Very Practical

As a result of going through some difficult times in my life, and at my doctor's suggestion, I began seeing a therapist for cognitive behavioral therapy. I wasn't satisfied, so I began listening to this audio book on CBT. It helped me understand that the therapist was setting the groundwork in our first few sessions, and gave me a very thorough understanding of how CBT works and the many different varieties of treatment and strategies that are available. I strongly recommend this book.

91 people found this helpful

Great start for people with cognitive issues

This course broken up into half our lectures on various subjects such as depression, anxiety, ptsd, addiction, and anger management. Strategies designed to help people cope with these issues are discussed in detail. If you have any personal problems like the ones listed above, I recommend trying some of these techniques.

46 people found this helpful

Great addition to my counseling practice

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I highly recommend this book to psychology practitioners and motivated clients. It is well organized and well read. I listen while I do my daily exercise (walking). I often end up writing emails to myself to remember to look up certain topics when I arrive home.

What did you like best about this story?

This is a difficult question to answer because I like it all so much. I think the narration was particularly outstanding. The narrator is straightforward and cites references or appropriate links when needed. I have found some audible narrator of scientific information try to be funny or cute, and it ends up distracting from the narration. This is not the case with Dr. Satterfield.

Which character – as performed by Professor Jason M. Satterfield – was your favorite?

Himself. He narrates the book based on his own research.

154 people found this helpful

Total waste of time

What disappointed you about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

This book is extremely broad and has no depth at all. The title "Techniques for Retraining Your Brain" is total garbage. It gives you surface level knowledge of a range of ailments. A quick Wikipedia search for each of these different ailments would be much quicker and much more fruitful.

From this book I was expecting to learn how to recognize negative thoughts, and then learn strategies to rationalize them so they aren't debilitating to one's mood or self-esteem. I got none of this. Here is a breakdown of each lecture:

-This is what depression is.
-This is how many people it affects.
-CBT can help with this. (But no information on HOW)
-Here's a really boring example of a patient talking about depression.
-Here's more surface level information about depression BUT NO COGNITIVE STRATEGIES to deal with it.
-Replace depression with whatever other ailment he's talking about in a different lecture and you have the whole course summed up.

I can't seem to grasp why anyone would see this as useful unless you're in an extremely low state and just need something to get you out of bed. Perhaps this could be that push to get some meaningful help?

I'm reading "Feeling Good" right now by David Burns and the first 10% of this book gives more information than this whole "course".

What could The Great Courses have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Talk about COGNITIONS!

Would you be willing to try another one of Professor Jason M. Satterfield’s performances?

Definitely not.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger.

1,134 people found this helpful

Not what I was looking for.

I found it somewhat boring. There's good information here but listening to the exchanges between the therapist and the patient didn't seem like the best way to present it. There's nothing terribly wrong with this. It just didn't interest me.

184 people found this helpful

Disappointment

This was a difficult book for me, as it was listening to actual client interviews, rather than factual delivery. I found it choppy and distracting. The sound was in and out and there was a lot of static during conversations, just poorly done. While I absorb all types of books on the brain and neuroscience, I would not recommend this one at all. Want a great brain book? Listen to Brain Myths Exploded instead.

15 people found this helpful

I just couldn't get into this....

Would you try another book from The Great Courses and/or Professor Jason M. Satterfield?

Of course. One book does not an author make! It's possible that I just didn't appreciate this example.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

The moment when the author tried to engage experiment subjects by asking them to answer questions while being recorded.

Would you be willing to try another one of Professor Jason M. Satterfield’s performances?

Yes, but if I experienced the same result, I'd avoid his books in future.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. I'm fascinated by Neuropsychology, but the openly promotional manner in the way this book opened probably put me in a skeptical mood as a reader.

Any additional comments?

There seemed to be a lot of unnecessary 'padding' out in the initial chapters that just turned me off this book. The author was trying to illustrate key points by using real subjects. This effort should be commended, as the change in narrator helped maintain appeal. Sadly, the subjects were either poorly chosen, or the editing of these elements of the book was omitted in the final version. As an e-reader, I need the sound to be clear, distinct, and entertaining. Brevity and interweaving concepts throughout the e-book is the key to readers keeping interest.

86 people found this helpful

Just not my thing

I figured the knowledge imparted would be more generally usable but unless one plans to provide therapy it's not the most interesting book.

34 people found this helpful

Useful

Clear and practical explanation of CBT. I loved the patient interviews. Would recommend to anyone struggling with mental illness or interested in counseling.

18 people found this helpful

A solid introduction to CBT

The Author/Narrator has a very kind tenor, this guides the entire course. The course is systematic, switching from symptom to symptom to break up any monotony. Numerous cases and recordings from actual therapy sessions are used as the primary teaching tool throughout the course. This provides context for the ideas and techniques being presented. This is an over arching introduction into what a course of CBT may look like. If you are interested in learning more about psychology in general, and in being exposed to techniques to help with the turmoil of life, this is a good start.

99 people found this helpful