Popular ideas about happiness are misleading, inaccurate, and are directly contributing to our current epidemic of stress, anxiety and depresssion. And unfortunately, popular psychological approaches are making it even worse. In this controversial, but empowering self-help book, Dr Russ Harries, reveals how millions of people are unwittingly caught in the 'The Happiness Trap', where the more they strive for happiness the more they suffer in the long term. He then provides an effective means to escape through a groundbreaking new approach based on mindfulness skills. Mindfulness is a mental state of awareness, openess, and focus. Mindfulness skills are easy to learn and will rapidly and effectively help you to reduce stress, enhance performance, manage emotions, improve health, increase vitality, and generally change your life for the better. The book provides scientifically proven techniques to: Reduce stress and worry. Rise above fear, doubt and insecurity. Break self-defeating habits. Improve performance and find fulfilment in your work. Build more satisfying relationships. Create a rich, full and meaningful life.
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Product Description
Book Description
A ground breaking book that offers new techniques using mindfulness skills to enable you to experience and full and happy life and to overcome depression and anxiety.
About the Author
Dr Russ Harris was born in Liverpool, England. After graduating in medicine from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, he emigrated to Australia. As a family doctor, he became increasingly interested in the psychological aspects of medical illness (and increasingly less interested in writing prescriptions). In his eclectic career, he has been a stand-up comedian, sex therapist, filmmaker, novelist, and workshop presenter. He now practices as a psychological health physician in Melbourne.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm a therapist and like everyone else have my own 'stuff' to deal with on a daily basis: so I've found reading Russ Harris's book very stimulating and thought-provoking. ACT is quite a radical approach to emotional problems. Whereas most other forms of therapy aim at reducing symptoms, ACT instead focuses on helping us to accept them and still get on with our lives. After 20 years of practising conventional forms of therapy, I think there is much to be said for this approach. So many of us have unrealistic expectations about how happy we 'should' be, and feel that something awful is happening when we can't tame those unruly but upsetting thoughts and feelings that trip us up on a daily basis. In this book, Harris outlines this different approach and I, for one, will be giving it serious consideration and attention over the coming months.
Well worth a try if you've found that CBT or psychoanalysis have had limited impact on your overall happiness.
Well worth a try if you've found that CBT or psychoanalysis have had limited impact on your overall happiness.
80 of 82 people found the following review helpful
By N. Harris
Format:Paperback
I felt compelled to review this book as seeing four stars for a book like this boggles my mind.
I've had a generalised anxiety disorder since 15 and had a nervous breakdown five months ago with intense anxiety and had to be checked in to a mental health hospital to recover, you'd think that I didn't know anything about psychology to get into that state, but I've read an almost silly amount. With this book and other ACT books I am now doing better than ever in my life and am grateful for what I went through as it led me to a life philosophy I will never give up on, in fact i've only just started living at 24 thanks to this. I must have bought every book with even a grain of wisdom on this whole site!
That was just adding to the problem, constantly telling my brain that this anxiety is not acceptable was just sending messages to my brain of how dangerous this anxiety was and the cycle never broke no matter how much insight I got into my own mind.
This book explains brilliantly and in simple terms how to get out of this trap, if you follow the advice and actually act on it then you can't fail to enhance your life.
ACT is definitely borrowed from Buddhism which seems to bug some people, like they stole it or something, which is bizarre, I really don't think the Buddha would be complaining about how his wisdom is being passed on in a different way more appropriate for people with genuine mental health problems. And one reviewers mention of this book's "political correctness" warps my mind, I genuinely have no idea what he's even referring to. Also i'd say that any form of therapy that works incorporates something the Buddha said as he essentially did figure out the crux of human suffering, so whether they notice it or not they will be repeating his theories for a modern age. The word buddhism has a stigma, that despite it's efficiency, turns some people off. Therapy has to stay away from that so as not to alienate people.
All i can say is that I bought probably 100 + books on therapy or ancient wisdom or philosophy and gave them my full attention and all that did was make things worse, had I found this book and realised buying books was part of the problem I could have lived a much fuller life up to this point. Russ Harris reads like a genuinely nice, down to earth guy and this book is also great for people without mental health problems that just want to cope with life a bit better. Don't make the same mistake I made!
I've had a generalised anxiety disorder since 15 and had a nervous breakdown five months ago with intense anxiety and had to be checked in to a mental health hospital to recover, you'd think that I didn't know anything about psychology to get into that state, but I've read an almost silly amount. With this book and other ACT books I am now doing better than ever in my life and am grateful for what I went through as it led me to a life philosophy I will never give up on, in fact i've only just started living at 24 thanks to this. I must have bought every book with even a grain of wisdom on this whole site!
That was just adding to the problem, constantly telling my brain that this anxiety is not acceptable was just sending messages to my brain of how dangerous this anxiety was and the cycle never broke no matter how much insight I got into my own mind.
This book explains brilliantly and in simple terms how to get out of this trap, if you follow the advice and actually act on it then you can't fail to enhance your life.
ACT is definitely borrowed from Buddhism which seems to bug some people, like they stole it or something, which is bizarre, I really don't think the Buddha would be complaining about how his wisdom is being passed on in a different way more appropriate for people with genuine mental health problems. And one reviewers mention of this book's "political correctness" warps my mind, I genuinely have no idea what he's even referring to. Also i'd say that any form of therapy that works incorporates something the Buddha said as he essentially did figure out the crux of human suffering, so whether they notice it or not they will be repeating his theories for a modern age. The word buddhism has a stigma, that despite it's efficiency, turns some people off. Therapy has to stay away from that so as not to alienate people.
All i can say is that I bought probably 100 + books on therapy or ancient wisdom or philosophy and gave them my full attention and all that did was make things worse, had I found this book and realised buying books was part of the problem I could have lived a much fuller life up to this point. Russ Harris reads like a genuinely nice, down to earth guy and this book is also great for people without mental health problems that just want to cope with life a bit better. Don't make the same mistake I made!
70 of 74 people found the following review helpful
By Kavy
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have number of books on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) but this is the most lucid and easy to read. It gets straight to the point and explains ACT very clearly. I am still pleased I have my other books as I like to read about ACT in great detail but this book has really answered a lot of questions for me. It also also brings in concepts that I must of missed in my other books.
Russ Harris presses quite strongly that ACT was not inflenced in any way by Buddhism. ACT came completely from western scientific research and has powerful but simple methods for developing mindfuleness. It needed to do this as ACT is a therapy not a spiritual journey and needs to work fairly quickly. But there are many similarities between ACT and Buddhism validating both traditions. ACT has no religeous or metaphysical components, it is hard cutting edge science designed to improve the lives of people.
Well done Russ for an excellent concise book on ACT.
Russ Harris presses quite strongly that ACT was not inflenced in any way by Buddhism. ACT came completely from western scientific research and has powerful but simple methods for developing mindfuleness. It needed to do this as ACT is a therapy not a spiritual journey and needs to work fairly quickly. But there are many similarities between ACT and Buddhism validating both traditions. ACT has no religeous or metaphysical components, it is hard cutting edge science designed to improve the lives of people.
Well done Russ for an excellent concise book on ACT.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
I was so impressed by this book and it really helped me look at things in a different way. It's quite simplistic in what it tells you to do but I found it really works. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Hansan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great and clear to follow
Clearly set out with a number of exercises. The book does not promise to make you happy but it shows you where you might be going wrong when dealing with feelings, thoughts and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Izabela
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good News
This is a well written and well thought out book. I am not usually keen on 'self-help' books but this one does seem to be different from things I have looked at in the past. Read more
Published 2 months ago by T Chamberlain
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you over think, check this book out
It is too easy to be gushing with these sort of reviews and claim that a book has changed my life, I will refrain from doing so. Read more
Published 2 months ago by James Coombs
2.0 out of 5 stars
Dont get it!
Not for me didnt get this Act Malarkey at all. I read it all but it over analysed to much for my liking.
Published 3 months ago by fordyuk
4.0 out of 5 stars
Voluminous but good
Recommended by my psychologist and absolutely useful and very easy to follow and understand, especially for someone like me who doesn't read much
Published 3 months ago by Jay!
5.0 out of 5 stars
The happiness trap
This book was recommended by the Virgin 'Flying Without Fear' team. It helped me loads. If you have a fear that is compromising your life, give it a go.
Published 3 months ago by marie bennett
5.0 out of 5 stars
ACT the way forward.
A great introduction to ACT. Really enjoyed the formate and style it was written in. The exercises were easy to follow and practical.
Published 4 months ago by David Peter Roche
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book, highly recommended
Good read, well written, I laughed when I read it because it could easily be me as I recognises so much of myself in it.
Published 4 months ago by Dotty D
2.0 out of 5 stars
Oh Dear.
Another of the 'get well by reading this book' types. ACT, CBT. NLP. All about theory and changing thoughts. Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. Coppin
Listmania!
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