Authors: Matthew McKay
Mind and Emotions
In
Mind and Emotions,
Matthew McKay, Patrick Fanning, and Patricia Zurita Ona provide invaluable information for people experiencing difficulties regulating their emotions. Not only will readers learn about the factors contributing to their ongoing pain, but they’ll also learn practical skills for improving their ability to manage these intense emotions. I love the fact that these authors were able to reflect real-life psychotherapy by taking an eclectic approach to the treatment of emotion dysregulation.
—Sheri Van Dijk, MSW, RSW, psychotherapist in Ontario, Canada, and author of
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bipolar Disorder, Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens,
and
The Bipolar Workbook for Teens
This concisely written book offers well-developed, practical tools for readers intent on attending to their emotional needs. There is indeed a synergy in combining the best of cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy—it’s an approach that promises to help readers pursue a purposeful life.
—Patricia J. Robinson, PhD, health care consultant and coauthor of
The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Depression
and
Real Behavior Change in Primary Care
Many self-help books offer tips and suggestions on how to cope with only one challenging emotion, such as anxiety or depression. Unfortunately, anxiety and depression go together, and most of us who struggle in dealing with one emotion have difficulties in managing others as well. This new and impressive workbook by McKay, Fanning, and Zurita Ona provides a welcome alternative to having to buy and follow separate books for each specific emotional difficulty you may encounter in life.
Mind and Emotions
will guide you through an easy-to-follow set of skills designed to put you, rather than your emotions, back in charge of your life.
—Robert D. Zettle, PhD, professor of psychology at Wichita State University in Wichita, KS, and author of
ACT for Depression
Mind and Emotions
provides a wide range of strategies and exercises for changing the behaviors and thoughts that contribute to uncomfortable feelings such as anxiety, depression, anger, and shame. This book is practical, well-written, and packed with helpful advice.
—Martin M. Antony, PhD, ABPP, professor of psychology at Ryerson University in Toronto and author of
The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook
At last! Here’s your chance to clear the clutter off your shelves and get rid of all those other self-help books that don’t work. McKay, Fanning, and Zurita Ona have put together a single, effective treatment for multiple forms of emotional pain. Based on research and years of success,
Mind and Emotions
is sure to be the one book people will turn to for help.
—Jeffrey C. Wood, PsyD, clinical psychologist, coauthor of
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook,
and author of
The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills Workbook for Personality Disorders
Mind and Emotions
offers a clear and practical entry into the complex and often confusing world of emotions and emotional pain. The authors are experts in the field of mental health and psychotherapy, and it shows in this work. Their accessible and easy-to-follow practices will empower and promote emotional healing for anyone who takes the time to work through this excellent program.
—Jeffrey Brantley, MD, consulting associate in the Duke Department of Psychiatry, author of
Calming Your Anxious Mind,
and coauthor of
Daily Meditations for Calming Your Anxious Mind
and the
Five Good Minutes®
series
With compassion and clarity, the authors present a universal approach to the universal pain and suffering that accompanies mental health problems. Readers will find much in
Mind and Emotions
to calm the emotional storms that are barriers to living life fully and passionately.
—Michael A. Tompkins, PhD, San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy and University of California, Berkeley, and author of
Digging Out
This book is beautifully written in simple, clear, and precise language. In very short, highly informative chapters, the best-known techniques for leaning to manage painful emotions are described and then a range of concrete strategies for practicing these strategies is presented. This book can not only be used as part of a self-help program, but also as part of an emotion management skills training group or as an adjunct to individual counseling for emotion management difficulties.
—Kirk Strosahl, PhD, author of
Real Behavior Change in Primary Care
Mind and Emotions
draws thoughtfully on a transdiagnostic perspective and a triad of evidence-based treatments for emotional problems. Beyond its self-help value to the public, this unique workbook constitutes a rich resource for practitioners seeking to enhance their therapeutic effectiveness.
—Thomas F. Cash, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Old Dominion University and author of
The Body Image Workbook
The tools described in this book are drawn from the most effective therapies for emotional disorders that are available today. Used consistently, these tools can change your life.
—Jacqueline B. Persons, PhD, director of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy and clinical professor at the University of California, Berkeley
Publisher’s Note
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books
Copyright © 2011 by Matthew McKay, Patrick Fanning, and Patricia Zurita Ona
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
Cover design by Amy Shoup
Acquired by Catharine Meyers
Edited by Jasmine Star
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print editon as:
McKay, Matthew.
Mind and emotions : a universal treatment for emotional disorders / Matthew McKay, Patrick Fanning, and Patricia Zurita Ona.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-60882-015-3 (pbk.) -- ISBN 978-1-60882-016-0 (pdf e-book) 1. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. 2. Emotion-focused therapy. 3. Emotions. I. Fanning, Patrick. II. Zurita Ona, Patricia. III. Title.
RC489.M55M35 2011
616.89’1425--dc22
2011012638
A Note to eBook Readers
Many of the exercises in
Mind and Emotions
include instructions for filling out worksheets or writing down information. In order for you, the ebook reader, to take full advantage of these, we've made PDF versions of all the worksheets in the book available at
http://24748.nhpubs.com
. You can download and print these materials to use in conjuction with your reading. You also may find that you can complete the exercises satisfactorily in a notebook or by using the comment function on your ebook-reading device.
For my students, whose desire to understand human behavior and help those in pain has inspired me and taught me so much.
—MM
For the dedicated teachers, therapists, and researchers upon whose shoulders we stand.
—PF
For all those who are willing to try something new despite their pain and struggles.
—PZO
Contents
1. The Universal Treatment
2. The Nature of Emotions
3. The Cost of Avoiding Emotions
4. Values in Action
5. Mindfulness and Emotion Awareness
6. Defusion
7. Cognitive Flexibility Training
8. Self-Soothing
Midtreatment Assessment Exercise
9. Doing the Opposite
10. Interpersonal Effectiveness
11. Imagery-Based Emotion Exposure
12. Interoceptive Emotion Exposure
13. Situational Emotion Exposure
Post-treatment Assessment Exercise
14. Relapse Prevention
Chapter 1
The Universal Treatment
This book is intended for people struggling with emotional pain, and for psychotherapists seeking an effective treatment for emotional suffering. It offers a universal protocol, meaning that these same treatment steps are effective regardless of the particular emotion that distresses you. It will help you with feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, shame, or guilt. It will also help if you’re struggling with high levels of multiple emotions, a situation referred to as emotion dysregulation.
Why Use a Single Treatment for All Emotional Problems?
For many years, psychotherapy researchers focused on developing treatments specific to each emotional disorder. There were individual treatments for the six main anxiety disorders, several for depression, and several for anger, as well as protocols for guilt and shame. All in all, researchers developed more than two dozen treatment regimens for emotional disorders.
