I recommend That's How the Light Gets In: Memoir of a Psychiatrist by Susan Rako, M.D. The title comes from a song by Leonard Cohen: "There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." Rako's book is inspiring, brilliantly conceived and wonderfully well-written. As Allen Wheelis says, "These are the words of a seeker after meaning."

I am still in the middle of reading this book...but so far I am delighted with its primary message: WE ALL HAVE CONTROL OVER OUR OWN MOODS! This book is filled with exercises, checklists and mood inventories...all designed to offer the reader an interactive role in their own healing.

I have struggled with depression my entire life and because of this book am understanding the concept of healing myself through positive thoughts. I would recommend this book to anyone who struggles with depression, regardless of the severity.

10 Days to Self Esteem is a staple in my practice working with clients coping with depression and anxiety. This is the one workbook where clients will consistently complete the exercises and homework. They have shared that the techniques are understandable and they can see their progress. The Cost benefit analysis is the one technique, however, clients /patients find dificult initially; but then catch on. My clients see improvement in themselves once they go through the entire workbook and that the most important. Thanks so much!
Debra Irby, LCSW-C

This is an excellent companion to Ellen J. Langer's "Mindfulness". It provides practical techniques for becoming mindful in small decisions that can add up to big problems or big benefits.

I liked this book. It helped me alot. It was easy to understand but you have to write in it ALOT! You should get "The Feeling Good Handbook" by Dr. David Burns as well. Dr. Burns has you to read different chapters of the book to go along with Ten Days. I had to stop reading Ten Days and get the Feeling Good Handbook before I could finish.

This book is a very good resource for those who are battling depression. Whether you are a manic depressive, or just battling low self-esteem, this book breaks down everything for you and even has work book exercises to help you pin point the problem, then work on it. I highly recommend it.

This is a great book. Large print makes for easy reading, work sheets for easy learning.

This is a great book. Large print makes for easy reading, work sheets for easy learning.

Like many other people who have posted their opinion of this book, I too have struggled for most of my life with Severe Depression, Severe Anxiety, and manic bipolar disorder- which led to a number of suicide attempts and constant ideation... Soon after finally recieving treatment, My therapist had recommended that i take a look at this book- at first i wasnt very motivated, but i decided that i dont HAVE TO do it in ten days- so i spread it out longer- doing one chapter a week and talking/discussing everything with my therapist. It was very helpful to have worked on it with someone who could help me understand everything and be able to help me look at MY situations and apply them to what i was working on. I cant even begin to tell you about what a difference this book has made im my life.

ive noticed that alot of people are "turned off" by just reading the introduction and basing their entire opinion on a few sentences that Burns said about Medication etc... I encourage you to keep an open mind and begin reading and doing the work in this book. If you give it a chance- I guarantee that you wont regret it.
> I still take medication, to keep me balanced- But after working with the book i have, for the first time in 10 years, been able to be MYSELF again, and i couldnt be happier.

Very Good and helpful book hoping it will keep me on the right track where I want to be.

This book was recommended to me when I went into a major depressive episode subsequent to job loss. I'm only part way through the book so far, but have found the exercises to be extremely helpful in understanding the negative thoughts that are contributing to my funky mood and seeing how distorted they are. The next part of the book deals with how to change these negative thoughts into more realistic ones. I'm looking forward to working through the rest of the exercises.

For over 15 years I've suffered with mild to moderate chronic depression. I've been on six different anti-depressants, had five years of talk therapy, and read a shelf full of books on depression. My results have been marginal.

Nothing changes my moods and outlook as quickly or as powerfully as the work I do guided by Burn's book. His approach looks simple--even simplistic at times. Do not be deceived. The approach, thinking, and exercises in the book are sound and sophisticated. The key is following Burns' instructions and doing the work.

When I purchased my copy of Burns' book, I dismissed the title as marketing hype. The title proved true for me. In less than a week after beginning the work in the book, I saw significant changes in my mood, motivation, and outlook on life.

Get the book. Do the work. The exercises are challenging. There are days I hate Burns and his book. I do the exercises anyway--they invariably result in mood changes within hours.

As I read reviews on this book several people were bothered by the title. If they read the introduction they understood the rationale for the title. It was initially a ten day program. This book is fantastic in it's effort to allow it's reader to reinvent themselves in a way. It is used in my therapy group and I purchased it on my own so that I could further enhance my understanding of myself. What it has given me is an opportunity. Please don't limit your ideas to the title. It took years to destroy my self esteem. It will not take ten days to restore it. It's a tool not a solution, and a wonderful tool I might add.

Karen

Burns' methods in cognitive behavioral therapy are at the heart of psychology/counseling.

Depression is certainly a serious problem, and "ten days" to gain self esteem may be unrealistic. But many of those here who have spent years in psychology realize that the only real insights discovered have to do with untwisting irrational thinking, the topic of this book. Many psychologists typically spend the rest of their time trying to overcome the extreme resistance of their patients to this simple realization. Worse, other psychologists - often pseudoscientists like psychoanalysts - introduce new levels of complexity that baffle patients.

By the way, it's certainly not "ignorant" of Burns to question the use of SSRIs to treat things like major depression/dysthymia/anxiety disorders. The fact is that there is quite a bit of debate over the appropriate use and overuse of these drugs in the psychiatric and psychological communities. General practitioners are often completely unaware of their appropriate use and dosages, psychiatrists are typically overly gung-ho about using them and still do not understand their side effects well, and psychologists quite reasonably fear the negative reinforcements they encourage. And patients simply have to be aware and cognizant of this debate. There are significant benefits and costs to taking SSRIs, and people have to be their own doctors to a certain extent, weighing these benefits and costs against one another.

I've had depression for over ten years, flirting with suicide for most of them, before finally seeking help. So I know what it's like at the bottom, trust me. Meds can make you a LOT better... but they're only a kick-start to taking care of the problems addressed in this book. This book can make you ALL better by taking care of the main symptom of depression - negative thoughts - and thus preventing deeper depression and relapse.

"Ten Days to Self-Esteem" includes checklist tests to chart your progress, simple homework assignments, and daily exercises to train yourself to think more positively. In other words, if you're willing to put in the work, and let Dr. Burns show you where to start, it WILL help you, step-by-step.

So why all the negative reviews? I have to put in my two cents, here.

There are three major themes running through the brains of those with depression:
1. "I have a very special case of depression. Other people may have gotten better, but I'm different. I'll never be cured."
2. Life's details are tainted with bad-ness. ("That's nice, but...")
3. If it's not perfect, it's not good enough. ("There's a typo on my resume, so I won't bother applying for the job.")

All of these combined will invariably lead to negative reviews of this book. The depressed patient will find one or two things they don't agree with (whether rational or not), and since they have an all-or-nothing philosophy, they decide this book is worthless and can't help them, so they don't read it or do the exercises (or do them half-heartedly), and this book gets one star.

Now, I'm NOT picking on any certain reviewer here; I haven't read the complaints in that much detail. I'm just trying to help explain to the non-depressed people why there are such a bafflingly wide range of opinions about this book. Well, that's the way depressed people think - negatively. (In fact, depressed people even answer "No" to questions significantly more often than non-depressed people.)

With that said, I'll admit that I had EXACTLY the same reaction. The book was too _______, I didn't have enough time for the exercises, it wasn't helping fast enough, blah blah blah. (I have a high IQ - so sometimes my negative thoughts are downright artistic in their warped-ness.) I managed to do the exercises up until Day 3, at which point I did what most other depressed people will probably do with this book -- I put it aside to collect dust, and procrastinated, until I conveniently forgot about the exercises I was supposed to be doing.

A month or two later, I noticed that I was happier. My head was clearer. I had fewer doubts and paid less attention to that snide play-by-play announcer in my head. ("But what will they think? You can't do it, you'll screw up, stupid...") And I realized that it was this book, "Ten Days to Self-Esteem," that had taught me the methods.

I'm currently eager and happy to be ordering a new copy. Exactly what I need. Yes, after rejecting it, now I'm coming back to it, because I *know* now how good it was for me.

Yes, some of the ideas Dr. Burns presents are "common sense" -- but not ALL of them. Your thoughts control your emotions. But -- controlling your thoughts! -- THAT idea takes a while to really sink in. Do you commonly stop in the middle of a hands-on project or trip to the store, etc., to say to yourself, "I don't like these thoughts... I'll think of something happier now"? No! We just let them run on auto-pilot, dictated by outside circumstances or internal dialogue. It takes real effort to step in and say, "STOP. You're wrong. And I'll prove it - right now."

Seriously, I know this all seems simple now. But I guarantee you, in a few months you'll look back at this book and realize you only THOUGHT you got it, at first. (I'd already read several books on these topics, but THIS one was the one that actually drastically helped my depression.) Reading this book is a valuable investment in your future.

Curing yourself of depression is like climbing out of a sinkhole - lots of resistance at first, more and more ground gained as you go, becoming faster and easier. It's natural to have negative thoughts about this book at first. And I don't expect you to believe me about the "faster and easier" part until you get there, heh. But you will.

Still have doubts about buying the book? Well, I'll say it here, so you can see how irrational it sounds outside of your own head: "I don't want to read this book if it will only help me a little. I'd rather be totally sick until I get a shot at being instantly cured."

In other words, I'm begging you: Buy it. Give it a chance. Make sure you memorize the Distortions list; that alone can save your life. This book WILL help you.

Other books that have helped me tremendously with overcoming depression: "Learned Optimism" by Martin Seligman ; "Living Fearlessly" by Rhonda Britten. Check those out, too. Good luck!

I haven't read the book but reading the intro was already too much for me. I AM medicated, and to read that I could be cured "without medication" was quite offensive to me. It sounds as though the writer is suggesting that there is something wrong with taking meds (other wise why would it be highlighted as a positive that you could do without?)

I have enough issues about judging myself without some author already thowing such an ignorant statement out there. I don't feel that reading one word further of his work would make me feel better about myself in the slightest.

Maggie,Reviewer
survivor
'You FEEL the way you THINK: Negative feelings like guilt, anger, and depression do not result from the bad things that happen to you, but from the way you think about these events. This simple but revolutionary idea can change your life!' I am a survivor of child/sexual abuse. Reading books such as 'Nightmares Echo' and 'Beauty for Ashes', which did alot to help my issues dealing with the past abuse. But, I needed more...something to help with the fact that I lacked Self-worth. This book helped me so much to understand and learn to relearn myself.

My psychologist highly recommended this book to help me deal with my depression and low self-esteem. Even though I respect her, I can't say that this is the best method she could've suggested. First all, like other reviewers have said, it's impossible to "cure" depression and raise self-esteem in just ten days. It's also incredible to think that the pain I have suffered for years on end will be relieved just by reading a book. I haven't tried any other workbooks, so maybe there are some that would beneficial, but this is not one of them. I felt that after reading some of Ten Days to Self-Esteem and doing several Self-Help Activities, I felt much worse than before. The activities, rather than focusing on positive events, focus on the negative. I found myself being asked to recall (and write about) painful events that I would rather put behind me. The author has written the book as if depression and low self-esteem is a minor issue. His 'lessons' consist of plain-old common sense (as in 'You Feel the Way You Think'). It's safe to say that I've been feeling much worse since I've picked up this book. If you, like myself, have severe depression or low self-esteem, do yourself a favor and do not purchase this book. This book would be better for someone who just has a 'case of the blues.'

"Ten Days to Self Esteem" is the one of my most valuable books, but my first impression of the author, Dr. David Burns, wasn't too positive. I'd browsed his book "Feeling Good" back in 1991 and didn't find anything profound.

But I wasn't seriously depressed at the time either. In June 2001 it was a different story. I'd been feeling suicidal since April. I was away from home on business and considered ending it all in a Minneapolis hotel room, but didn't want my wife have the hassle of shipping my body 1,000 miles back home.

I forced myself to take a walk and saw "Feeling Good" in a nearby bookstore. "What the hell," I thought, "for less than $10 this is worth a try." Back in my hotel room I took the depression test and scored 64 - severe depression. I read much of the book that night, took the self-test again the next day and scored in the 40s. With a 20 point drop in less than 24 hours, I again had hope. I got home, got counseling, got medication.

I'd made progress, but I was still somewhat depressed. In July I bought "Ten Days to Self Esteem" and started doing the daily exercises, including self-tests for depression, anxiety and relationship satisfaction.

It took about 9 months but with exercise, meds, counseling, support from friends and family, and the perspective offered by the events of that September 11, I started getting scores showing very little depression, much less anxiety and better relationships. Burns' approach has been an important part of that process for me.

Although "Feeling Good" is less expensive and a better seller, "Ten Days to Self Esteem" offers more value because it prompts more reader involvement.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book. Unlike other books by the author, this book is quite short and intended to be a workbook with a step-by-step guide.
It also containts lots of worksheets to fill out. The ideas of cognitive behavior therapy are clearly presented, their possible applications are considered.
That's for the positive side.
On the negative side, there are too many references to other books. The book contains not enough actual demonstrations of cognitive therapy principles. I doubt whether clients without an accompanying (group) therapy can greatly benefit from this book.
If you are looking for a real self-help book withoug being in therapy, I refer the reader to the book "feeling good" or "the feeling good handbook". If you are a client currently in therapy, then this book can be an interesting supplement.

The concepts in this book worked for me. I was very skeptical in the beginning but found the simple techniques to be very effective. It was hard work at times but the dividends were great. With time, I found myself looking forward to working the book. I set aside 15 minutes 5 days a week. I ended up missing some days but spending more then 15 minutes on others. Many mornings, with my cup of coffee in hand and a pencil in the other I would read a page or two then dive into the exercises. The workbook takes much longer then the ten days that the title suggests. It took me about three months to complete the ten outlined steps. Yes, this is a book you must work and write in. Don't bother buying it if you don't want to write.

The book starts out with a depression checklist, anxiety inventory and relationship exercise at the beginning of each chapter. These exercises go fast. They are very helpful for doing a basic checkup and tracking any progress. At first, I saw little change but with time my scores were showing some real signs of improvement. Each week I was learning something new and eventually found it easier to get up each morning.

This workbook is designed to challenge your negative thoughts and show you ways to untwist your thinking. Dr. Burns suggests fifteen practical ways to confront your self-defeating thoughts. You will learn about self-defeating beliefs and how they differ from negative thoughts. You will become skilled at accepting negative thoughts while maintaining a healthy self-esteem and balanced view of yourself. �Your thoughts create your moods. When you are upset it�s not so much what�s happening to you, but the way you think about it that causes you to feel the way you do.�

Life is full of many ups and downs but if you are stuck and are looking for help get this book and work this book. The author will tell you that his research has showed that 70% of the people who used these techniques improve but 30% do not. This book is not for everyone but I can honestly say the principles in this book have helped me grow. While there is still more work ahead and more to do I feel that I am better equipped then before to tackle my problems. Thank you Dr Burns!

I purchased this book at the recommendation of my therapist and found it to be extremely helpful. The book helped me to identify some of the reasons behind my self-esteem issues and also helped me to take the first step in resolving them. Granted, my self-esteem issues weren't solved in ten days - so the title is a misnomer - but I used the book over a two month period and it really helped me. Every now and then, I review the book when I feel myself "slipping" and it is a great resource.

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.

This book has a lot of repetetion material from his previous best seller "feeling good: a new mood therapy". I recommend buying the book "feeling good" instead of this one.

This is a great resource for those that our suffering from depression. Don't expect to be healed in 10 days, unless you have nothing else to do at all, which few of us do! Go at your own pace and don't do the work in your head, take a pen out of your desk and a tablet of paper and write the thoughts in your head on the paper. It sounds simplistic, but it works people. Just give it a shot. David Burns is a wonderful doctor, and if you are willing to do a little work to make yourself better then you need to purchase this piece of work. Don't take my word for it, just do it! It has done wonders for me, and I suggest you get the Feel Good Mood Therapy book by Burns to go along with this workbook. That book alone is worth it's weight in gold! Good luck on your journey!

I don't understand all the negative reviews. I think this is good workbook that follows the leads of Dr. Burns other books. His brand of cognitive therapy has been very successful for me, but you have to do the workbook not just read it. Highly recommened if you really want a change of thinking and are willing to put in the effort.

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.

This book was recommended to me by a professional. For someone who struggles with depression and low self-esteem, I found the book difficult to trudge through. On several occasions, I found it condescending. I feel the most utilizable parts to this book are the Checklists, which I have found helpful in keeping track of how my depression and anxiety are/aren't improving. For this reason only do I give it two stars.

Burns is a phenomenal writer in the manner in which he makes his writings easy to read and to follow. I found this book to be extremely helpful from both a clinical and practical standpoint. His explanations and exercises allow anyone to help from this book. Everyone should read this. As you can tell, I really like the author (Burns) because his many writingshave really allowed me to improve my life for the better in many ways. I realy can't think of anything bad to say.

I would not recommend this book to people who are suffering from low self-esteem. As another review mentioned, this is like a "for Dummies" book. Burns treats his readers like dummies. Some of the instructions are degrading. People with low self esteem are not necessarily dumb, you know.

However, people who are on the late stage of recovering from low self esteem might find this book somewhat useful.

I believe this is actually a book that is 5 or 6 years old and it appears to me that this author doesn't really understand what self-esteem is if he believes it can be altered in 10 days.

Several years ago, I unwittingly installed a cognitive loop with a self-hypnosis routine that brought on a massive anxiety attack that lasted weeks. I stumbled across this book at a point where I didn't know where else to turn. The step-by-step instructions helped me identify what I was thinking that were distortions and taught me how to correct the damage. Simple techniques, but extremely effective! Highly recommended!

Books like this one are very damaging to those who really suffer from low self-esteem. After reading it, they are even more discouraged because the book trivializes their problems and as well as the seriousness of low self-esteem. Anyone who truly understands what low self-esteem is, knows you cannot recover from it in a few days, weeks, or even months. This book should be for people who are merely temporarily or situationally discouraged--it really has nothing to do with self-esteem.

I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE DR. BURNS WROTE THIS BOOK!

This book came to me from a highly educated and professional person. I was astonished as I tried to find my way through this. Dr. Burns treats this subject as if it were "self-esteem for dummies". Stick figures and bubble conversations to identify your feelings appear to be geared to children. It is almost as if the expectation is that well educated professional people don't have this problem. I tried several times to disregard this and plow through the book -- to no avail. The writing treats the subject much too lightly. I am appalled that a credible Dr would put something like this in the market! If I could give this less than a full star I would.

This book came to me highly recommended by a good source with whom I hate to disagree; however, I found that the author spends too much time concentrating on the negative aspects of life and not enough time talking about the positive. I can't speak for others; but, as for me, this would never work.

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.