Make the Leap: A Practical Guide to Breaking the Patterns That Hold You Back [Paperback]

Ph.D. Farrell Silverberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2005

A landmark, paradigm-shifting, life-improving tool, Make the Leap does for the idea of patterns what Gail Sheehy’s book did for passages. In clear, no-nonsense language, longtime and leading psychoanalyst and teacher Farrell Silverberg brilliantly distills the key psychoanalytic principles about why people fall into the rut of unproductive patterns. And he presents a totally original yet simple and accessible step-by-step plan for how to break these patterns, once and for all. Drawing on many of the author’s riveting, illuminative cases in his over twenty-five years of experience as a practicing analyst, Silverberg offers a supremely effective and revolutionary tool—one that will help turn all readers who feel they have potential but can’t make the leap to living up to it into people who are in charge of their lives and fulfilling their potential.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A psychoanalyst in private practice for many years, Silverberg makes the valid but oft-reiterated point that many people are held back from achieving their goals by their adherence to self-defeating ways of thinking and behaving. These unconscious patterns, according to Silverberg, must be raised to a conscious level to be overcome. He provides a complex program for this called SUBGAP, an acronym for seeing, understanding, breaking and guarding against patterns. Silverberg claims he has simplified dense psychoanalytic principles so that people can practice them without the help of a professional. Those who profit from sticking to a narrowly defined, exhaustively detailed program may take to his approach, but Silverberg's steps—with top-down and bottom-up pattern-hunting—may still be too complex for many. The case histories he offers are more illuminating than the program. For example, Mitch created brilliant ad campaigns, but he was demoted because his perfectionism created extra costs and extra work for others. Mitch learned to apply his attention to detail to recognizing and breaking his pattern and set his career back on track. It's an inspiring story—but not easy to learn to do on your own.
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Review

"[An] elegant and clear-minded work . . . [Silverberg’s] guidance is accessible and clear." -- Daniel Gottlieb, PHD, family therapist, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, host of WHYY’s Voices in the Family

Dr. Silverberg has transformed psychoanalysis into plain language and useful strategies. -- Thomas Moore, author of Care of The Soul and Dark Nights of the Soul

Practical, no-nonsense escape routes [from] boring, deadening routines. . . . If life has lost its zip, read this book. -- Larry Dossey, MD

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Marlowe & Company (May 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569244189
• ISBN-13: 978-1569244180
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,246,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy-to-understand guide to breaking destructive patterns, May 29, 2005

By 

Beth Cholette "doctor_beth" (Upstate NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Make the Leap: A Practical Guide to Breaking the Patterns That Hold You Back (Paperback)

As the subtitle to this book suggests, Make the Leap is a truly practical guide to breaking the destructive patterns which occur in our lives. To this end, author Farrell Silverberg, a psychoanalyst, introduces the SUBGAP method, which involves a 4-step process: 1) Seeing your pattern, 2) Understanding your pattern, 3) Breaking your pattern, and 4) Guarding Against Patterns in the future. Using a clear, simple writing style, Silverberg breaks down each of these steps to make them completely assessible to the average reader.

Various techniques are suggested to facilitate each step in the SUBGAP process. For example, in order to recognize your pattern, Silverberg explains how to use both top-down and bottom-up analysis strategies. Similarly, once you are ready to break your pattern, Silverberg offers a choice of several different ways to do this. Plenty of real-person examples illustrate Silverberg's points; these add interest as well as increase comprehension of the SUBGAP method. The book also particularly addresses breaking patterns in two specific areas, work and love, and finally, Silverberg shares how he overcame a destructive pattern in his own life.

Given that this book is so straightforward, some readers might find it to be TOO simplistic. Indeed, much of the conclusions contained in the book could alternatively be dervived from common sense and basic problem-solving as well as past self-help works (Bill O'Hanlon's Do One Thing Different comes to mind). Despite this, I believe that this book could still be useful to many, as Silverberg's fundamental approach might just right for someone who has been unable to see, understand, or break a damaging pattern on their own. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for assistance in overcoming unproductive patterns and making positive life changes.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Professionals and lay people "Leap"for Joy!, February 19, 2006

By 

Karyn L. Scher - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Make the Leap: A Practical Guide to Breaking the Patterns That Hold You Back (Paperback)

It was an inspiration and pleasure to read Dr. Farrell Silverberg's Make the Leap on both a professional and personal level. Dr. Silverberg uses down to earth, accessible language to convey complex psychological concepts and practical strategies for altering self-defeating patterns in work and relationships. As a private practice psychologist, I will enthusiastically recommend his book and techniques to my own clients struggling with repetitive and unwanted patterns.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The LAST self-help book you will ever need!, September 20, 2010

By 

Barb Buchmayer - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Make the Leap: A Practical Guide to Breaking the Patterns That Hold You Back (Paperback)

I have been an avid reader for the best part of my life and have read many self-help books over the years. I am ALWAYS skeptical when I read that someone has found a "life changing book." I have found some of these books to be helpful and some to be much less than helpful.

Make the Leap is deceptively simple in it's explanation of how to break destructive patterns. As I read through this book I kept asking myself if it could really be this simple. At least for me, it was simple but extremely powerful! I have lived a life based on fear but, not anymore. I was able to use the historical perspective outlined to pinpoint the pivotal point in my life that kept me trapped in fear of failure. I have been extremely successful and have developed some wonderful skills but, I always struggled with my fear of failure. It is so liberating to do something because I want to instead of because I fear what other people will think of me. It is also liberating to banish irrational fear and worry and to be able to move forward with self-confidence.

This book did change my life and continues to guide me in my personal growth. All the other self-help books were but a band-aid while this book showed me how to do self surgery that got right to the heart of the matter. Make the Leap illuminated not only the problem but, how to deal with it in a simple yet practical way.

I am not sure how I even stumbled upon this book but, it certainly was a fortuitous event. This is the first review I have ever submitted and I wish there was a way to call more attention to this life changing book.

I know this book will not have the same great impact on all readers but, if I could buy only one self-help book, this would be the one! I would give this book 100 stars if I could.