Outsmart Your Anxious Brain

(Paperback)

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It's time to outsmart your worry and anxiety. Drawing on the same cutting-edge psychology presented in author David Carbonell's The Worry Trick, this irreverent, on-the-go guide offers the ten most powerful strategies to help you put worry in its place--anytime, anywhere. Anxiety is a powerful force. It makes us question our decisions and ourselves, worry about the future, and it fills our days with dread and emotional turbulence. But what if we understood that anxiety is merely a trick of the mind, trying to convince us we're in danger Anxiety is like a magician behind the curtain, playing subtle tricks on us to convince us that we're in danger when we're not. When we understand this, we can observe our anxious feelings with some distance. Based on the author's popular book, The Worry Trick, this helpful and humorous guide identifies the trick of chronic anxiety, and provides the ten most powerful techniques based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you respond differently to panic, anxiety, worry, and phobias. Once you learn to respond differently to the worry trick, you'll be able to break the cycle of chronic anxiety for good. Instead of trying to manage your anxiety or push anxious thoughts away--techniques that you've probably already discovered don't work--the ten powerful strategies outlined in this guide will empower you to actually change how you respond to worry and anxiety, so you can get your life back!

Reviews

"Another gem of a book from David Carbonell. He writes with such wisdom and clarity, using delightful and memorable metaphors to help you outsmart your anxiety. He presents ten simple yet profound ways to get your life back. I highly recommend this book!"
--Jennifer Shannon, LMFT, author of Don't Feed the Monkey Mind--Jennifer Shannon, LMFT
"As someone who has a history of anxiety and phobias, and as someone who is a social worker and has been director of an anxiety and phobia program for over twenty years, I will wholeheartedly recommend David Carbonell's new book to my colleagues and clients. Carbonell has an exceptional gift of presenting practical, therapeutic instruction and education with a sense of humor and a compassionate heart."
--Judy Chessa, LMSW, coordinator of the anxiety and phobia program at St. Vincent's Hospital Behavioral Health Services in White Plains, NY (formerly the Anxiety and Phobia Treatment Center at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, NY)--Judy Chessa, LMSW
"David is back with his signature style of warmth and humor to help readers work with anxiety moment by moment. From years of treating anxious people like you and me, he has come to see that avoidance behaviors are the problem, not anxiety. Want to know the secret to recovering faster Look at what anxiety is telling you to do and do the opposite.

Take it chapter by chapter, grab a pencil to write in the margins, and then get out there and take back your life. It's been waiting for you!"
--Kristin E. Cummings, LCSW, resident superhero at www.theanxietygirl.net--Kristin E. Cummings, LCSW

"David Carbonell has spent decades figuring out exactly how to explain complex and subtle concepts in just a few words, and this book is a prime example. Deceptively easygoing, it turns upside down every instinctive response to anxiety in the mind or body, and convinces the reader to behave counterintuitively. He articulates basic principles we so often overlook, such as that the rules for achieving goals in external reality and internal experience are not the same. Or that 'face your fears' does not mean confrontation, it means working with instead of against. This is a must-read!"
--Sally Winston, PsyD, coauthor (with Martin Seif) of Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts and Needing to Know for Sure--Sally Winston, PsyD
"David Carbonell's new book, Outsmart Your Anxious Brain, is just what the doctor ordered. David has distilled much of the recent literature on how best to manage anxiety into an accessible and very readable book. David has done an excellent job of combining the wisdom he has gained from over thirty years' experience treating anxiety disorders with recent findings in the research literature to create a very practical book that is full of clinical insights and specific, concrete tools to better understand and manage anxiety. I especially like how David provides exercises to try, and then gives examples of how some of the clients in his practice have used and benefited from those exact exercises. If you or someone you care about suffers from anxiety--buy, read, and use this book! I'm eagerly awaiting the publication of this book so I can recommend it to my clients."
--Robert W. McLellarn, PhD, founder and director of Anxiety and Panic Treatment Center, LLC in Portland, OR; with over thirty years of experience treating anxiety disorders--Robert W. McLellarn, PhD
"David Carbonell's sequel to The Worry Trick applies his practical advice not only to chronic worriers, but also to sufferers of panic, OCD, social anxiety, and phobias. With his witty, clear, and casual voice--and his memorable metaphors and exercises--he helps readers to stop treating discomfort like danger. I will enthusiastically recommend this book to my anxious patients (and friends!)."
--David J. Kosins, PhD, psychologist in private practice in Seattle, WA, specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders; clinical instructor in the University of Washington's departments of psychology and psychiatry; and founding fellow and certified trainer/consultant at the Academy of Cognitive Therapy--David J. Kosins, PhD
"This book will change lives. No one else explains worry and prescribes a clear path to lessen it like David Carbonell. His short, simple, and humorous book will help you understand how worry tricks you, while his writings give you powerful, specific techniques to reclaim your life from the anxiety that has been holding you back."
--Marilee Feldman, LCPC, CADC, founder and clinical director of Life Counseling Institute in Willowbrook, IL--Marilee Feldman, LCPC, CADC
"This wonderful book gives the reader practical tips to move past anxiety and worry. David Carbonell offers sage advice on how to do things you are afraid of so that you become less afraid, rather than waiting to be less afraid so that you can do the things that are most important to you."
--Debra Kissen, PhD, MHSA, CEO of Light On Anxiety CBT Treatment Center--Debra Kissen, PhD, MHSA
"Whether you have social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic attacks, or another form of anxiety, David Carbonell effortlessly explains the common culprit in all anxiety disorders in this essential read. Sprinkled with good humor, practical analogies, and real-life examples, he offers strategic tips that challenge your worries and change your anxious mind-set. A must-read based on empirical evidence for anyone looking to outsmart the anxiety tornado from wrecking your mental wellness."
--Jenny C. Yip, PsyD, ABPP, founder and clinical psychologist at the Renewed Freedom Center for Rapid Anxiety Relief in Los Angeles, CA; and author of Productive, Successful YOU!--Jenny C. Yip, PsyD, ABPP
"Do you have challenges with anxiety, worry, panic, or phobias Here is an easy shortcut for making progress:

1. Order David Carbonell's new book, Outsmart Your Anxious Brain.
2. Start reading it, a few pages at a time. Carbonell writes with humor and compassion. I challenge you to read his book without smiling!
3. Highlight, circle, or use Post-its to mark the paragraphs that are especially helpful to you.
4. Make a habit of rereading the sections that you marked. You now have an ongoing resource for your progress!"

--Neal Sideman, self-help advocate, internationally known coach and teacher for people recovering from anxiety disorders, member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), and cochair of the ADAA Public Education Committee--Neal Sideman

Author Bio

David A. Carbonell, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating anxiety in all its forms. He is author of Panic Attacks Workbook, The Worry Trick, and Fear of Flying Workbook. He is "coach" of the popular self-help site www.anxietycoach.com, and has taught workshops on the treatment of anxiety disorders to more than 9,000 professional psychotherapists in the U.S. and abroad. He is a long-standing member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, and a frequent presenter at their annual conferences. He received his doctorate in clinical psychology from DePaul University in 1985, and has maintained a practice devoted to the treatment of anxiety disorders since 1990. He lives in Chicago, IL, with his wife and a pair of rescue dogs. In his spare time, he is founding member of The Therapy Players, an improvisational comedy troupe of professional psychotherapists which performs at clubs, theaters, and mental health conferences throughout the Chicago area.

Foreword writer Martin N. Seif, PhD, is cofounder of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, and was a member of its board of directors from 1977 through 1991. He maintains a private practice in New York, NY; and Greenwich, CT; and is coauthor of What Every Therapist Needs to Know About Anxiety Disorders and OvercomingUnwanted Intrusive Thoughts.