The book: Mind and Emotions: A Universal Treatment for Emotional Disorders
It seems like everywhere you look the important idea of mental health is being promoted. The idea we should practice self-care, reduce stress, and find ways to cope with the life’s daily challenges is well-known. This book bridges the gap between the idea and help. It offers straightforward and real-world counseling applications.
1. Mind and Emotions (Kay, Matthew, et al. Mind and Emotions: A Universal Treatment for Emotional Disorders. New Harbinger Publ., 2011.) offers a single treatment for different emotional disorders, and is what I view as the best self-help book. This approach views emotional disorders as having a singular source, how we respond to stress. It encompasses a variety of techniques, and it lists Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Mindfulness among the tools learned during the use of this workbook. These influences are present throughout the explanations and chapters. For example, creating a rich and meaningful life and accepting the pain that inevitably goes with it, is explored and is associated with some of the pillars of ACT. This book does not get lost in the debate of diagnosis, or strict adherence to technique. It is focused on learning about new ideas and being able to apply learned skills.
After you learn about the nature of emotions, it lists seven factors that drive most of the emotional struggles people experience”: Experiential avoidance; Rumination; Emotional masking; Short-term focus; Response persistence; Hostility; and Negative appraisal.
The system is straight forward to begin addressing any current emotional difficulties. Complete the rating scale, and it leads you to the appropriate therapeutic intervention.
Each chapter starts with an explanation of why this specific technique was chosen, the purpose of the technique, and real-world applications with workbook exercises. A strength of this workbook is it offers lots of practical examples, each chapter has exercises to practice, and it leaves you with a concise summary.
You will find several different books that offer guidance on the path to take, mantras on how to live, or promise to teach you to rewire your brain. However, many of those are wordy and spend more time discussing ideas not provided real solutions to help your emotional state. Mind and Emotions is the best counseling self-help book, and provides concise explanations and easy to use exercises.
PROS:
- Inexpensive
- Concise examples
- Lots of examples
- Offers real tools
CONS:
- Paperback makes copying difficult if you want extra worksheets to fill out
*This counseling book can be helpful, but always seek the guidance of a professional for mental health concerns.
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