This month I am recommending an oldie but goodie—Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns, M.D. One of the best research-based approaches to individual therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Feeling Good is basically the go-to self-help book for understanding and applying CBT principles. The idea behind cognitive behavioral therapy is that if you change your thoughts (or cognitions), you can change your behavior, which will help you feel better.
One of my favorite parts of CBT is teaching clients how to recognize cognitive distortions and then how to replace them with more helpful thoughts. Burns does a great job of introducing this concept.
Learning that your distorted thoughts contribute to your overwhelming emotions and learning how to replace distorted thoughts with more helpful, accurate thoughts can be a game changer.
If you’re interested in the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy but you’re not sure if you want to work with a therapist, this book is a great place to start learning about how to apply the techniques yourself. Although it was originally published in 1980, the content is still as applicable today as ever. See if Feeling Good is true to its title and give it a read soon!
