You Can Feel Good Again: Common-Sense Strategies for Releasing Unhappiness and Changing Your Life (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Carl Jung once said, "The greatest affliction affecting mankind isn't serious mental illness-but the general uneasiness and unhappiness that is so prevalent in our society..." (more)
Key Phrases: own healthy functioning, healthy psychological functioning, nicer feeling, Ram Dass (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Carlson ( You Can Be Happy No Matter What: Good News About Depression ) doesn't encourage his clients to attend therapy weekly. Frequent sessions, he asserts, don't make people happy; they only make clients brood about how miserable their lives are. Instead, what we think about, he believes, actually determines how optimistic or unhappy we are. " Your thoughts always create your emotions ," the author argues. Thus, the key to happiness is to replace negative thoughts with postive ones. Negative thinking, according to Carlson, is a habit like smoking or drinking that can be broken. So in effect, depression is the result of faulty thinking habits. Carlson's technique is based on the Psychology of Mind, a new branch of psychotherapy. Included here are case studies of clients he has treated using these principles. While Carlson demonstrates some common sense, much of the book seems glib and patronizing, as if people were machines that could be reprogrammed by pressing a few buttons. First serial to Cosmopolitan.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Carlson, a psychologist and author of You Can Be Happy No Matter What (New World Lib., 1992), contends that there may be a faster, easier way to stop depression and obtain happiness than through the traditional therapeutic method. Using theories based on "a new branch of psychotherapy" dubbed the "Psychology of Mind," Carlson theorizes that problems, regardless of their source, are actually exacerbated by prolonged examination. Happiness and mental health can instead be achieved by "making a commitment to happiness" and by intercepting and halting negative thoughts immediately and replacing them with more positive, mood-lifting thoughts. Case studies are included. This upbeat, commonsense approach may be helpful to those seeking an alternative to traditional therapy. Recommended for most self-help collections.
- Linda S. Greene, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: Plume; 1st edition (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452272424
• ISBN-13: 978-0452272422
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #297,562 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Help for those who have tried everything else is here., April 1, 1999

By A Customer

This book is easy to read and understand even if your too depressed to read anything. Richards' writing doesn't talk down to you or pretend that your supposed to get "it". He explains in common sense ways how you can change your life by changing your thinking. He also doesn't leave you with hanging questions. He intuitively knows what questions the reader may be asking and answers them. I felt satisfied with his thorough explanation of his proces and it has helped me immensely. I have given this book to many friends and their comments echo mine. This book puts you back in the drivers seat of your mind.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book about thinking, October 12, 1999

By A Customer

The only unfortunate thing about this book is the weepy title. - But the tone of the book is not weepy. It is a crystal clear explanation of how we get into self-defeating thought patterns and some practical, non-psychobabble insight on how not to get into these downward spirals. - This book is much, much better than the author's "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff..." series.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A whole new great concept, June 11, 1999

By A Customer

This book is absolutely excellent. It's nothing like other books. It really makes sense. It doesn't tell you what to do without explaining why. It shows you how your mind works. It shows you the relationship between thoughts and feelings. It gives you a great clear view of your own mind. I'd recommend it to anyone. I don't think you even have to have a problem to love this book. It can improve anyone's life. It gives you 100% control of your life.