Author: Russ Harris
Publisher: Macmillan
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 280
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0230634974
Description
Do you ever feel lonely, worried, miserable, insecure or unfulfilled- yet you put on a happy face and pretend everything’s fine? If so, you are not alone! Stress, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem are now epidemic in our society. But why should this be, when our standard of living is the highest it’s ever been?
New Scientific research suggests that we are all caught in a hidden psychological trap: a vicious cycle, whereby the more we strive for happiness, the more we suffer in the long term. Fortunately, we can escape ‘The Happiness Trap” via a groundbreaking new psychotherapy, known as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Through the use of six powerful principles, ACT enables you to create a rich, full and meaningful life, whilst effectively handling the pain that comes with it. ACT has proven effective for a wide range of psychological problems, from stress and anxiety to depression and drug addiction. So if you would like to live in the present moment, reduce the impact and influence of negative thoughts, transform the way you handle painful feelings, enhance your relationships, find fulfillment in work, and give you life a sense of meaning and purpose, then this book is for you.
What if almost everything you believed about finding happiness turned out to be inaccurate, misleading, or false? And what if those very beliefs were making you miserable? What is your efforts to find happiness were actually preventing it? And what if almost everyone you knew turned out to be in the same boat – including all those psychologists, psychiatrists and self-help gurus who claim to have all the answers?
In the western world, millions of people are unwittingly caught in “the happiness Trap” – but now the means to escape is in your hands! Based on a revolutionary new development in human psychology, this book will show groundbreaking ways to:
• Handle painful feelings far more effectively
• Escape the grip of self- defeating habits
• Rise above your fears, doubts and insecurities
• Find more fulfillment in your work
• Build more satisfying relationships and, above all,
• Create a rich, full and meaningful life
Dr. Russ Harris is a medical practitioner and psychotherapist with a passion for life, health and healing. He was born in Liverpool, England and trained in medicine at the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. After his intern years, he emigrated to Australia, where he set up practice as a family doctor. Over time, he became increasingly interested in the psychological aspects of medical illness (and increasingly disenchanted with writing prescriptions.) Ultimately, this led to a career change, and he now specializes in psychological health and stress management.
Russ wrote this book because the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT ) have had such a powerful effect in his own life. For example, the use of mindfulness skills enabled him to effectively transcend his own chronic anxiety and deep-seated insecurity. Over the years, he has used ACT with a vast range of clients – both individually and in groups – obtaining similarly outstanding results. Aside from his private practice, Russ travels extensively around Australia, Training psychologists and psychiatrists in the use of ACT. He lives in Melbourne and is married with a dog, a cat and one child (so far).
Contents
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION : I JUST WANT TO BE HAPPY
Introduction I just Want to be Happy
PART 1: How You Set The Happiness Trap
Chapter1 Fairytales
Chapter 2 Vicious Cycles
PART 2 Transforming Your Inner World
Chapter 3 The Six Core Principles of ACT
Chapter 4 The Great Storyteller
Chapter 5 True Blues
Chapter 6 Troubleshooting Diffusion
Chapter 7 Look who’s talking
Chapter 8 Scary Pictures
Chapter 9 Demons on the Boat
Chapter 10 How Do you Feel?
Chapter 11 The Struggle Switch
Chapter 12 How the Struggle Switch Developed
Chapter 13 Staring Down Demons
Chapter 14 Troubleshooting Expansion
Chapter 15 Urge Surfing
Chapter 16 More Demons
Chapter 17 The Time Machine
Chapter 18 The Dirty Dog
Chapter 19 A Confusing Word
Chapter 20 If you’re Breathing, you’re Alive
Chapter 21 Tell It Like It Is
Chapter 22 The Big Story
Chapter 23 You’re Not Who You Think You Are
PART 3 : Creating a Life Worth Living
Chapter 24 Follow Your Heart
Chapter 25 The Big Question
Chapter 26 Troubleshooting Values
Chapter 27 The Thousand-mile Journey
Chapter 28 Finding Fulfillment
Chapter 29 A Life of Plenty
Chapter 30 Facing FEAR
Chapter 31 Willingness
Chapter 32 Onward and Upward
Chapter 33 A Meaningful Life
Further Reading
Resources
Acknowledgements
Index