Get Out of Your Mind & Into Your Life

[ButterfliesInHerEyes]

This self-help workbook is excellent, in my opinion. It's called "Get Out of Your Mind & Into Your Life" by Dr. Steven C. Hayes, and is based on ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy).

For those who may not be familiar with ACT, it's a scientifically based psychotherapy that teaches you how to escape the trap of avoidance, let go of your struggle against pain (in our case Emetophobia), assess your values, and then commit to acting in ways that further those values.

It's not about fighting your pain, it's not about resisting your emotions, it's about feeling them completely and yet NOT turning your choices over to them. ACT offers you a path out of suffering by helping you choose to live your life based on what matters to you most.

Clinical trials suggest that ACT is very effective for a whole range of psychological problems - anxiety, depression, anger, etc.

I purchased it for $25.95 in Canada... so it's an inexpensive way to try something that makes a lot of sense and is clinically proven to work. Obviously, like anything else, you have to make a commitment to "work the program" properly and thoroughly, otherwise it won't work. But it's worth a try.

If anyone wants to team up and work through this together, let me know. There's strength in numbers and, I don't know about you, but if I have a "buddy" (or buddies) who will do... whatever... with me, my success rate goes way up than if I go it alone and get bored or discouraged or feel like I can get away with cheating or taking short cuts... or quitting.

[sage]

Thanks for the book recommendation, Butters!

I will buy it and add to my resource page if it's good! Let me know how you do working with it.

[sage]

I hr. and 20 min. later update: I just had lots of fun surfing around to learn more about ACT - decided to buy a different book which is an ACT workbook for anxiety and phobias. Also an ACT therapist's training manual. Very cool....thanks Butterflies for this recommendation. I love learning new theories!

[ButterfliesInHerEyes]

You're welcome Sage

Can I ask what the name of the anxiety workbook is? I'll probably get that one too.

[sage]

Here it is:

http://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Ac...ref=pd_sim_b_2

[ButterfliesInHerEyes]

Thank you!

[1scareddj]

Hey! What did you 2 think about these books?? I'm thinking about buying one or both!

[sage]

I just got mine in the mail from Amazon!

[leeannc28]

Interesting...I may look into this myself. It sounds a lot like CBT to me. Is it like a division of CBT?
Or maybe I could just wiki this, but hey since we're having a discussion on this in a forum I figured I'd ask here.

[ButterfliesInHerEyes]

I guess it is a form of CBT but more effective, in my opinion.