Emotions Anonymous, Revised Edition [Paperback]

Emotions Anonymous (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0960735658 | ISBN-13: 978-0960735655 | Publication Date: December 1980 | Edition: Revised

Emotions Anonymous was formed by a group of individuals who found a new way of life by working the twelve-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous, as adapted for people with emotional problems. It is a fellowship of people who share their experiences, feelings, strengths, weaknesses, and hopes with one another in order to solve their emotional problems and to discover a way to live at peace with unsolved problems. We come to EA to learn to live a new way of life by using the twelve-step program. Through it, we find serenity and acquire peace of mind.

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Emotions Anonymous International Services; Revised edition (December 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0960735658
• ISBN-13: 978-0960735655
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Allow Yourself to Get Help, September 19, 2005

By 

Vicodin_ES "Frag-Master Extrordinare" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Emotions Anonymous, Revised Edition (Paperback)

Most people always try to keep everything to themselves and I read about them blowing themselves away or taking others with them,just because they had to much pride to ask for help.
The twelve steps suggested in this book saved my life in another program 12 step program and have saved millions more.No body ever forced me to believe in anything,but if you actually and TRUELY work the steps as they are layed out in this text,it's hard not to believe in a Higher Power.I've seen too many big ego people blow their heads off,overdose,or what have you.I found following the book much easier.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A reasonable introduction for people new to twelve-step programs, January 20, 2008

By 

C. Talbert (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Emotions Anonymous, Revised Edition (Paperback)

I would like to say that this book is amazingly life changing and profound, as the Emotions Anonymous (EA) fellowship can be, but it's not. If you're familiar with twelve-step literature from other groups, and looking for something new and different, you will probably find the treatment of the twelve-steps in this book pretty vanilla. EA's program assiduously copies as much from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Al-Anon as can apply to people with with serious mental and emotional illness, and doesn't do much to extend it passed that.

In twelve-step addiction recovery programs (Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Crystal Meth Anonymous, etc), there is in implied goal of changing behavior: changing oneself so that the desire to use drugs and alcohol is gone, or is at least manageable. In most other twelve-step programs that don't deal with drug addiction, there are plans in place to help control the compulsive behavior the program deals with. For example, in Overeaters Anonymous members follow food plans, in Debtors Anonymous members keep numbers and make a spending plan, in Gambler's Anonymous veteran members counsel newcomers on dealing with financial and legal problems and provide direction, in Sexual Compulsives Anonymous members follow a sexual recovery plan. In the Emotions Anonymous program, however, there is no similar extension to help guide members in changing their behavior. While some EA members will develop a new code of conduct, there are no specific guidelines or process in the program (book) for it. If anything, completely removing a concept of abstinence or behavior modification has taken a gear out of the engine that motivates recovery in other twelve-step programs.

All of this is not to say that this book isn't worth reading. For people who are coming to EA and are not familiar with other twelve-step programs, this book is a good introduction for understanding how twelve-step programs work, and following the first 82 pages of explanation there are 146 pages of inspirational EA member recovery stories. A strength of twelve-step groups is that they have developed a common language to describe problems and coping mechanisms. As folksy and pastoral as that language can be, it amounts to a kind of serendipitous cognitive therapy as it is used in the fellowship, and can be easily understood by a non-professional audience.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars pros and cons, August 21, 2008

By 

Jaime - See all my reviews

This review is from: Emotions Anonymous, Revised Edition (Paperback)

i was in this program for a while. The EA program and this book has a lot to offer to anyone experiencing actual anxiety and depression. It's redeeming feature is teaching people to minimize external stresses. It has an effective method for handling anxiety and regaining composure during minor internal crisis.

Obviously a lot of this program must be considered with skepticism like any other self-help book. The lessons in it can be utilized very well to an extent but should never be considered ultimate rules (which is unfortunately how some people treat them). The most unfortunate thing about this manual is that it makes no mention of how simple and limited it actually is. Mantras like 'let go and let go' and 'live and let live' are potentially disastrous if you are facing an actual serious problem in your life that can't be ignored or dismissed. Seriously, it is limited and not an answer for everything like the book and meetings would convey. I would give 4 stars if this program were more honest about it's effectiveness. another drawback is that it is very pushy about committing to the program.

Despite that I really do sincerely recommend it, if you only just apply to learning how to be composed and not let your emotions freak you out over minor issues.