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Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders
Beck, one of the founders of cognitive therapy, provides a comprehensive guide to its theory and practice.
368 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1975
About the author
Aaron T. Beck
91 books242 followersAaron Temkin Beck was an American psychiatrist who was a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. He is regarded as the father of cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). His pioneering methods are widely used in the treatment of clinical depression and various anxiety disorders. Beck also developed self-report measures for depression and anxiety, notably the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), which became one of the most widely used instruments for measuring the severity of depression. In 1994 he and his daughter, psychologist Judith S. Beck, founded the nonprofit Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, which provides CBT treatment and training, as well as research. Beck served as President Emeritus of the organization up until his death.
Beck was noted for his writings on psychotherapy, psychopathology, suicide, and psychometrics. He published more than 600 professional journal articles, and authored or co-authored 25 books. He was named one of the "Americans in history who shaped the face of American psychiatry", and one of the "five most influential psychotherapists of all time" by The American Psychologist in July 1989. His work at the University of Pennsylvania inspired Martin E.P. Seligman to refine his own cognitive techniques and later work on learned helplessness.
Beck was noted for his writings on psychotherapy, psychopathology, suicide, and psychometrics. He published more than 600 professional journal articles, and authored or co-authored 25 books. He was named one of the "Americans in history who shaped the face of American psychiatry", and one of the "five most influential psychotherapists of all time" by The American Psychologist in July 1989. His work at the University of Pennsylvania inspired Martin E.P. Seligman to refine his own cognitive techniques and later work on learned helplessness.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
March 21, 2016
Basic introduction to cognitive therapy and psychopathology
Aaron T. Beck explains in simple language the emotional disorders: anxiety, depression, phobias, mania, obsessions and compulsions... It describes both theories and specific strategies to cope with each disorder. The last chapter of the book is a comparison between cognitive therapy, psychoanalysis and behavioral therapy. He strongly endorses cognitive therapy and gives statistics on its success rates.
Even if you aren't interested in psychology, you may learn useful techniques that can help you in everyday life. I really recommend it!
Aaron T. Beck explains in simple language the emotional disorders: anxiety, depression, phobias, mania, obsessions and compulsions... It describes both theories and specific strategies to cope with each disorder. The last chapter of the book is a comparison between cognitive therapy, psychoanalysis and behavioral therapy. He strongly endorses cognitive therapy and gives statistics on its success rates.
Even if you aren't interested in psychology, you may learn useful techniques that can help you in everyday life. I really recommend it!
July 26, 2012
Classic work on cognitive therapy by one of its founders. Parts are technical, but overall it’s straightforward, easy to read, and a good introduction.
The basic idea of cognitive therapy (CT) is that a lot of anxiety is caused by thoughts. Typically, these are negative, irrational, automatic thoughts which go on at a low level of consciousness – not unconsciousness, but a sort of background chatter which you may not be aware of, but can easily call into awareness if you pay attention. Stuff like, “She hates me,” “I’m a loser,” “They won’t hire me,” etc.
These thoughts are what cause or precipitate anxiety, depression, and panic attacks; if you become aware of the thoughts, then you can challenge them and teach yourself to think them less. You will then be less depressed, anxious, and panicky. (Mindfulness-based CT suggests that all CT works not by literally changing your thoughts, but by changing your relationship to your thoughts. I think both are a factor, but I’m with the mindfulness camp that the relationship aspect is more significant.)
That’s the basic theory. I’ll highlight details I thought were especially interesting.
- Trust your client. If you ask them what they were thinking before the anxiety attack, you may have to make them dig a little, but eventually they’ll come up with something. Trust what they give you. They know what they thought. Also ask for visual images and fantasies.
- Look for personal meanings. The public meaning of “hospital” is “place where people go to be cured.” Your hospital-phobic client may have the personal meaning of hospital be “place where people are anesthetized, cut up, and die.”
- This relates to root-cause beliefs. The negative thought might be “They don’t like me.” Asking why it’s important to be liked may eventually elicit something like, “I must be liked by everyone always, or I’m worthless,” or “I should be so wonderful that everyone loves me.” (Shoulds are generally harmful and unrealistic. Listen for them.)
- Depressed/anxious people often think everything relates to them: if someone glances their way, it proves the person hates, scorns, or is laughing at them. They will gain in self-esteem once they consciously consider that they are not the center of the universe. (The single most important insight I got from doing CT, by the way. It sounds obvious but in real life, it’s very easy to forget.) This can be subtle: you hear about someone having a heart attack and think, “That could happen to me.” Sure, it could. But in reality, that’s someone else’s heart, not yours.
- Explain how CT works in advance. You are collaborating with your client; don’t rigidly stick to your own agenda. Check in periodically to make sure you’re on the same page; ask them if they disagree, and make sure they believe that disagreement is fine. Ask them to state areas of agreement and disagreement. Also, don’t set yourself up as Superman who’s going to swoop in and solve all your client’s problems. They need to know that this is a partnership and they have to put in some serious work.
- Cognitive distortions are one thing, but you can’t reason people out of actual delusions. However, you can sometimes get clients to stop acting on delusions by discussing the consequences of their behavior with them. (ie, they may still think their neighbor is the Devil, but be convinced that it would not be in their best interest to break his windows.)
- When clients come in with multiple problems, try to find a common theme, then tackle the theme. Similarly, try to see if there’s a single problem which is causing all the others, then tackle that. (ie, multiple problems caused by root “fear of social interaction.”)
- You don’t need to solve ALL the problems. Once the major crises are resolved and the client has a handle on CT techniques and can use them on their own, they’re good to go. Other stuff will come up, but the important thing is that now they’re equipped to handle it.
- Experimentation: teach clients to figure out what their negative thoughts are (if it’s not obvious) by recording thoughts before and during moments of anxiety/depression. Journaling is good for this. Eventually, patterns will emerge. Once the thoughts have been moved to conscious awareness, you can discuss whether or not they’re valid. Simply learning to observe one’s own thoughts often creates distance, which lessens the emotional impact. (This is the core of the mindfulness-based approach.)
- If they don’t see how thoughts are unrealistic in conversation or if it’s not sinking in emotionally, they can test their thought-hypotheses via real-world experimentation. (Is it really true that going to the party will be the worst experience ever?)
- Discuss the worst that can happen. Some negative thoughts do involve real possibilities. But in depressed people, the worst outcome is assumed to definitely happen, and goes way beyond bad stuff that could realistically happen. You want people to think, “My speech might be awesome, or average. But if it’s terrible, the worst that will happen is I’ll be embarrassed for a few days and that will suck, but it’s unlikely to affect my job and my husband will be very sympathetic,” rather than, “My speech will definitely be terrible, and I’ll get fired, and everyone will scorn me, and I will be humiliated forever.”
- Cognitive-behavioral interventions for depression: schedule activities. Have client rate activities for feelings of pleasure and mastery (accomplishment.) Consider alternative explanations and alternative actions. Cognitive rehearsal (imagine yourself doing stuff successfully.) Homework: experiments, log of automatic thoughts.
The basic idea of cognitive therapy (CT) is that a lot of anxiety is caused by thoughts. Typically, these are negative, irrational, automatic thoughts which go on at a low level of consciousness – not unconsciousness, but a sort of background chatter which you may not be aware of, but can easily call into awareness if you pay attention. Stuff like, “She hates me,” “I’m a loser,” “They won’t hire me,” etc.
These thoughts are what cause or precipitate anxiety, depression, and panic attacks; if you become aware of the thoughts, then you can challenge them and teach yourself to think them less. You will then be less depressed, anxious, and panicky. (Mindfulness-based CT suggests that all CT works not by literally changing your thoughts, but by changing your relationship to your thoughts. I think both are a factor, but I’m with the mindfulness camp that the relationship aspect is more significant.)
That’s the basic theory. I’ll highlight details I thought were especially interesting.
- Trust your client. If you ask them what they were thinking before the anxiety attack, you may have to make them dig a little, but eventually they’ll come up with something. Trust what they give you. They know what they thought. Also ask for visual images and fantasies.
- Look for personal meanings. The public meaning of “hospital” is “place where people go to be cured.” Your hospital-phobic client may have the personal meaning of hospital be “place where people are anesthetized, cut up, and die.”
- This relates to root-cause beliefs. The negative thought might be “They don’t like me.” Asking why it’s important to be liked may eventually elicit something like, “I must be liked by everyone always, or I’m worthless,” or “I should be so wonderful that everyone loves me.” (Shoulds are generally harmful and unrealistic. Listen for them.)
- Depressed/anxious people often think everything relates to them: if someone glances their way, it proves the person hates, scorns, or is laughing at them. They will gain in self-esteem once they consciously consider that they are not the center of the universe. (The single most important insight I got from doing CT, by the way. It sounds obvious but in real life, it’s very easy to forget.) This can be subtle: you hear about someone having a heart attack and think, “That could happen to me.” Sure, it could. But in reality, that’s someone else’s heart, not yours.
- Explain how CT works in advance. You are collaborating with your client; don’t rigidly stick to your own agenda. Check in periodically to make sure you’re on the same page; ask them if they disagree, and make sure they believe that disagreement is fine. Ask them to state areas of agreement and disagreement. Also, don’t set yourself up as Superman who’s going to swoop in and solve all your client’s problems. They need to know that this is a partnership and they have to put in some serious work.
- Cognitive distortions are one thing, but you can’t reason people out of actual delusions. However, you can sometimes get clients to stop acting on delusions by discussing the consequences of their behavior with them. (ie, they may still think their neighbor is the Devil, but be convinced that it would not be in their best interest to break his windows.)
- When clients come in with multiple problems, try to find a common theme, then tackle the theme. Similarly, try to see if there’s a single problem which is causing all the others, then tackle that. (ie, multiple problems caused by root “fear of social interaction.”)
- You don’t need to solve ALL the problems. Once the major crises are resolved and the client has a handle on CT techniques and can use them on their own, they’re good to go. Other stuff will come up, but the important thing is that now they’re equipped to handle it.
- Experimentation: teach clients to figure out what their negative thoughts are (if it’s not obvious) by recording thoughts before and during moments of anxiety/depression. Journaling is good for this. Eventually, patterns will emerge. Once the thoughts have been moved to conscious awareness, you can discuss whether or not they’re valid. Simply learning to observe one’s own thoughts often creates distance, which lessens the emotional impact. (This is the core of the mindfulness-based approach.)
- If they don’t see how thoughts are unrealistic in conversation or if it’s not sinking in emotionally, they can test their thought-hypotheses via real-world experimentation. (Is it really true that going to the party will be the worst experience ever?)
- Discuss the worst that can happen. Some negative thoughts do involve real possibilities. But in depressed people, the worst outcome is assumed to definitely happen, and goes way beyond bad stuff that could realistically happen. You want people to think, “My speech might be awesome, or average. But if it’s terrible, the worst that will happen is I’ll be embarrassed for a few days and that will suck, but it’s unlikely to affect my job and my husband will be very sympathetic,” rather than, “My speech will definitely be terrible, and I’ll get fired, and everyone will scorn me, and I will be humiliated forever.”
- Cognitive-behavioral interventions for depression: schedule activities. Have client rate activities for feelings of pleasure and mastery (accomplishment.) Consider alternative explanations and alternative actions. Cognitive rehearsal (imagine yourself doing stuff successfully.) Homework: experiments, log of automatic thoughts.
March 15, 2008
Since I'm currently seeing a therapist who practices cognitive behavioral therapy, and since Aaron Beck is still involved with the University of Pennsylvania (where my therapist was trained and works), I was curious to read some of his original writings on cognitive therapy. This book was originally published nearly thirty years ago, so there were some holes in it that, were it written today, Beck probably would have discussed. For example, there is very little discussion of the potential biological factors of depression and other emotional disorders; when Beck writes about depression, it seems as though it is something that just arises spontaneously in some individuals, with little discussion of possible causes.
This somewhat fits with the cognitive therapy model, however; it seems very commonsensical now, but when it was first conceived, it was really quite revolutionary when set against the model of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis was and is mainly about uncovering buried feelings and past incidents that may have given rise to the patient's current mental state. Cognitive therapy, on the other hand, mainly deals with studying the way a patient tends to think right now, and identifying automatic thought patterns that exacerbate their condition. That is, most people have thought patterns that are not necessarily unconscious, but are so ingrained that they fall into them without really realizing it or examining these thoughts. For example, someone who's depressed may have a tendency to fall into a repetitive thought pattern of "oh my god, I suck at this, I'm never going to succeed and I'm going to flunk out" every time they receive a bad grade on an assignment -- even if they are by and large a good student and these thoughts are not realistic. So the goal of cognitive therapy is to get the patient to be aware of what exactly it is that's running through their head, and then help them to derail the automatic thoughts that make their condition worse. To me, it makes a lot of good, intuitive sense, and it was really interesting to read this book and learn about some of the roots of the technique. I am curious, however, about Beck's thoughts on the combination of antidepressants and cognitive therapy; he touches on this subject occasionally, but since it was written prior to the invention of Prozac, antidepressants weren't as widespread and weren't as much of a therapeutic option.
This somewhat fits with the cognitive therapy model, however; it seems very commonsensical now, but when it was first conceived, it was really quite revolutionary when set against the model of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis was and is mainly about uncovering buried feelings and past incidents that may have given rise to the patient's current mental state. Cognitive therapy, on the other hand, mainly deals with studying the way a patient tends to think right now, and identifying automatic thought patterns that exacerbate their condition. That is, most people have thought patterns that are not necessarily unconscious, but are so ingrained that they fall into them without really realizing it or examining these thoughts. For example, someone who's depressed may have a tendency to fall into a repetitive thought pattern of "oh my god, I suck at this, I'm never going to succeed and I'm going to flunk out" every time they receive a bad grade on an assignment -- even if they are by and large a good student and these thoughts are not realistic. So the goal of cognitive therapy is to get the patient to be aware of what exactly it is that's running through their head, and then help them to derail the automatic thoughts that make their condition worse. To me, it makes a lot of good, intuitive sense, and it was really interesting to read this book and learn about some of the roots of the technique. I am curious, however, about Beck's thoughts on the combination of antidepressants and cognitive therapy; he touches on this subject occasionally, but since it was written prior to the invention of Prozac, antidepressants weren't as widespread and weren't as much of a therapeutic option.
May 8, 2023
ثلاث مدارس تتعامل مع النفس الإنسانية وتحاول إرجاعها إلى حالة السواء النفسي، هي:
1. مدرسة الطب النفسي العصبي: وتعتمد على العقاقير والأدوية .
2. مدرسة التحليل النفسي: تعتمد على إخراج العوامل اللاواعية التي ترقد عميقاً داخل النفس مما يؤثر في السلوك .
3. مدرسة العلاج السلوكي: ترى أن الاضطرابات الانفعالية ما هي إلا انعكاسات لإشراطات قديمة .
ثم يأتي المؤلف ليُبرز طريقة للعلاج المعرفي، تعتمد على وعي الإنسان، أي أن مصدر الاضطراب هو وعي الإنسان، فبمقدور الإنسان من خلال المعرفة الواعية أن يصحح أوهامه التي أورثته هذا الاختلال الانفعالي.
فكرة الإنسان عن الأحداث، وليست الأحداث ذاتها، هي المسؤولة عن اختلاله الانفعالي.
فالمشكلات النفسية ترجع بالدرجة الأساس إلى الفرد الذي يقوم بتحريف الواقع وليِّ الحقائق بناء على مقدمات مغلوطة وافتراضات خاطئة، تنشأ هذه الأوهام عن تعلم خاطئ حدث له أثناء مراحل نموه المعرفي.
صيغة العلاج ببساطة أن يساعد المريض على كشف مغالطاته الفكرية وتَعلّم طرائق بديلة أكثر واقعية لصياغة خبراته.
1. مدرسة الطب النفسي العصبي: وتعتمد على العقاقير والأدوية .
2. مدرسة التحليل النفسي: تعتمد على إخراج العوامل اللاواعية التي ترقد عميقاً داخل النفس مما يؤثر في السلوك .
3. مدرسة العلاج السلوكي: ترى أن الاضطرابات الانفعالية ما هي إلا انعكاسات لإشراطات قديمة .
ثم يأتي المؤلف ليُبرز طريقة للعلاج المعرفي، تعتمد على وعي الإنسان، أي أن مصدر الاضطراب هو وعي الإنسان، فبمقدور الإنسان من خلال المعرفة الواعية أن يصحح أوهامه التي أورثته هذا الاختلال الانفعالي.
فكرة الإنسان عن الأحداث، وليست الأحداث ذاتها، هي المسؤولة عن اختلاله الانفعالي.
فالمشكلات النفسية ترجع بالدرجة الأساس إلى الفرد الذي يقوم بتحريف الواقع وليِّ الحقائق بناء على مقدمات مغلوطة وافتراضات خاطئة، تنشأ هذه الأوهام عن تعلم خاطئ حدث له أثناء مراحل نموه المعرفي.
صيغة العلاج ببساطة أن يساعد المريض على كشف مغالطاته الفكرية وتَعلّم طرائق بديلة أكثر واقعية لصياغة خبراته.
June 3, 2021
This is a book to read if you are taking a Psychotherapy or Counseling class. This is not a book to read if you are looking to self-improve or work on your own cognitive schemas. As a psych graduate, there was nothing new in here for me, and Beck's writing wasn't nearly as enjoyable as Irvin Yalom's, Carl Rogers's, or even Freud's. That's a shame, because cognitive therapy is the one that speaks to me the most, along with existential / humanistic therapy. If you are new to the cognitive model of emotions, this pioneering and fairly thorough book may be a good introduction. Four stars to back this up.
December 12, 2017
تطوّر علم النفس مع مرور السنين ليثبت لنا ان الانسان داخله عميق بحاجة للكثير من التفسيرات وان تولُّد الانفعالات سببه نظرة الانسان للامور يلخص الكاتب في كتابه هذا كيفية التعامل مع الاشخاص ذوي الامراض النفسية ويُبسط افكارهم التي تطورت لتصبح امراضًا او قلقًا حادّ
December 14, 2020
Authored by the man who literally wrote the book on cognitive therapy. CBT has a proven scientific track record of verifiability and effectiveness. Common sense is a hallmark of this therapy modality. While not an attack on Freudian psychoanalysis per se, the book does show the sharp contrast between some of the ridiculous notions of Freud as opposed to the fact that our thoughts produce emotions which drive our behavior, and by examining our thoughts to see if they are reasonable, and trying to find alternative ways of viewing a given situation we are able to improve our moods and change our behaviors. One example given is the contrast between Freudian views on anxiety as opposed to CBT. Freud taught that we all have taboo desires buried deep in our psyche, (with Freud it always seemed to be related to inappropriate sexual desires.) Freud taught that we have defense mechanisms which keep these desires buried inside, and we become anxious when the defense mechanism starts to fail. In my opinion this is useless information, and part of the reason that years and years of Freudian psychoanalysis seems to yield little result except for the need for more therapy. CBT on the other hand examines the ideas a person may have which could be leading to the anxiety, helps the person examine if the idea has validity, and further helps the person find other, more productive ways of viewing the situation. And it has stood the test of time and proven effective. Anyhow the book was written in the 1970's, and the author is still alive today at the ripe old age of 99. Interesting book by the pioneer of CBT.
February 28, 2021
Excellent book, readable even for layman. Whilst it may be written for psychotherapy professionals, the writing is accessible enough for general readers. Those into Stoicism will see how Cognitive Therapy is the manifestation of the ancient philosophy. Recommended.
June 30, 2017
رائع جدا للمعالجين ترجمة فوق الممتاز .. الكتاب ممتع فوق الوصف وعميق اكثر مما يتصور
July 27, 2018
A great basic introduction to the foundations of cognitive therapy. I'm glad this book was accidentally shipped to me and I never returned it.
February 4, 2022
Great book! It was very interesting to read about concepts that were completely new back in 1970s but are well known and accepted today. Progress in psychological knowledge makes us very often take for granted a lot of things that were not so obvious 20-30 years ago. This book gives a great perspective about the fundamentals of modern cognitive therapy methods.
Shelved as 'to-keep-reference'
August 27, 2018Depressed people are caught in a feedback loop in which distorted thoughts cause negative feelings, which then distort thinking further. Beck’s discovery is that you can break the cycle by changing the thoughts. A big part of cognitive therapy is training clients to catch their thoughts, write them down, name the distortions, and then find alternative and more accurate ways of thinking. Over many weeks, the client’s thoughts become more realistic, the feedback loop is broken, and the client’s anxiety or depression abates. Cognitive therapy works because it teaches the rider how to train the elephant rather than how to defeat it directly in an argument. On the first day of therapy, the rider doesn’t realize that the elephant is controlling him, that the elephant’s fears are driving his conscious thoughts. Over time, the client learns to use a set of tools; these include challenging automatic thoughts and engaging in simple tasks, such as going out to buy a newspaper rather than staying in bed all day ruminating. These tasks are often assigned as homework, to be done daily. (The elephant learns best from daily practice; a weekly meeting with a therapist is not enough.) With each reframing, and with each simple task accomplished, the client receives a little reward, a little flash of relief or pleasure. And each flash of pleasure is like a peanut given to an elephant as reinforcement for a new behavior. You can’t win a tug of war with an angry or fearful elephant, but you can— by gradual shaping of the sort the behaviorists talked about—change your automatic, thoughts and, in the process, your affective style. In fact, many therapists combine cognitive therapy with techniques borrowed directly from behaviorism to create what is now
called “cognitive behavioral therapy.”
Unlike Freud, Beck tested his theories in controlled experiments.
The Happiness Hypothesis Pág.38-39
called “cognitive behavioral therapy.”
Unlike Freud, Beck tested his theories in controlled experiments.
The Happiness Hypothesis Pág.38-39
February 27, 2023
Having personally had only bad experiences in cognitive behavioral therapy, I am always surprised how humane and thoroughly argued the theoretical writing can be.
For its many merits, enthusiasm and scope as two of them, one can forgive this book the places where it is outdated. The relationship between cognition and affect is largely no longer considered to be unidirectional; for this reason it is also not necessary that exposure be primarily a conceptual process as Beck argues here. But these are lovely errors and definitely worth reading as a historical document.
Perhaps even more, some of the advice for therapist is timeless. "The therapist’s confidence in his role as an expert requires a strong admixture of humility." (Chapter 9.) Who'd have thought?
For its many merits, enthusiasm and scope as two of them, one can forgive this book the places where it is outdated. The relationship between cognition and affect is largely no longer considered to be unidirectional; for this reason it is also not necessary that exposure be primarily a conceptual process as Beck argues here. But these are lovely errors and definitely worth reading as a historical document.
Perhaps even more, some of the advice for therapist is timeless. "The therapist’s confidence in his role as an expert requires a strong admixture of humility." (Chapter 9.) Who'd have thought?
December 31, 2021
La concezione cognitivista si presenta, a colpo d'occhio, come un ritorno al senso comune e alle verità che la stragrande maggioranza delle persone condivide normalmente. Un ritorno non vuol dire, però, una riduzione pura e semplice; vuol dire, invece, ritrovare una coerenza tra senso comune e teoria clinica, un legame di continuità tra di essi che non cancelli valutazioni comuni, dell''uomo della strada'. Ma soprattutto non si deve trascurare che, nel senso comune, la cosa da fare è spiegare gli errori, dimostrare che un ragionamento non regge, far sperimentare che la realtà è diversa. L'aspetto più sorprendente di questo libro è proprio come Beck riesca a elaborare una teoria e una pratica clinica estremamente agili, precise ed efficaci, trasferendo quelle verità e quell'atteggiamento 'terapeutico' dell'uomo comune in una semplice assunzione: che i disturbi psicopatologici sono primariamente disturbi della sfera cognitiva, cioè delle funzioni del ragionamento, della valutazione e dell'apprendimento. Ciò non vuol dire, è chiaro, che per fare psicoterapia basta un po' di senso comune. La terapia cognitiva nasce quando, come fa Beck, si traggano tutte le conseguenze, spesso complesse, da quella assunzione, elaborando modi nuovi e tecniche fantasiose, o adottando in una nuova prospettiva metodologie provenienti da altri approcci.
May 19, 2008
As with most books on cognitive therapy, Beck begins by discussing his creation and the uses of cognitive therapy. He instructs the reader on understanding the role of cognitions, and applies these ideas to depression, anxiety, and obsessive disorders. As with most Beck books, the text is easy to understand and enjoyable to read.
January 27, 2020
الكتاب يشرح بشكل مبسط ويسير على القارئ الغير متخصص ماهية العلاج المعرفي، ويمكن المتلقي من "معالجة نفسه" إن كانت اضطراباته بسيطة، وبلا شك تساعده في فهم أساليب المعالج النفسي ليكون له مزيد من القبول. كتاب رائع جدا وزاده روعة احترافية المترجم عادل مصطفى وأمانته العلمية.
March 17, 2023
A book about the philosophy behind and practice of cognitive therapy; not a cognitive therapy self help book ;)
March 9, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyed it. Really made sense of the existing ideas I had about how our faulty perceptions of ourselves , the environment, and the future, can affect our emotional/physical well-being.
February 26, 2024
I got this book because I had noticed that some thoughts I was having about things was out of proportion to something realistic. I was pretty sure that was what Cognative therapy was about, so I picked up this book and decided to give whirl.
The style is pretty acedemic. It is not something like The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma where it is technical, but there are all sorts of emotional stories that keep you going. This one is straightforward, it calls out very specific thoughts, emotions, and beliefs that Beck noticed people having which he noticed might be the basis of mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression. So I am not sure anyone is going to read this book because it is fun. I will say I found it very practical, and Dr. Beck called out quite a few specific thoughts I have, and also gave some suggestions on dealing with them.
If you want to get an understanding of the principals of the Cognative approach to therapy, I'd highly recommend this book. It is very practical with lots of examples. All in all a great book.
The style is pretty acedemic. It is not something like The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma where it is technical, but there are all sorts of emotional stories that keep you going. This one is straightforward, it calls out very specific thoughts, emotions, and beliefs that Beck noticed people having which he noticed might be the basis of mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression. So I am not sure anyone is going to read this book because it is fun. I will say I found it very practical, and Dr. Beck called out quite a few specific thoughts I have, and also gave some suggestions on dealing with them.
If you want to get an understanding of the principals of the Cognative approach to therapy, I'd highly recommend this book. It is very practical with lots of examples. All in all a great book.
February 12, 2024
تأتي أهمية هذا الكتاب من كونه من تأليف مؤسس العلاج المعرفي نفسه آرون بيك، كما أنه بترجمة (المعلم) عادل مصطفى، الذي يثبت لي يوما بعد يوم أن الترجمة فن وإبداع وموهبة.
جاء العلاج المعرفي بمثابة طوق نجاة، ليس فقط للمرضى، بل للإنسانية بأجمعها التي كادت أن تندثر تحت علمية وموضوعية علم النفس السلوكي الذي تعامل مع الإنسان على أنه كتلة من السلوكيات المشروطة، وباعتباره مجرد روبوت معدوم الفكر والروح يمكن برمجته بأي طريقة شئنا، كما نجح العلاج المعرفي في انتشال الإنسان من قاع (اللاشعور) الذي أغرقه فيه فرويد، ليرده مرة آخرى إلى روحه، إلى وعيه، إلى عقله، إلى فكره، إلى حرية إرادته وقدرته على تغيير ذاته، بعد أن كان غارقا في بحور فرويد اللاشعورية وعصبته من المحللين النفسيين الذين زادوا الإنسان غرقا على غرق.
ولا زلت أكرر وسأظل أكرر ما حييت، وبحكم تجربتي مع كثير من الاضطرابات الانفعالية لسنوات طويلة، أن العلاج المعرفي هو الأساس في بدء الطريق نحو الشفاء وإعادة امتلاك الزمام، والذي يمكن أن تسانده أنواع أخرى علاجية، إلا أنه يظل نقطة البداية، والوسيلة إلى النهاية، لأنه علاج نابع من داخل الإنسان وقدرته على إعادة تصور الأمور، وصياغتها، ورؤيتها رؤية حقة، تعفيه من كل الرؤى والضلالات الآخرى.
جاء العلاج المعرفي بمثابة طوق نجاة، ليس فقط للمرضى، بل للإنسانية بأجمعها التي كادت أن تندثر تحت علمية وموضوعية علم النفس السلوكي الذي تعامل مع الإنسان على أنه كتلة من السلوكيات المشروطة، وباعتباره مجرد روبوت معدوم الفكر والروح يمكن برمجته بأي طريقة شئنا، كما نجح العلاج المعرفي في انتشال الإنسان من قاع (اللاشعور) الذي أغرقه فيه فرويد، ليرده مرة آخرى إلى روحه، إلى وعيه، إلى عقله، إلى فكره، إلى حرية إرادته وقدرته على تغيير ذاته، بعد أن كان غارقا في بحور فرويد اللاشعورية وعصبته من المحللين النفسيين الذين زادوا الإنسان غرقا على غرق.
ولا زلت أكرر وسأظل أكرر ما حييت، وبحكم تجربتي مع كثير من الاضطرابات الانفعالية لسنوات طويلة، أن العلاج المعرفي هو الأساس في بدء الطريق نحو الشفاء وإعادة امتلاك الزمام، والذي يمكن أن تسانده أنواع أخرى علاجية، إلا أنه يظل نقطة البداية، والوسيلة إلى النهاية، لأنه علاج نابع من داخل الإنسان وقدرته على إعادة تصور الأمور، وصياغتها، ورؤيتها رؤية حقة، تعفيه من كل الرؤى والضلالات الآخرى.
April 15, 2024
كفى شهرة للكتاب ان يكون مؤلفه مؤسس القوة الثالثة في المقاربات النفسعلاجية "آرون ت. بيك" ، وأن يكون مُترجمه الدكتور عادل مصطفى...
يطرح الكتاب نظرية النموذج المعرفي مستندا الى توسطه بين النموذج التحليلي والنموذج السلوكي في العلاجات النفسية من جهة، ولإستناده إلى مسلمات "الحس المُشترك" او ال Common Sense من جهة اخرى, معتبرا ان في غوص التحليلين بالتفسيرات والتأويلات بُعدا عن الحس المشترك، وأن في مقاربة السلوكيين تسطيحا للطبيعة الإنسانية...
يطرح الكتاب النظرية بطريقة سلسة، ويستعرض بعض الحالات بطريقة قد تُقنع القارئ بأن لا حالة مرضية عصيّة عن العلاج المعرفي السلوكي، ولكن ال CBT كمقاربة اثبتت جداوها مع بعض الحا��ات الخفيفة، وعدم جدواها مع الحالات الأكثر شدة، مما شكل حافزا لظهور مقاربة علاجية أكثر تجاوبا مع تحديات العصر المُنتجة لطبيعة دينامية متغيرة من الاضطرابات والاعتلالات النفسية، مثل العلاج بالتقبل والالتزام ACT, والعلاج بحركة العينين وإزالة التحسس EMDR, وغيرها...
الكتاب نظري بإمتياز، وكان ينقصه الغوص أكثر ببعض النواحي العملية والتقنيات المُستعملة... يبقى القول ان لغة الكتاب متينة، وقرائته سلسة، ويقدم مادة دسمة للانسان الغير متخصص في اعتراض اي تشوهات معرفية لديه او لدى الآخرين
يطرح الكتاب نظرية النموذج المعرفي مستندا الى توسطه بين النموذج التحليلي والنموذج السلوكي في العلاجات النفسية من جهة، ولإستناده إلى مسلمات "الحس المُشترك" او ال Common Sense من جهة اخرى, معتبرا ان في غوص التحليلين بالتفسيرات والتأويلات بُعدا عن الحس المشترك، وأن في مقاربة السلوكيين تسطيحا للطبيعة الإنسانية...
يطرح الكتاب النظرية بطريقة سلسة، ويستعرض بعض الحالات بطريقة قد تُقنع القارئ بأن لا حالة مرضية عصيّة عن العلاج المعرفي السلوكي، ولكن ال CBT كمقاربة اثبتت جداوها مع بعض الحا��ات الخفيفة، وعدم جدواها مع الحالات الأكثر شدة، مما شكل حافزا لظهور مقاربة علاجية أكثر تجاوبا مع تحديات العصر المُنتجة لطبيعة دينامية متغيرة من الاضطرابات والاعتلالات النفسية، مثل العلاج بالتقبل والالتزام ACT, والعلاج بحركة العينين وإزالة التحسس EMDR, وغيرها...
الكتاب نظري بإمتياز، وكان ينقصه الغوص أكثر ببعض النواحي العملية والتقنيات المُستعملة... يبقى القول ان لغة الكتاب متينة، وقرائته سلسة، ويقدم مادة دسمة للانسان الغير متخصص في اعتراض اي تشوهات معرفية لديه او لدى الآخرين
February 12, 2020
2.5 Stars. Maybe this is outdated or it wasn't the author's purpose but to me cognitive therapy seems superficial and the whole strategy of changing Your thoughts and behaviour without bringing in one history, childhood upbringing, attachment aspects is going to work only temporarily.
February 5, 2020
It is a very clear book with quite a lot of examples that make the concept of Cognitive Therapy easy to grasp. Can absolutely recommend it.
July 5, 2020
رائع.. رائع
July 8, 2020
الكتاب موجه لأطباء النفسيين لذلك انت مش هتستفيد ، في بعض الأفكار اللي هتفيدك لكن الأكيد أن في كتب تانية تستحق وقتك .
February 25, 2021
An interesting and thorough overview of early cognitive behavior therapy and how it fits into the larger field of therapy.
December 29, 2021
I learned a lot, not necessarily what I wanted to.
September 4, 2022
Excellent introduction to Cognitive Therapy
July 28, 2023
أعجبني في الكتاب- وفي المنهج المعرفي بطبيعة الحال- أنه قدم منهجا في التعامل مع الاضطرابات الانفعالية يتواءم مع “الحس المشترك” ويحل إشكالات خلقتها المدارس السابقة له، أورد بعضها:
يخرجنا المنهج المعرفي من دوامة الجبرية، سواء الجبرية الكيميائية المنتصر لها في مدرسة الطب النفسي العصبي، أو الجبرية الميكانيكية الإشراطية، المعبر عنها في المدرسة السلوكية. ويعطي المريض إطارا تفسيريا ديناميكيا لمشاكله متواءم مع حياته اليومية، معطيا إياه بذلك الثقة بنفسه وبقدرته على التعافي وحل مشاكله.
يعطي المنهج المعرفي مساحة أكبر “للحكمة الشعبية” وللدين، بوصفهما مولدّين لأطر فكرية أثبتت قدرتها على التحصين من تشوهات فكرية عادة ماتسبب اضطرابات انفعالية.
يحل إشكا��ية “علاقة الدين بالاضطرابات الانفعالية”: من جهة أن عبارة مثل “الاضطراب الانفعالي نقص الدين” تصبح ذات مدلول صحيح ومقبول في سياقات معينة، باعتبار أن التشوهات الفكرية المسببة لهذا الاضطراب تعارض أصولا في الإيمان أو الاعتقاد في الإسلام، وأن المتدين الحق ما كان ليقع في هذا الزلل الفكري على طريقة “لا يزني الزاني حين يزني وهو مؤمن”. كما يخف الحرج في وصف المتدين بأنه مصاب باضطراب نفسي أو انفعالي، باعتبار أنه عرضة للوقوع في الخطأ في الحكم و التقدير، الذي قد ينتج عنه هذا الاضطراب الانفعالي أو ذاك.
لاحظت في الكتاب بعض الارتباك وعدم الاتساق في استخدام بعض المفردات والتوصيفات، لكنها طفيفة ولا تؤثر في التجربة الإجمالية.
تجدر الإشارة إلى أن أول طبعة للكتاب صدرت 1979، ومن ذلك التاريخ تطور العلاج المعرفي كثيرا، إلا أن الكتاب مازال محتفظا بقيمته العلمية بوصفه مدخلا لهذا المنهج وأسسه من قلم مؤسسه.
يخرجنا المنهج المعرفي من دوامة الجبرية، سواء الجبرية الكيميائية المنتصر لها في مدرسة الطب النفسي العصبي، أو الجبرية الميكانيكية الإشراطية، المعبر عنها في المدرسة السلوكية. ويعطي المريض إطارا تفسيريا ديناميكيا لمشاكله متواءم مع حياته اليومية، معطيا إياه بذلك الثقة بنفسه وبقدرته على التعافي وحل مشاكله.
يعطي المنهج المعرفي مساحة أكبر “للحكمة الشعبية” وللدين، بوصفهما مولدّين لأطر فكرية أثبتت قدرتها على التحصين من تشوهات فكرية عادة ماتسبب اضطرابات انفعالية.
يحل إشكا��ية “علاقة الدين بالاضطرابات الانفعالية”: من جهة أن عبارة مثل “الاضطراب الانفعالي نقص الدين” تصبح ذات مدلول صحيح ومقبول في سياقات معينة، باعتبار أن التشوهات الفكرية المسببة لهذا الاضطراب تعارض أصولا في الإيمان أو الاعتقاد في الإسلام، وأن المتدين الحق ما كان ليقع في هذا الزلل الفكري على طريقة “لا يزني الزاني حين يزني وهو مؤمن”. كما يخف الحرج في وصف المتدين بأنه مصاب باضطراب نفسي أو انفعالي، باعتبار أنه عرضة للوقوع في الخطأ في الحكم و التقدير، الذي قد ينتج عنه هذا الاضطراب الانفعالي أو ذاك.
لاحظت في الكتاب بعض الارتباك وعدم الاتساق في استخدام بعض المفردات والتوصيفات، لكنها طفيفة ولا تؤثر في التجربة الإجمالية.
تجدر الإشارة إلى أن أول طبعة للكتاب صدرت 1979، ومن ذلك التاريخ تطور العلاج المعرفي كثيرا، إلا أن الكتاب مازال محتفظا بقيمته العلمية بوصفه مدخلا لهذا المنهج وأسسه من قلم مؤسسه.
January 18, 2017
Very informative book on cognitive therapy and emotional disorders, it does not give enough tools to self-treat after a self-analysis.
This book seems primarily written for therapists and explains the path of the author, a former psychoanalyst who found the precepts of psychoanalysis too far from the reality in the field and how he found this new (for 1970 ) therapy.
Through the 12 chapters that describe the mechanisms of affective disorders (anxiety, depression, phobias and obsessions, psychosomatic disorder) and the importance of knowing the meaning given by each patient to various stimuli that cause difficulties (at various levels depending on the person) to have a proper plan of action between therapist and patient.
The jargon isn't too difficult to understand, especially if you research psychology books and familiarize with these technical words.
As far as I could understand, the research of this author evolved into the modern CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), and was thus, groundbreaking.
This book seems primarily written for therapists and explains the path of the author, a former psychoanalyst who found the precepts of psychoanalysis too far from the reality in the field and how he found this new (for 1970 ) therapy.
Through the 12 chapters that describe the mechanisms of affective disorders (anxiety, depression, phobias and obsessions, psychosomatic disorder) and the importance of knowing the meaning given by each patient to various stimuli that cause difficulties (at various levels depending on the person) to have a proper plan of action between therapist and patient.
The jargon isn't too difficult to understand, especially if you research psychology books and familiarize with these technical words.
As far as I could understand, the research of this author evolved into the modern CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), and was thus, groundbreaking.
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