The Happiness Trap How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT

by Harris, Russ; Hayes, Steven C.

• ISBN13: 9781590305843
• ISBN10: 1590305841
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-06-03
• Publisher: Trumpeter

Summary

Are you, like milllions of Americans, caught in the happiness trap? Russ Harris explains that the way most of us go about trying to find happiness ends up making us miserable, driving the epidemics of stress, anxiety, and depression. This empowering book presents the insights and techniques of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) a revolutionary new psychotherapy based on cutting-edge research in behavioral psychology. By clarifying your values and developing mindfulness (a technique for living fully in the present moment), ACT helps you escape the happiness trap and find true satisfaction in life. The techniques presented in The Happiness Trap will help readers to:Reduce stress and worryHandle painful feelings and thoughts more effectivelyBreak self-defeating habitsOvercome insecurity and self-doubtCreate a rich, full, and meaningful life To learn more about the author, Russ Harris, go to www.thehappinesstrap.com.

Author Biography

Dr. Russ Harris is a physician and psychotherapist specializing in stress management. Having used the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to overcome his own struggles with anxiety, he now trains individuals and mental-health professionals to use the ACT techniques to overcome a range of psychological problems and improve the quality of their lives. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Introduction: I Just Want to Be Happy!	p. 1
How You Set the Happiness Trap
Fairy Tales	p. 9
Vicious Cycles	p. 19
Transforming Your Inner World
The Six Core Principles of ACT	p. 33
The Great Storyteller	p. 36
True Blues	p. 46
Troubleshooting Defusion	p. 56
Look Who's Talking	p. 63
Scary Pictures	p. 70
Demons on the Boat	p. 76
How Do You Feel?	p. 80
The Struggle Switch	p. 86
How the Struggle Switch Developed	p. 90
Staring Down Demons	p. 97
Troubleshooting Expansion	p. 106
Urge Surfing	p. 115
Back to the Demons	p. 120
The Time Machine	p. 122
The Dirty Dog	p. 130
A Confusing Word	p. 135
If You're Breathing, You're Alive	p. 139
Tell It Like It Is	p. 146
The Big Story	p. 149
You're Not Who You Think You Are	p. 157
Creating a Life Worth Living
Follow Your Heart	p. 167
The Big Question	p. 173
Troubleshooting Values	p. 180
The Thousand-Mile Journey	p. 183
Finding Fulfillment	p. 191
A Life of Plenty	p. 199
Facing FEAR	p. 203
Willingness	p. 211
Onward and Upward	p. 219
A Meaningful Life	p. 227
Acknowledgments	p. 233
Suggestions for Crisis Times	p. 235
Further Readings and Resources	p. 237
Index	p. 238
About the Author	p. 245
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