The best self help books in terms of psychology Part 1

Another inspiration from customers. Back in the fall I decided it was time again to make a list of the most useful books on self-help under such psychological problems that can be described with one word neurosis. These problems can include intense anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, depression, various psychosomatic disorders.

This book time tested practice and personal experience. They are written in line with the scientific approach to various subjective interpretations and, importantly, easy to read.

By making this list, I did not rank books in order of importance. Under each title and author, I give my brief personal comment why we need this book.

Andrew Joyce Brothers Here. “The cure for fear, neurosis through life Happy on their own, the Remedy for the IRR, How to get rid of anxiety, depression and irritability”.

Five books instead of one. Why I started this author? I have not read yet easier (note not surface) presentation of key provisions on the issue of preserving mental health and balance for the average person, caught in the grip of neurosis and depression.

In the network, and not only a very widespread opinion that Joyce brothers here is pop, glamorous, and not real psychology. Nothing but envy and ignorance of the authors, spreading such opinions I cannot explain it. Its “competitors” in terms of fertility and POPs write at times worse, boring and most importantly not specifically. Joyce brothers here have a smart and simple methodology, a clear cause effect relationships is the answers to the questions why and what to do. He is a man with academic education, professional and personal experience on the issue. The only negative not enough structured. But this is easily overcome by the two authors.

Fears, anxiety, phobias… How to get rid of them. A practical guide for therapist.

One of the authors in the past many books of Andrew Joyce brothers here (and in the writing of his books was attended by many specialists of the St. Petersburg rehab center), brought his practical experience of the psychotherapist in one of the best books on self-help at the moment. The latest edition is attached and video is a great technique of progressive muscle relaxation.

And although the book is written for psychotherapists, it will be very effective for their clients. Dmitry, there are other useful books, training, excellent book is a collection of tales and metaphors are very useful in psychotherapy and self-help. There is a rare, but very useful book study and self-help “How to overcome the pain”, on the psychotherapy of chronic pain. On her way, and began our personal acquaintance. But it is a book about fears and anxieties can be compared with the best foreign analogues written on this topic.

McKay. M. Davis. P. Fanning. How to beat stress and depression

Pretty rare in stores, but thanks to the Internet you can get its electronic version. At key points cognitive behavioral self-help in ways similar to the book, except in the American context in the examples. The same as the previous book can be applied and parts and as a whole, using information from the required chapters for your problem. Managing mood: techniques and exercises.

It is unlikely that you will find it in a bookstore, but again thanks to the Internet. Search for one word. And, age, information from it does not become obsolete. Probably why this book has withstood many reissues, and we and abroad. Combines and scientific approach (both the author’s friends, colleagues and followers of Aaron Beck, one of cognitive approach) and the vitality of the material. Particularly useful will be those who will find many similarities with the problem in one of the four stories presented in the book. Four characters, four stories, four problems and their solution the theory and practice of CBT.

To complete the first part of the review of the best books on want a completely “fresh” book, especially useful for those who suffer from intractable chronic pain.

“Burch, Danny Penman is Conscious meditation. A practical guide for pain and stress”

Danny Penman is the coauthor of another, which became quickly popular books on CBT in the so called third wave. It is an activity which develops the ideas of therapy making and responsibility, is called mindfulness or full awareness. Neither title is not very accurate, but this is a case where translation from English is very difficult a single word. Meditation is also not a very accurate name. But it’s better than nothing.

At first, when you read the book, you can ask the question: what’s the CBT? Because the authors do not propose to analyze the thoughts, not to argue with them, not to change them. Something similar happens with the behavioral part of therapy no fighting, no attacks to fear. However, this is the most that neither is CBT. Just the authors propose in some cases to work with the second strategy under stress not with the struggle, and with the adoption.

Remember the famous prayer, frequently mentioned in the 12 step program: “My Lord! Give me the strength to change the things I can change, give me the strength to accept the things I cannot change and give me wisdom to distinguish one from the other”.

So, it turns out that sometimes to fight a lot easier and clearer than to make something. Here, mindfulness helps very well. And proof of this were numerous studies of neurobiologists, applied methods for dynamic functional imaging.

For the adoption of a particular problem situations bestselling authors teach the reader not to fight with your thoughts, not to waste energy to fight with them (the situation), and to surrender to the process in their contemplation of nonjudgmental observation and distancing from them. In General, read. Very simple and very effective. And, although no active methods of the second wave of CBT, in my opinion impossible to solve the problem with a neurosis, it is the application of the techniques of the third wave allows you to do it at the level close to ideal.

There are several books on self-help that I want to share with You, and they are more relevant to the second wave, but more on that in the second part.

The second part of the list of time tested and carefully selected books on psychological self-help in the paradigm of CBT with such psychological problems that can be described with one word neurosis.