Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy [Hardcover]

David D. Burns (Author), Aaron T. Beck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1980

The good news is that anxiety, guilt, pessimism, procastination, low self-esteem, and other "black holes" of depression can be cured without drugs. In "Feeling Good, " eminent psychiatrist, David D. Burns, M.D., outlines the remarkable, scientifically proven techniques that will immediately lift your spirits and help you develop a positive outlook on life.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 393 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (July 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688036333
• ISBN-13: 978-0688036331
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #797,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David D. Burns, M.D., a clinical psychiatrist, conveys his ideas with warmth, compassion, understanding, and humor unmatched by any other writer in the self-help field. His bestselling Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy has sold more than three million copies to date. In a recent national survey of mental health professionals, Feeling Good was rated number one--from a list of more than one thousand--as the most frequently recommended self-help book on depression. His Feeling Good Handbook was rated number two in the same survey.

Dr. Burns's entertaining teaching style has made him a popular lecturer for general audiences and mental health professionals throughout the country as well as a frequent guest on national radio and television programs. He has received numerous awards including the Distinguished Contribution to Psychology Through the Media Award from the Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology. A magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Amherst College, Dr. Burns received his medical degree from the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is currently clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine and is certified by the National Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An aid to dealing with automatic negative thoughts, February 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (Paperback)

I found this book to be a wonderful addition to antidepressants and psychotherapy. After about a year of being on antidepressants and dealing with some deep lifelong issues, my therapist recommended this book to me. It is _not_ a substitute for professional help for people who are suffering from a clinical depression. I wouldn't have been able to make use of it totally on my own without the help of therapy and medication to deal with the bleakest parts of my depression.

But once I was on the road to being emotionally healthier, this book was an additional guide, and I would count it among the most influential books I have ever read. I can say that it changed my life, my outlook on life, and my ability to enjoy life.

I recommend this book highly for anyone who is at a point where they are ready (and able) to seriously look at their own thought processes and how they contribute to their moods and attitudes.

26 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful for anyone who's felt depression, December 10, 1999

By 

Brian M. Allison (Mobile, AL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (Paperback)

I'm not a person who's used to giving 5* reviews for books; it happens too frequently to give accurate pespective.

However, this is an excellent book. I've had moderate depression for ten years. This book gives the effefcts of depression and practical, long-term ways to deal with it. It gives you an inside perspective of how depression affects the way you look at the world.

The thesis of this book is that by changing the way you interpret events, you can change your mood.

If you give this book two weeks and stick to it for six months, you will experience a significant improvement in your level of happiness.

The writing is very well done and explanatory. You will develop automatic techniques that change and improve your attitude. I highly reccommend this bookm and its siblings by Dr. Burns.

38 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Every Penny, This book changed by life!, February 13, 2002

By 

Kawaiineko "kawaiineko" (Medford, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (Paperback)

Do you ever have doubting words of negativity that play in your head? Do you ever get anxious? Jealous?? Depressed? Sad??

I have lived with anxiety and distress most of my life. It started when I was a child and everything that I attempt in life was an uphill battle. A lot of my struggles have been silenced by just reading this book. Does it sound like a miracle? It may be. I am a book lover but this book made me realize the POWER of books. Do you believe in self help books? You don't?

This book will help you silence thoughts of negativity and doubt. Along with Marsha Linehan's handbook for theraphists of Dialectical Behavior Theraphy, this book helped me to 1) invalidate my negative thoughts and not "give in to them" thinking that whatever negative thought that pops into my head was "valid" and needed to be considered seriously; 2) that somehow, some people's wiring is such that negative thoughts pop into our heads--doesn't matter if it is due to negative childhood experiences or just because we are "wired" this way, the point is, just IGNORE the bad thoughts--they do nothing but make you miserable--this book will start to show you how to ignore the negative thoughts--or rather, rationalize them away; 3) there is no MUST...stop musturbating...there are no absolutes in life, just be happy to "let" life be and take it easy.

If you want a greater quality of life, just buy and read this book...that is if you are like my former self, filled with anxiety, worries and mild depression.

I am about 1000 percent better, but life is a vigilent watch for happiness and great days...my life has gotten so much better since I read this book about 6 weeks ago. I no longer think that I "MUST" get this, I "MUST" have this relationship, I "MUST" be this and that...I just live and feel that that is just enough to feel good! This is not a "settle" for what life gives you type of book, not for me, anyway. What this book did for me was to silence the voices that were dragging me down, my own inner negative voices. I now know that I have to live in the moment, no past regrets, no future worries, just live for now and today. This book is not about hedonism and not planning for the future kind of book though, this book teaches that you must plan for a better future. For instance, are you under the weather and you feel like being mean to your spouse? Do you feel like "starting" it with your boyfriend? How about remembering that your relationship is for the long haul and withholding yourself from acting out?

Read this book and make it your own, I did! If you have "ISSUES" with your personality, if you are irritable, jealous, indignant, feel entitled, anxious, depressed or sad, please get this book and read it. Good luck!!