- ISBN13: 9780898628470
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Since its development in the 1960s as a structured, short-term psychotherapy for depression, cognitive therapy has come of age. Today the approach is successfully applied in the treatment of a broad range of psychological disorders, an evolution reflected in the myriad titles now available. Regardless of the disorder, all these applications are based on core, underlying principles, which are clearly articulated in this volume. Providing readers with a solid foundat… More >>
Cognitive Therapy: Basics and Beyond
This is an excellent text on cognitive therapy. And it
should be good reading for the layman or laywoman as well
as mental health professionals. Unfortunately, the subject matter needs serious surgery. When we try to smear a
“rational” reference point over a reference point, we are
still left with the whole problem. A reference point!
People with mental problems (as if there is anyone without
“mental problems”), have too many reference points. As the
author explains to us, our pain is caused by “cognitive distortions.” That we lost our job or our spouse is
highly undesirable. But it is not “terrible.” We can still
go on. Life is still worth living. And so on. This is substituting
a sandwich full of nails for a sandwich full of paste.
We are still left with too many sandwiches and way too much
paste. His Holiness the Dali Lama is the head of the Tibetan
Buddhist Tradition of Gelukpa Buddhism. In these teachings,
it is stated that one did not lose either a job or our spouse.
These are just labels! And they are cognitive distortions
within themselves. In the former case, we were informed that
we would no longer be coming to a place and receiving money.
In the latter case, someone stopped breathing. By taking
out our Label Maker and creating new and apparently more
‘rational’ labels, we are saying that words are real. And
this is the entire problem with the neurotic and the psychotic (not including the fact that someone labeled them a “neurotic” or a “psychotic”). The cure is seeing through all labels.
Then we can relax and feel friendly in a harshly defined
universe. There is not one interpretation that we can make
of anything that can’t be shown as invalid when we view
it from another angle. So why interpret phenemona as anything unless it serves a utilitarian purpose?
Rating: 2 / 5
The book came in a timely manner and arrived in new condition exactly as I ordered it. Very pleased.
Rating: 5 / 5
The book is easy to follow. Cognitive therapy seems like a good way to go, if you like things simple and organized.
Rating: 5 / 5
Excellent source of primary information on the techniques involving cognitive therapy.
Rating: 4 / 5
This book compiles all the basic concept of cognitive therapy, and how therapy session is structurally formulated based on individual progress. At the end of each chapter, the author provides a sample therapy session to reinforce the presented concepts, making it easier to grasp.
It covers the foundation of cognitive therapy by Dr. Beck, with the goal of treating anxiety and social phobia effectively. In recent years, cognitive therapy has been considered as an adjunct treatment to conventional medical rehabilitation, and has proven to be as effective.
Later on, it goes on explaining how structured cognitive therapy works, and even illustrates with a sample of worksheet and screening for depression and anxiety.
The author not only writes intellectually, but also helps people of various professional background understand cognitive therapy, even with little knowledge in psychology. It’s a must-read for mental health practitioners, prospective psychologists as well as patients seeking help.
Rating: 4 / 5