Thoughts and Feelings: Taking Control of Your Moods and Your Life

314 Pages·2011·21.89 MB·English

by  Matthew McKay PhD

“Chock- full of systematic strategies for the treatment of a wide variety of psychological problems.
Eminently readable and helpful for professionals as well as patients.”
— Aaron T. Beck, MD, president of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and
Research Psychopathology
“An outstanding book. I recommend it without reservation for both general readers and therapists.
It stands apart from other similar books in its reliance on scientific data, not fad, hype, or mysticism.”
— Jacqueline B. Persons, PhD, director of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for
Cognitive Therapy and clinical professor in the Department of Psychology at the
University of California, Berkeley
“An excellent resource, reference tool, treatment manual, therapy coach, and compendium of
techniques.”
— Arthur Freeman, EdD, ABPP, HSPP, president of the Freeman Institute for
Cognitive Therapy and director of clinical training and supervision for the Center
for Brief Therapy in Fort Wayne, IN
“One of the most comprehensive and empirically sound guidebooks in all of self- help literature. All of
the major problems in living are covered.”
— Cory F. Newman, PhD, clinical director of the Center for Cognitive Therapy and
associate professor of psychology in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania
“For professionals and the public, this wonderful workbook, like a wise teacher, can help make a positive
difference.”
— Thomas F. Cash, PhD, professor emeritus of clinical psychology at Old Dominion
University in Norfolk, VA
“A jewel of a book: supportive and empathetic, short on platitudes and long on practical applications.
A must- buy for all cognitive behavioral therapists.”
— Thomas E. Ellis, PsyD, ABPP, professor of psychology at Marshall University
in Huntington, WV

Thoughts
&

Feelings
Taking Control of Your
&
Moods Your Life
F O U R T H E D I T I O N
M A T T H E W M CK A Y, P h D
M A R T H A D AV I S , Ph D
P A T R I C K F A N N I N G
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
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, Martha Davis, and Patrick Fanning
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
All Rights Reserved
PDF ISBN: 9781608822096
Acquired by Melissa Kirk; Cover design by Amy Shoup; Text design by Tracy Marie Carlson; Edited by Jasmine Star

The Library of Congress has Cataloged the Print Edition as:
McKay, Matthew.
Thoughts and feelings : taking control of your moods and your life / Matthew McKay, Martha Davis, and Patrick Fanning. -- 4th
ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-60882-208-9 (pbk.) -- ISBN 978-1-60882-209-6 (pdf e-book) -- ISBN 978-1-60882-210-2 (epub)
1. Cognitive therapy--Popular works. I. Davis, Martha, 1947- II. Fanning, Patrick. III. Title.
RC489.C63M34 2011
616.89’1425--dc23
2011035736
Dedicated to all the researchers and clinicians who have shown us what works.

Contents
Preface to the Fourth Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
How to Use This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
CHAPTER 1
Making Your Own Treatment Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CHAPTER 2
Uncovering Automatic Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
CHAPTER 3
Changing Patterns of Limited Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
CHAPTER 4
Changing Hot Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
CHAPTER 5
Relaxation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
CHAPTER 6
Worry Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
CHAPTER 7
Coping with Panic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
CHAPTER 8
Coping Imagery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
CHAPTER 9
Mindfulness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Thoughts & Feelings
CHAPTER 10
Defusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
CHAPTER 11
Getting Mobilized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
CHAPTER 12
Putting Values into Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
CHAPTER 13
Brief Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
CHAPTER 14
Prolonged Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
CHAPTER 15
Testing Core Beliefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
CHAPTER 16
Changing Core Beliefs with Visualization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
CHAPTER 17
Stress Inoculation for Anger Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
CHAPTER 18
Covert Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
CHAPTER 19
Covert Sensitization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
CHAPTER 20
Problem Solving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253
CHAPTER 21
When It Doesn’t Come Easy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
References and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
vi
Preface to the Fourth Edition
T
he first edition of Thoughts and Feelings appeared in 1981. It was an introduction to cognitive
behavioral therapy that was used by general readers and therapists alike. It provided simple, step-by-step
instructions for a dozen specific techniques.
Over the years we came to realize the book’s limitations. To begin with, some of the techniques had
not stood the test of time. Later studies had shown them to be less effective than newer, more powerful
interventions. In addition, although cognitive behavioral therapists were developing multistep protocols
to treat many disorders, the original edition of Thoughts and Feelings didn’t show how to link a series of
techniques together into an integrated treatment plan for problems like depression, panic disorder, or
anger.
With the second, third, and now fourth editions of Thoughts and Feelings, the book has been revised
to include more effective methodologies and reflect changes in modern practices. Thoughts and Feelings
now offers multistep treatment plans for many mood- based problems. These plans are outlined in chap-
ter 1 to show you a sequence of relevant chapters and techniques for each disorder. This is consistent
with the way cognitive behavioral treatments are conducted during therapy: You take a series of steps
to acquire skills that serve as building blocks in coping with problems.
For this edition, we have removed the chapter on thought stopping, a technique that in recent years
has been shown to be of little value. We replaced it with a new chapter on defusion, a powerful tech-
nique now used in the third wave of behavior therapies as a core treatment. Defusion has impressive
research support for helping manage anxiety, depression, and anger. We have also removed the chapter
on coping during exposure, because experience has shown that relaxation techniques and coping
thoughts work best when used before and after exposure, not during exposure.