Customer Reviews

Feeling Better, Getting Better, Staying Better : Profound Self-Help Therapy For Your Emotions

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In this book, Al Ellis tells you everything you need to achieve long-term freedom from emotional upset. He explains why certain modes of therapy are ineffective and counter-productive. Even if they do no harm, they do not deliver the help you need, as opposed to more efficacious modes of therapy, such as REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy) and Cognitive Therapy. He distinguishes between merely palliative techniques, like Yoga and Meditation, which help you feel better, but do not lead to lasting improvement, and those which help you get better and stay better.

Ellis makes no bones about the fact that it is often difficult to achieve the changes you want to make - but that's no reason for not doing so!

Having tried other therapeutic methods, until I discovered Dr. Ellis at one of his legendary Friday night workshops, I can tell you that if you stick to the principles laid out in this book, you will be the better for it.

In this book, Ellis shows the interested reader how Rational Emotive Therapy works, what the underlying philosphy is, and - most importantly - what you can do to get yourself out of emotional difficulties.
He emphasizes not only the aspect of feeling better, which many clients can more or less easily do (e.g. by exercising, meditating or distracting oneself from difficult feelings and situations). It is much more important to actually get better and permanently stay better. Ellis shows how you can achieve the kind of deep restructruring of your basic philosphies of life. He specifically recommends the use of the following techniques:
- Logical Disputing, e.g.: does it really follow that I am a worm if I am acting wormily?
- Realistic Disputing: Where is the evicence for my absolutist belief?
- Pragmatic Disputing: making cost-benefit ratios of short and long term benefits of my behavior and thinking patterns

To effectively dispute your irrational beliefs, you better dispute them cognitively, emotionally and behaviorally.
What I as a psychologist especially liked about this new book, are Ellis' exemplary disputations of low frustration tolerance, self-downing and other downing. This can help clients considerably to apply the ideas to their real life problems.
A good book to use for bibliotherapy!

Feeling Better, Getting Better, Staying Better: Profound Self-Help Therapy For Your Emotions is a psychological self-help book with a wealth of advice on how to improve one's physical health by harnessing the power of one's emotional state. Chapters discuss such practical methods for improving one's attitude and therefore health such as thinking, philosophizing, emoting, and engaging in positive activities. A highly recommended addition to any personal self-help reading list, Feeling Better, Getting Better, Staying Better is not a substitute for seeing a therapist or counselor, but rather a recommended supplement to a professional care in order to help the reader respond more effectively to treatment.

Albert Ellis is still amazingly relevant when it comes to teaching people how to change their thinking. I wasn't very impressed with the title at first, but as I read, I realized that he has a very good point. Much of the therapy out there in the world is focused only on FEELING better, but we also need to GET better, and then we need to STAY better. I highly recommend this book.

No pychologist has contributed more to cognitive-behavior therapy than Dr. Albert Ellis. I highly recommend this book for everyone! This book will enhance your well-being no matter current situation.

Those looking for the usual pampering and hand-holding need not look here. This book is for those who truly want to feel better, even if it means taking a sometimes-unpleasant look at their own behavior.
While this is not a manual for the seriously disturbed, those with more common issues will find a great deal of help, so long as they are willing to apply these principles.

I've read several of Dr.Ellis' books and this one has a lot of the same ideas, but it goes a bit further with how to not just feel better but to get better. I find his methods are very practical as long as one is willing to see the way one might be upsetting themselves with their thinking and willing to push themselves to practice his techniques.

Feeling Better and Getting Better is certainly one of the most effective and most useful books I've ever studied to get a handle on my thoughts, habits, fear, and self-downing. I can easily see the cause and effect of my thoughts, which are mostly paper tigers...and honestly, after almost 18 years of studying, I am fortunate to have this valuable book in my arsenal.

To benefit the most (as with any time tested tool) you have to be honestly dedicated, ready to change and persistent because deep rooted habits, IR's (irrational thoughts) and beliefs can be challenging to shift - but they do change for the better. I tell you, it's a relief to quit fighting with my reality as much. So roll up your sleeves and develop USA (unconditional self-acceptance) and unearth your genuine self worth. I tip my hat to Dr. Ellis.

Another Very effective book is "SOS Help For Emotions" by Dr. Clark. This easy read makes the process of changing for the better a tad fun the way it's written, plus it has tests to make sure you get it and apply the new tools.