A Review of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple

If you’ve read my book, Overcoming OCD: A Journey to Recovery, you likely remember the clear, concise text boxes written by Seth Gillihan, PhD. At the time, one of the reasons I chose to work with Seth was because of his natural ability to convey often-complicated information in an easy-to-understand manner. He did this without “talking down” to the reader – on the contrary, I think readers felt as if they were having a conversation with a caring friend.

Well, Seth has done it again – for a third time I should say. His successful book Retrain Your Brain: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 Weeks was published in October 2016 and his third book, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple, is now available.

I’ve read the book and it is everything I expected and more. Seth clearly explains the intricacies of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and how we can all utilize this therapy to help ourselves, no matter what life throws at us. I love how Seth uses real-life examples throughout the book to make these concepts easily relatable. My favorite chapter is “Work Through Worry, Fear, and Anxiety,” and I also appreciate his attention to Mindfulness.

Perhaps the best window into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple is through Seth’s own words in the book’s introduction:

Over the past two decades as a student, researcher, therapist, and supervisor, two things have stood out to me about effective treatments. Number one, they’re simple: Do enjoyable activities. Think helpful thoughts. Face your fears. Be present. Take care of yourself. None of these approaches is shocking or complicated. I’ve strived to capture that simplicity in the chapters ahead. When we’re struggling, we typically don’t have the time, desire, or energy to wade through page after page of research findings or study a treatise on the esoteric nuances in the field. We need straightforward options we can use right away.

Number two, they’re not easy. I’ve learned that despite the simplicity of these effective treatments, they still require work. It’s hard to do more of what you love when you’re depressed and unmotivated, hard to face your fears when you’re fighting back panic, hard to train an overactive mind to rest in the moment. That’s where you’ll find the power in CBT—to provide not just a goal to work toward, but manageable techniques and a systematic plan to get you there.

I highly recommend Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple to all those who are not living the lives they desire due to worry, fear, anxiety or anger. This book, and Seth, will help you move forward – step by step.