Customer Reviews

Changing for Good

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Unlike most self-help books out there, this one is actually based on research for a change. Based on this Phd's work on how people change, this guy has uncovered the different, predictable stages of change that people go through when they attempt to get themselves to change. Although the stages are fairly predictable, not everybody goes through them in the exact same order as some people skip various stages on their way to changing their behaviour. A great book all-in-all, it's definitely worth a look. Also liked The Sixty-Second Motivator.

This book is both revolutionary and profoundly familiar. Change happens not all at once, but in progressive stages, and there are unique tasks that must be accomplished for each stage. It's like gardening--starts with tilling the soil, adding compost, laying out the beds, planting, etc. It would be absurd to simply arrive at the untilled garden patch and shout, "I want tomatoes!" It is also a mistake to try to change oneself before the preliminary work is done. The book is particularly useful in talking about the earliest stages, which the authors call the Precontemplative ("I don't have a problem") and Contemplative ("Ok, maybe I have a problem, but there's nothing I can do about it") stages. One of the clearest and most practical books I have read, for either therapists and self-changers.

As a motivational speaker and trainer, I have read countless books on change, and this is my number one show at my seminars. Prochaska gives a clear, concise, easy to understand map to changing even the most difficult behaviors. What makes this book different from the rest is that it is heavily research and theory based -- Prochaska's own work -- without getting heavily bogged down for the lay reader. Fabulous analogies and metaphors, with special emphasis on the power of social support. I thank him for sharing his research and findings with us so that we can all benefit from it!!

Excellent advice. Helped me break a 20+ year habit of bulimia, for which I had tried countless remedies. The most important things I learned were how to identify some of the self-generated "myths" I was unconsciously buying into....such as "someday it will be easier." His emphasis on exercise has turned out to be another key to success. And Prochaska's book helped me organize former failed attempts into a way of learning from my mistakes. GREAT BOOK! Thanks, Mr. Prochaska!

This book offers a structure for understanding the process of voluntary self-change. With it, you have much more understanding of where you are and what you need to do next, and you have a much better chance of success. The highest possible recommendation.

This easily explains why some people can stop behaviors, while others cannot. I have worked with criminal offenders for over 10 years and have begun incorportating the step by step techniques described in this book to all of our programming for offenders. It also helped me to begin something that I have wanted to do, but always found excuses to avoid. The book is simple to read, with personal stories to illustrate each point. Whether you would like to quit smoking, drinking, or want to start an excercise program, you must read this book. Understanding the change process will help you move to a point where doing "something different" becomes possible.

The major difference between this book and almost all self-help books is, this one is based on hard science, and based on studying how real people (thousands of them) changed on their own, quit smoking, got motivated, etc. Thus, the method is proven and is based on what really happened. The main point of the book is also that there is no "magic bullet", what works for one person might not work for all, and you might have to try differnt things, or try again after it fails the first time. If you look at how people stopped smoking, there are many paths to the goal, so not everyone will take the same path. But certain commonalities emerge (for example: countering, which means, you say to yourself things like "I can relax without a cigarette"). This book is thus not some author's personal view on what he or she thinks works, it is an after-the-fact look at what actually did work, for thousands.

Being a "rationalizer and Intellectualizer" par excellance, this book gave me the insight I needed to see where I was "stuck" and why the conventional menthods of programs like "AA" just do not work for me. Splendid advice for anyone looking (seriously) to move forward in their attempts to change behaviors which no longer serve them.

I wrote a review of this book a number of months ago. It's now been a year of freedom from bulimia, and I really owe it to the advice in this book. The main thing I'd like to thank Dr. Prochaska for is his hammering home that an addiction is a "Big Deal", that changing it will involve restructuring one's life, giving up behaviors, substituting new ones, etc. And that it "never gets any easier." The worst problem in tackling an addiction is the craving-induced belief that "tomorrow it won't be so hard." I found the first two months to be excruciating, but, following the plan of substitute behaviors I had listed for myself, I was able to make it. I was constantly telling myself "it's NOT going to be easier tomorrow." Dr. Prochaska's emphasis on planning one's recovery is invaluable. And I found his emphasis on exercise to be a primary key. Those endorphins from exercising WILL be necessary! Once again, thanks to Dr.P!!

Too many self-help psychology books make changing one's life seem too easy and "Pollyannaish" on one hand or act like a cheerleader's guide on the other to make one feel good. Prochaska, et al, has created a book on change that does not tell one HOW to change but gives the reader the needed understanding about how he or she might utilize their own perceptions along with the authors' conceptualiztions to effect change in their lives. With great honesty about how difficult real change is, the authors provide the framework for change if the reader is willing to supply the "grit." An excellent, well-written, and timely book