You are not your thoughts! In this powerful book, two anxiety experts offer proven-effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skills to help you get unstuck from disturbing thoughts, overcome the shame these thoughts can bring, and reduce your anxiety.
If you suffer from unwanted, intrusive, frightening, or even disturbing thoughts, you might worry about what these thoughts mean about you. Thoughts can seem like messages—are they trying to tell you something? But the truth is that they are just thoughts, and don’t necessarily mean anything. Sane and good people have them. If you are someone who is plagued by thoughts you don’t want—thoughts that scare you, or thoughts you can’t tell anyone about—this book may change your life.
In this compassionate guide, you’ll discover the different kinds of disturbing thoughts, myths that surround your thoughts, and how your brain has a tendency to get “stuck” in a cycle of unwanted rumination. You’ll also learn why common techniques to get rid of these thoughts can backfire. And finally, you’ll learn powerful cognitive behavioral skills to help you cope with and move beyond your thoughts, so you can focus on living the life you want. Your thoughts will still occur, but you will be better able to cope with them—without dread, guilt, or shame.
If you have unwanted thoughts, you should remember that you aren’t alone. In fact, there are millions of people just like you—good people who have awful thoughts, gentle people with violent thoughts, and sane people with “crazy” thoughts. This book will show you how to move past your thoughts so you can reclaim your life! This book has been selected as an Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Book Recommendation—an honor bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.

Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts: A CBT-Based Guide to Getting Over Frightening, Obsessive, or Disturbing Thoughts

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Seif PhD, Martin N.

Winston PsyD, Sally M.

Mental Health

New Harbinger Publications

Powerful skills based in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you break free from the fear of uncertainty and put a stop to compulsive checking and reassurance seeking.
“How do I know I made the right decision?” “What if I’m wrong?” “I need to know for sure.”
Do you have thoughts like these—thoughts that cause you to second-guess yourself, and lead to anxiety, stress, and worry? Do you find yourself repeatedly checking your email for no reason, asking others for their opinions about something again and again, or lying awake at night overanalyzing and planning ahead in an attempt to feel less anxious? If so, you probably have a problem with compulsive reassurance seeking. The good news is that you can break free from this “reassurance trap”—this book will show you how.
In this unique guide, you’ll find proven-effective tips and tools using CBT to help you tolerate uncertainty, face specific worrying scenarios, and gradually reduce the compulsion to incessantly seek reassurance. Most importantly, you’ll learn to deal with those pesky “doubt attacks” and trust your own judgment.
Asking for reassurance is a self-reinforcing behavior—if you do it, you’re less likely to handle stressful situations without needing further reassurance. And so the cycle continues. The CBT skills in this book will help you break this exhausting and painful pattern, so you can build self-confidence and improve your life.

Needing to Know for Sure: A CBT-Based Guide to Overcoming Compulsive Checking and Reassurance Seeking

Review\n“Another fantastic book from Winston and Seif! If you have an active imagination and a nervous system wired for anxiety, you will learn from their eighty collective years of expertise the mindset and strategy for conquering worry and fear. Their book perfectly captures the inner dialogue of the chronic worrier and explains how to retrain the anxious brain to live a life focused on the present; not the past or future.” 
—Ken Goodman, LCSW, Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) board member, and creator of The Anxiety Solution Series\n“Do you struggle with indecisiveness, catastrophic thinking, or avoidance? Then Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety was written for you. Winston and Seif leverage forty years of expertise empowering all of us into the ‘therapeutic attitude,’ becoming more observational and metacognitive so we better separate ourselves from our emotional pitfalls. The road map is clear: make cognitive shifts, break the cycle of paralysis through analysis, and you’ll no longer fall victim to anticipatory anxiety.” 
—Josh Spitalnick, PhD, ABPP, licensed psychologist, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) specialist board certified in behavioral and cognitive psychology, and practice owner/CEO of Anxiety Specialists of Atlanta\n“Sally Winston and Martin Seif have written another excellent book—Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety. Traditional efforts to ‘cope with anxiety’ often mean ‘how to get rid of anxiety,’ which paradoxically leads to more anxiety. They suggest that allowing and accepting anxiety is a more helpful approach—and I completely agree! I’m thrilled Winston and Seif have written this new book, and I look forward to being able to give it to my patients.” 
—Robert W. McLellarn, PhD, founder and director of Anxiety and Panic Treatment Center, LLC\n“Anxiety can be an uncontrollable, bewildering form of emotional distress that diminishes life satisfaction for millions. Now in this illuminating self-help manual, Winston and Seif unravel the mysteries of anxiety, giving the reader a rare insight into the core processes that drive this unrelenting emotional disturbance. The insights gained from Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety will supercharge the therapeutic strategies of those experiencing or treating anxiety, so they are better able to subdue the debilitating effects of anxiety.” 
—David A. Clark, PhD, professor emeritus at the University of New Brunswick; and author of The Anxious Thoughts Workbook, The Negative Thoughts Workbook, and The Anxious Thoughts Workbook for Teens\n“Sally Winston and Martin Seif have written another compelling and informative book that should be essential reading for those suffering from anticipatory anxiety and chronic indecisiveness. Using evidence-driven principles, the authors provide a unique and clear road map to help people fundamentally change their relationship with anxiety—rather than just managing it—so that they can live fuller, happier, and more meaningful lives.” 
—Stacia Casillo, PsyD, psychologist; and director of The Ross Center in New York, NY\n“Winston and Seif have written another excellent book for people suffering with anxiety and worry! This one offers a terrific explanation of the inner workings of anticipatory anxiety and avoidance, and shows you how to make changes that empower you to live—and thrive—with life’s uncertainties. Their description of what anxiety recovery is really like, and answers to common questions, help make it clear how you can change your relationship with anxiety and live the life you want.” 
—David Carbonell, PhD, Chicago, IL-based psychologist specializing in treating chronic anxiety for over thirty years; author of Panic Attacks Workbook and The Worry Trick; and “coach” at www.anxietycoach.com\n“Can you learn to manage your anxiety without practicing hours of exercises? Absolutely! Winston and Seif will persuade you to adopt a simple, powerful mindset that releases you from anxiety’s hold. You’ll learn as you foll

Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety: A CBT Guide for Moving past Chronic Indecisiveness, Avoidance, and Catastrophic Thinking

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Winston PsyD, Sally M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Winston PsyD, Sally M.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Winston PsyD, Sally M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts: A CBT-Based Guide to Getting Over Frightening, Obsessive, or Disturbing Thoughts

Needing to Know for Sure: A CBT-Based Guide to Overcoming Compulsive Checking and Reassurance Seeking

Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety: A CBT Guide for Moving past Chronic Indecisiveness, Avoidance, and Catastrophic Thinking