[.ca] Three Minute Therapy: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life (ISBN 0944435424)

FINALLY a HELPFUL self help book --!!:
Three Minute Therapy is based on the tenets of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy and work by of other authors, most notably Dr. Albert Ellis. Having read many other books about CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and REBT I can say with authority that Dr. Edelstein/Dr. Steele's book offers something new to those of us who haven't quite "gotten it" until now. Of course one has to be skeptical! Can I help myself with MY insurmountable problems in three minute increments? Well, after only a few days with his book I am buoyed and optimistic, and with good reason! Prior to ordering this book I was well on my way to becoming a recluse! After reading the book and doing only 4 three minute exercises I see my perceived "horrors" are being replaced with garden variety frustrations and strong preferences. I am working through my aforementioned "insurmountable" problems and realizing they are not insurmountable at all! Unbelievable that I am getting this much ACTUAL help from a book! What Dr. Edelstein offers that has not been offered before is the stunning news that therapy can indeed be "brief" (three minutes!!???) but totally effective! Three Minute Therapy dispells cultural myths related to therapy, myths that hold many of us back and keep the psychologist's offices cash registers clanging! If all this wasn't enough, I emailed Dr. Edelstein to thank him for writing his book. and he emailed me right back! I had included a bit of personal information about myself and he actually provided a few more specific helpful ideas for me personally! Talk about a guy who loves his work! Here is an author who is 110% committed to providing people with valuable tools for dismantling our self defeating and seemingly destructive ways. Imagine! we can make room for other things in our lives besides a steady stream of "analysis". If you are confused and don't know what to do --BUY THIS BOOK

too many stories and not enough substance:
I am familiar with Rational Emotive Therapy through the work of Albert Ellis, and thought it would be a good time in my life to review its principles. I wish I had just re-read one of Albert Ellis' books. However, I decided to read this book because of all the positive reviews on this website. I was diappointed to find that this book was mostly a series of little stories that illustrate various disfunctional thoughts. I would have rather seen a little more analysis and explanation.

some what Excellent:
I wanted to give 3 stars to this, but I couldn't just because I believe therapy is a bag like a bag of tricks sometimes certain therapies work for certain ppl while others will work for other ppl. REBT while very practical pretends that what you ahve gone thrue, you personal history is of very little importance and what matters only is the here adn now. IT has a high emphasis on rationality. Big problem, most human beigns aren't pure rationalists, if they were there wouldn't there woulnd't be any problems in the first place. Besides cutting out the heart from life and depending on pure rationalism is cutting yourself off from real life.

Don't be fooled by the cheesy title or jacket design!:
I've just finished the book cover-to-cover, and despite the seemingly frivolous title (kind of like "Six Minute Abs") and cheap jacket design, the book is exceedingly well-written, well thought-out, and very instructive. Basically, the idea behind a lot of our troubles (fears/worry, procrastination, overeating, anger, etc.) stem NOT from "not thinking positive enough" (the author quickly dispels this useless adage), but because we think too negatively; rather, we cling to irrational, or at least unfounded and detrimental, ideas and beliefs and "trick" ourselves into believing them. Three-minute therapy involves identifying these irrational beliefs, actively challenging them, and then reinforcing the rational counterparts over and over again, for, you guessed it!, 3 minutes a day. I have to say that for me, personally, it has helped me start to overcome my procrastination and overeating habits. I have yet to fully extend the philosophy to the rest of my life, but I'm anxious to do so. Edelstein makes a few controversial statements (among them, that AA is a bunch of hogwash for alcoholics, and so is suppressed childhood trauma as the source of present-day emotional trouble), but overall he makes a strong case for a form of therapy that seems practical and highly effective. The book is written in an informal style, and even imparts some humor. I really liked his list of some of the more ludicrous worries that some of his patients have had!!!

Changed my life!:
Dr. Edelstein has written a simple, straightforward and very helpful book here. REBT made easy. There's gold here folks! I recommend not only the book, but also Dr. Edelstein as a therapist. One of the things I've learned from him and his wonderful book is how to get control of my unhealthy eating habits and to start exercising. I've lost 40lbs so far, and I am continuing to lose. To get help losing weight was the reason I started therapy with him, but I got so much more out of it. I only wish I had discovered this way of thinking 20 years ago. But as I have learned, it is never too late to turn your life around. In addition to this book, I also highly recommend Albert Ellis's "A Guide To Rational Living". Thanks Dr. E for all the help and for writing this book!