Kevin asks: After your initial improvement
from treatment or from reading your book, Feeling Good, what can
one do moving forward to give yourself “booster shots?”
Umatsagir asks a related question: I feel
great right after reading your book, Feeling Good, but the effect
diminishes over time. What should I do?
Umatsagir also asks: Is there an anxiety
masterpiece equivalent of your book, Feeling Good?
Kyle asks: What can I do, as a therapist,
about the passive patient who just shrugs when I ask what he wants
to work on, and says, “My Mom thinks I should come to see you.”
When I try to dig deeper to try to find out what patients like this
want help with, I run into resistance and then they typically drop
out of therapy. What should I do?
Benjamin asks a somewhat related question: How
do you treat chronic laziness? In your book, Feeling Good, you call
this “Do-Nothingism,” which is a lack of motivation that you often
see in depression. In your book, you talk about ten different types
of procrastination, with a different approach for each. If the
patient feels overwhelmed by many things he or she is
procrastinating on, how can you help that person, since he or she
probably can’t do the psychotherapy homework, either! It’s a
Catch-22, since they cannot find the motivation to do anything, but
have to do the homework to improve!
Jim asks another related question: How about
doing a podcast on psychotherapy homework? “What do you have your
patients do for homework? This is particularly important since I
have 45 minute sessions and can only see my patients for 45 minutes
every two or three weeks.”
About the Podcast
This podcast features David D. Burns MD, author of "Feeling Good, The New Mood Therapy," describing powerful new techniques to overcome depression and anxiety and develop greater joy and self-esteem. For therapists and the general public alike!