This is the most comprehensive horse care book I own. I just love this new updated version. I also owned the 1985 edition and this new one has not only updated information, but more information. I highly recommend it to any horse owner or anyone interested in owning a horse (especially good for a first horse owner or lessee).

If there was an introductory level class for horse owners, The Whole Horse Catalog would be the perfect accompanying textbook. The book surveys all aspects of horse ownership from selecting the horse, stabling the horse, what to feed it, horse health, and so on. It is excellent in explaining horse terms, tack, apparel and events. It describes what all those products you see in the tack store are for. There are lots of diagrams and sidebar-type articles. The coverage is comprehensive. For example, the book even shows and explains the different types of snaps! Other examples: it lists all of the contact information for veterinary colleges. It tells you how to make a muckheap. It shows you different styles of creases on cowboy hats. It explains what TTeam is. It charts the advantages and disadvantages of different material for fences. It tells how to best photograph yor horse. You get the idea? It's like a concise encyclopedia on horses and horse-y things. This book will tell you everything about the horse world you should know, but don't know enough to know to ask.

I have an older version of the book. It was the single most helpful source of questions I had after acquiring my first horse many years ago. I would recommend it to anyone who is even thinking of acquiring a horse.

This is a very well written, photographed and illustrated book that reveals many little known truths about the origins of Kentucky and the migration west through Cumberland Gap. It is a must read for all students of early Kentucky history. Virtually every other page contains either a map, illustration or beautiful photograph. The photography by world-renowned photographer, Adam Jones, is simply stunning! In truth, it is the photography of Adam Jones that first attracted me to this outstanding book. As a student of early Kentucky history, I consider this book in particular to be indispensable to understanding the truth surrounding the opening of Kentucky and all points west. This is a truly great historical work, replete with bibliograhical references, indicative of the author's extensive research. Therefore, I highly recommend it!

La premisa fundamental de este libro es sencilla: uno se siente como piensa. Aunque este es un adagio prestado de la filosofía estoica, el autor (y otros psicólogos de la escuela cognitiva) le han dado un giro científico para desarrollar una de las mejores terapias para aquellos que sufrimos de depresión en diversos niveles. El libro original está escrito en un inglés sencillo, accesible para la mayoría de los lectores. Claro está que las traducciones adolecen de una tendencia a mezclar la formas de la lengua original con aquellas a las que se intenta traducir. Ya la traducción del título muestra ese raquitismo. El título no podría ser más desafortunado, aunque, claro está, el traductor está tratando de ser literal.
Es mi esperanza que la traducción no haya dejado de lado el mensaje general del libro. Pero aun así, estoy seguro que el lector encontrará descripciones de las falacias mentales que nos hunden en la depresión, formas de tratar poner en jaque nuestra misma mentalidad depresiva y tareas prácticas que ayudan a enfrentar la depresión de una manera positiva.
Este no es un libro de superación personal cualquiera. A diferencia de las charlatanerías que populan hoy el mercado, este es un libro sólido y bien escrito. Léalo; se va a sentir mejor.

Many people don't buy into the whole "root of your problems" mentality that seems to infect the mental health fields nowadays. That's understandable. There certainly is something to be said for a more pragmatic, straightforward approach to the treatment of certain mental states. It is to this group of people that Dr. David Burns addresses his Feeling Good Handbook.

The methods in The Feeling Good Handbook are aimed at helping those suffering from depression, anxiety, and other "mild" mental issues to train themselves into healthy mental patterns. Burns has put together a series of writing exercises and journaling that is intended to help readers recognize fallacies in their thought processes. He then spends a great deal of time on each of these fallacies of thought and how to overcome them.

Burns is an avid supporter of cognitive therapy. It is obvious that Burns feels the best way to mental health is through learning to master these negative thought processes. Furthermore, he states outright that it is possible to train yourself to be positive and happy by following these exercises.

Like most self-help books, Burns' popular book has both positive and negative attributes. Burns has managed to accurately classify the thought traps that those suffering from clinical depression and anxiety fall into. He also presents them in such a way that they are easily memorable and will often return to the reader's mind throughout the course of the day. Burns also includes a surprisingly accurate quiz to gauge the progress of the reader.

However, Burn's book depends very heavily on the reader following his instructions with exactness--and some of them are extremely tedious. This is, perhaps, not the best way to help those suffering with depression. Usually depression saps an individual of their desire to do anything at all. Additionally, Burns tends to be a little over-simplistic about his methods and even more over-enthusiastic about their results.

On its own, The Feeling Good Handbook is a moderately useful book in the amateur diagnosis and treatment of mild depression. When used in conjunction with a counselor who understands cognitive therapy, this book is an excellent tool in training the reader to think in a new way.

My copy of this book is from 1980. I am certain that the current edition is even more useful! In my case, I combined the cognitive therapy Burns recommends with medication to control my depression, and I would recommend that ANYONE suffering from depression use the same approach. Burns has an excellent treatment of modern antidepressants included in the book.

An exceptionally useful item in the book is a self assessment. I used this to periodically rate my level of depression to show if I was getting better or not. This tool alone is worth the price of the book.

In any case, if you are suffering from the symptoms of depression, GET HELP! From personal experience, it is extremely difficult to dig your way out of depression alone. Burn's book will augment any form of therapy and medication.

By the way, in the early days of my depression, I took the Misnnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) which rates you on a number of items. On the depression scale, I scored 10 out of a possible 10 points! (Which is as bad as it gets!!)

This book clearly lines out principles and procedures of cognitive therapy. Readers will learn how to conquer depression, raise self-esteem and overcome anxiety.
The book contains many helpful self-help exercises which get to the heart of things. What I especially liked about this book is its applicability in real life. Apart from depression and anxiety you'll find information about giving good job interviews and procrastination.
But the greatest assets of the handbook are in my opinion the chapters about communication. Here, Burns clearly outlines how to deal with critical and angry people in a non-hurtful, but nonetheless authentic way. I greatly urge you to read this book, even when you've already read his first book "feeling good". The handbook contains some more useful information and applications. Apart from this, it's never wrong to get practice in disputing your dysfunctional thoughts

I know many people, both family members and friends, who have found this book to be very helpful to them in learning to cope with depression and anxiety. In several cases, I think it could be argued that David Burns's book was life-changing, in that it helped them to feel well for the first time in their lives. That's impressive, and I don't want to knock something that has proved helpful to some. However, it is my opinion that this book is useful only to people who are mildly to moderately depressed, and/or individuals who suffer from somewhat transient bouts of anxiety or depression. I have suffered from both severe and mild depressions in the past, and have tried many different treatments (medication, IPT, CBT). Severe depression is, as far as I'm concerned, well beyond the scope of this book. I do not think anyone who is suicidally depressed will be helped by this book. In these cases, medication and/or hospitalization are necessary, and the benefits of talk therapy are limited at best. Burns seems to forget that someone who is severely depressed is often unable to think clearly at all, and is so physically and mentally exhausted that the thought of reading through a book like this is an absolute impossibility. I also think that the book comes across as a bit glib to anyone who has been seriously depressed/suicidal. Some of the patients he features in his book who he labels as "severely" depressed seem to be relatively high-functioning in their thought processes. This is the most evident to me in the chapter on suicide, where he seems to cure both a Holocaust survivor and a young teenage girl of suicidal feelings through a series of simplistic Socratic dialogues. I have been suicidal in the past, and I have a hard time believing that this kind of conversation would even be understood or appreciated in that state.

I should note that Dr. Burns is refreshingly candid about the usefulness of antidepressant medications in treating some forms of depression. He also provides a good basic discussion of these drugs in one chapter. Most importantly, he is very careful to emphasize that anyone with severe and unremitting depression, with suicidal preoccupations, and/or with a history of mania should seek professional help and not just rely on this book.

My own experience has been that all of the talk therapy in the world won't help unless I'm feeling "well", and this wellness has only ever been achieved through many trials of psychotropic drugs. Ever since I have found a good medication combination I have found that I have become considerably more optimistic, patient, calm, and better able to withstand small daily crises. I know that it is different for many people, but for me CBT has only ever been effective for me NOW, when I am better able to recognize and address my thinking processes. I worry that Dr. Burns's book may lead some people to believe that they have complete control over their emotions, or that their depression is largely caused by their "negative affect". As a psychology major I know that one of the big conundrums surrounding CBT is whether the negative schemas shown by depressed patients are present before the illness onset, or whether it is depression itself, and the biological changes that go along with it, that leads to the negative schemas. I don't think that it can be concluded (yet) that the negative schemas precede the depression.

I have been dealing with anxiety and depression for many years and have read just about every type of book imaginable. The only reason I'm writing this review is that I found this book to be the best overall work I have ever read in the realm of self-help psychology.

One of the greatest parts about the book is that Dr. Burns' model of cognitive behavioral therapy is very thorough, yet it is easy to understand and incorporate into one's daily living. He recommends cognitive behavioral therapy as the first line defense in dealing with mood disorders. However, the beauty of the book lies in the fact that Dr. Burns does not simply dismiss psychotropic medications. He clearly states that medications in addition to his therapeutic techniques are wholly appropriate for many people. In fact, it this updated edition he goes into detail about the different classes and types of drug options available on the market today. This approach is refreshing for someone who is benefitting from the use of medication and wanting to incorporate cognitive behavioral therapy into their recovery without having to read a book which outright dismisses the role of medication in treatment.

Also of special significance is his list of 10 'Cognitive Distortions'. Here, he lays out a plan for recognizing faulty thinking, how these thoughts affect our moods, and how to correct these distortions.

In summation, Dr. Burns' book is a practical encapsulation of the ideas and theories of some of the great pioneers in the field of mental health such as Drs. Abraham Low, Albert Ellis, and Aaron Beck.

If you made it this far to decide whether or not to buy this book, read some of the other reviews then put it in your cart.

This book is still selling well 21 years after its first edition was published because the methods work. After first practicing Freudian psychiatry...and finding that it usually (i) didn't work and/or (ii) was far too expensive and time-consuming, Albert Ellis developed rational/cognitive therapy in 1955 and soon added emotive and behavioral tools. Ellis and Burns have played the most important roles in effectively making these tools available to us laymen.

These tools work so well that you're far more likely to effectively deal with your own challenges with them than if you went to a psychologist or psychiatrist. (Some people truly do have chemical imbalances or temporarily need medication to get them to where they can deal with their situations, and that, of course, requires seeing a medical doctor.) Studies have consistently proven that cognitive-behavioral techniques help people faster and provide better long-term results than traditional psychiatric therapies.

I want to make one point that doesn't appear in most other reviews. Like Ellis, Burns shows you how to use both cognitive and BEHAVIORAL techniques. Yes, most unwanted feelings and behaviors do start with our own thoughts...and we can learn to change them. The main other thing I've learned over the past 20 years or so, however, is that I also need to first take some physical action to help change the emotional/behavioral pattern that I don't want. Just sitting in a chair and thinking differently doesn't do the trick. And "Feeling Good" provides you these tools, too.

You can easily benefit from the most powerful tools available through buying and using both Burns' "Feeling Good" and Albert Ellis' "A Guide to Rational Living." While "Feeling Good" is better written and contains a wider variety of tools, Ellis teaches you how to use the single most effective cognitive system.

These tools require you to work in order to realize the benefits that you want. The terrific news is that there is hope! And, just as importantly, you have access to the tools that you need...now.

If you are single and/or shy and /or unsuccessful with the opposite sex this is probably the best book on the subject. (For men, I would also recommend Jama Clark's What The Hell Do Women Really Want).

The premise of Intimate Connections is that before anyone can love you, you must love yourself. To do otherwise shows you are not thinking rationally. And Dr. Burns tries to reason with the reader--to make the reader see they're not thinking clearly. But if you're not thinking clearly, you may not be able to assimilate this advice.

Although perhaps unintentional, this emphasis on loving yourself and first having a good life on your own seems to be (wisely) creating a "fall back" position, in case, after giving it your best shot, things don't happen for you. (Or in therapist's parlance, you are unable to make the necessary changes to make things happen).

A minor point is the section where a client feels he has shortcomings that women won't like. After surveying some women, they say these things don't matter to them. This unquestioning acceptance that women know and say what attracts them is kinda naiive for such a thoughtful book.

This book details some of the ways a person can overcome problems in finding meaningful relationships. For example, if you are shy, Burns has you do activities that involve you interacting with people. He teaches you how to flirt. His advice is often common sense, for example if you don't bathe or comb your hair very often he tells you to bathe and comb every day. Burns also teaches you ways to set your expectations at realistic levels in order to minimize painful emotional episodes, for example I'm not going to try to date Christie Brinkley, she's "out of my league", so I'm not hurt that she doesn't want to date me. (That's just an example, I do not know her personally, nor have ever asked her out). The only problem with this book is that at times it focuses on shallower aspects of relationships, like flirting, and appearance and gives the reader the impression that he views these aspects as more important. I believe Dr. Burns meant this book to be a basic level guide to relationships, meaning, that he has you concentrate on shallower aspects of relationships in hopes that it will be easier for you to develop more meaningful relationships. The reader should take from this book what he/she needs and drop the rest. For example, I had no problem flirting, so I ignored his pages on that and focused on a couple of other items that he addressed.

Until several years ago I was relatively shy, and bounced form relationship to relationship. I had a hard time meeting people I liked. The people I did go out with wasted my time.

Then I read this book and did exactly what it said. After several months following the steps in the book, my love-life took off like a flaming rocket. I went out with a different girl every week. I have since gone on to marry, and I enjoy a great relationship with my wife.

Look, I'm not selling the book, but it is one of the texts that have changed my life. If you actually do what the book says, your love-life will change for the better also. I've seen the love-lifes of a couple of friends that I reccomended the book to take off as well.

I am yet another person who doesnt understand what the negative reviews are about.

I am not a dummy, am an educated, self-employed professional who has already had years of therapy, and who has a history of family depression. I find the work to be engaging, to the point, and not at all condescending or negative. I am not sure how it can be said that he dwells on the negative when over and over the exercises are to WRITE POSITIVE REBUTTALS to your negative thoughts, and to talk to yourself kindly and compassionately.

I can say that the title stinks... and in fact in the beginning of the book Dr. Burns asks us to sign a committment to spend a certain amount of time a day for a certain period, and suggests 15 minutes (so we can do more if possible, but will not feel put off by overcommitting)... so it seems even he thinks 10 days is unreasonable. I have been working at it for two weeks now. And I can say that it works... I was going around in self-defeating thought loops as I had been for years, just coming out of a breakup, and had been diagnosed by my medical doctor with depression (though not needing meds) and sent for therapy (we have only had one introductory visit so far, so I cannot say my improvement is due to the therapy). And I have gone from (according to his mood checklists) EXTREMELY DEPRESSED and EXTREMELY ANXIOUS through moderately to now SLIGHTLY DEPRESSED. I am very impressed. And all my friends have commented on my quick and positive mood upswing.

Reading this book one may wonder why it would work. It works because of actually having to write down how you feel, and what exactly you are thinking. The same negative thoughts that seem so natural and believable in my head seem so obviously over the top when I write them down: it is so much easier to WRITE the distortions and WRITE more realistic positive thoughts. Dr. Burns gets you to write down the percentage of your belief in your negative thoughts before and after examining them, and it is incredible how satisfying it is to notice the REAL difference in feelings about myself. It gives me back the feeling of having some control, of being able to effect change.

I find that his "you didnt write it down, you just read it, didnt you!" comments well placed. It could be annoying if you had written in the exercises, but he definitely anticipated that I was reading and not writing. I read two days without writing with no improvement, and since I have been writing every night before bed for 15 minutes, it is WORKING.

Also I am a cartoonist and illustrator, and I found his "draw a stick figure and give it a thought bubble" to be brilliant. I suppose it sounds like "child's play" to draw stick figures... but it is certainly more expedient than drawing from the model... and it turns self-deprecating journal material into a more objective form. I would suggest that those who poohpooh this silliness to spend an hour one day doing this, putting in expressions to go with the thoughts if they like. You will soon find that you can look at your thoughts realistically as though a friend or stranger was having them, and be much more compassionate and balanced. As well, it is good for your sense of humour... it is amazing how funny one's own melodramatic "I'm such a loser" thoughts can be when externalized.

Overall this book is like a workout video for the psyche... if you follow along and do it, the results add up day by day. But if you just listen to it while you eat chips rather than participating, your gut will grow instead of your abs. You get out of it what you put in, and that includes your attitude.

I ignored the comments attached to this book before ordering, and I'm glad I did. As has often been said, a review says more about the reviewer than the object in question, mine included. This book is meant to accomplish very specific things, which are clearly outlined in the book, and it does those things extremely well.

The problem is of course the title: it puts the book in the "thinner thighs" niche, and this is no quick fix, fairy tale book. This is not a superficial or simplistic book, though it is simple. The book was originally written for a 10 day workshop for disadvantaged people of various types who had one thing in common: major depression. As such, it's sort of an inpatient book. Most of us can't do it in 10 business days, either because of the time required or because of the emotional stamina it would require.

I've read hundreds of self-help books over the years, and many of them have fine ideas. Like diets, though, we don't DO them. The point of this book is to put Burns' lessons down on paper, because that's the only way you learn. Keeping it in your head simply does not work(I've tried), no matter who you are.(I have three Ivy League degrees blah blah, but that's not worth a hill of beans in emotional healing or learning how to have a mental, spiritual, and physical life coexist happily.) CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)has been shown effective for people with not much education. It's the effort that counts, according to studies cited in his books.

I read Burns' first book over 10 years ago, but put it aside because it just was too much; it wasn't helpful to me at that point. I've come a long way since then, and now have the patience, persistence, and yes desperation, to do whatever I can. Luckily I stumbled across the first book again recently and recognized it for the gem it is. This workbook forces me to actually do the work instead of thinking about it. That has been extraordinarily valuable, because I am depressed, can't be bothered to do things, and don't want to do potentially painful things. Depression is a fierce, dangerous thing, and until I recognized it for what it is, I would not have taken the time and effort to do the book. FWIW.

I personally have fun drawing stick figures as the book suggests. Not much about depression work is fun, so I'll take it where I can get it, especially if it is also the most practical route to a better life.

Books like _Ten Days to Self Esteem_ can't help every one. But if you go at it with the right outlook it can change your life. Dr. Burns writes in a very clear, down-to-earth manner and has good real-life examples. His analyses of the causes of negative mindsets are well-based and accurate. He explains many possible causes of low self-esteem and offers many insights on how to face and defeat negative mindsets and thought. This book greatly helped me in my struggles with low self-esteem and poor body image. I strongly recommend others to give it a chance. The only thing you have to lose is unhappiness.