing as this may be quite telling. I commend John for sharing the things that worked for him and I am glad he's feeling well :)

[tmays]

Also like to add that he is a great great guy who always makes our sessions as long as they need to be. He says the harder I work the harder he works.

Hi drksydeone,
I am a big fan of the Obitz book and the TEA forms and would love to hear more about your work with him if you are willing to share? I found his blog on www.supertao.com and it is not CBT related but I find them really interesting and pretty insightful.
Thanks and hope to hear back from you.

[tmays]

Nice post Dr. CBT is what has allowed me to enjoy my life again and has done wonders for many others I know. I found it interesting that John said he has been doing CBT most of his life? CBT by it's very nature is not long-term treatment. A lot of therapist claim to be CBT based but in fact are not, so I wonder what exercises they had John doing as this may be quite telling. I commend John for sharing the things that worked for him and I am glad he's feeling well :)

I'm with you Beachgirl. CBT has helped me more than everything else I have tried combined and it's not even close. I bet John was not doing the TEA forms but glad he found something that worked for his anxiety issues.

[Beachgirl]

I'm with you Beachgirl. CBT has helped me more than everything else I have tried combined and it's not even close. I bet John was not doing the TEA forms but glad he found something that worked for his anxiety issues.

Thanks Tmays. Also thanks for that link to Obitz's blog. I just a few of the recent ones and they interesting. Even the ones focused on sports were enjoyable and I'm not into sports really. Hope you are doing great!

[trackstar]

THanks for that blog link I'm gonna try and check it out soon!

[Beachgirl]

THanks for that blog link I'm gonna try and check it out soon!

Good to see you trackstar and thanks for the reminder about the Obitz blog. I need to go back and read more of them. Being a trackstar I think you will really like them because a lot of them have sports themes!

[Beachgirl]

Where is everyone? I hope to hear from all of you guys soon :)

[trackstar]

THANK YOU for the blog link! It was way different than I was expecting (maybe that's why it took me all this time to finally read it). So many good articles on it. I wish I had all that kind of info when I ran track in college as it would have helped me perform even better I suspect. Thank again!

[Beachgirl]

THANK YOU for the blog link! It was way different than I was expecting (maybe that's why it took me all this time to finally read it). So many good articles on it. I wish I had all that kind of info when I ran track in college as it would have helped me perform even better I suspect. Thank again!

I knew you would love them once you got a chance to read them, being a trackstar and all ;) I bet they would have been useful to you in college. I was never a good enough athlete to need them for that, but I find them helpful just as far as getting me motivated and understanding how it important the way we use our brain id to EVERYTHING we do in life.
He used to updater them a little more frequently, but still putting a couple of new ones up each month. Hope your summer is off to a great start!

[Fight the stress]

How is it working for you so for?

[Beachgirl]

Doing so well I rarely post here anymore but will try and come back to support others more often :)

[Beachgirl]

Where is everyone? :(

[raggamuffin]

Overcoming Depression: A self- help guide using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques by Paul Gilbert

Ed

[raggamuffin]

Oh, and Unlearn Your Pain by Dr Schubiner.

Ed

[missedlink]

I'll have to try it ;)