Free yourself from depression, anxiety, and insecurity, and instead build a rich and meaningful life with the updated and expanded edition of the world's best-selling guide to escaping the happiness trap.

Over 1 million copies sold!

In The Happiness Trap, Dr. Russ Harris provides a means to escape the epidemic of stress, anxiety, and depression, unlocking the secrets to a truly fulfilling life.

Updated and expanded in its second edition, this empowering book presents the insights and techniques of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), covering more topics and providing more practical tools than ever before. Learn how to clarify your values, develop self-compassion, and find true satisfaction with this bigger and better guide to:

- Reducing stress and worry
- Handling painful thoughts and feelings more effectively
- Breaking self-defeating habits
- Overcoming insecurity and self-doubt
- Building better relationships
- Improving performance and finding fulfilment at work

The Happiness Trap is for everyone. Whether you're lacking confidence, facing illness, coping with loss, working in a high-stress job, or suffering from anxiety or depression, this book will show you how to build authentic happiness, from the inside out.

NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER: Due to the recent illegal counterfeiting of this book, we cannot guarantee book quality when purchased through third-party sellers.

Now fully-revised and updated, this second edition of ACT Made Simple includes new information and chapters on self-compassion, flexible perspective taking, working with trauma, and more.

Why is it so hard to be happy? Why is life so difficult? Why do humans suffer so much? And what can we realistically do about it? No matter how rewarding your job, as a mental health professional, you may sometimes feel helpless in the face of these questions. You are also well aware of the challenges and frustrations that can present during therapy.

If you're looking for ways to optimize your client sessions, consider joining the many thousands of therapists and life coaches worldwide who are learning acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). With a focus on mindfulness, client values, and a commitment to change, ACT is proven-effective in treating depression, anxiety, stress, addictions, eating disorders, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder (BPD), and myriad other psychological issues. It's also a revolutionary new way to view the human condition--packed full of exciting new tools, techniques, and strategies for promoting profound behavioral change.

A practical primer, ideal for ACT newcomers and experienced ACT professionals alike, ACT Made Simple offers clear explanations of the six ACT processes and a set of real-world tips and solutions for rapidly and effectively implementing them in your practice. This book gives you everything you need to start using ACT with your clients for impressive results. Inside, you'll find: scripts, exercises, metaphors, and worksheets to use with your clients; a session-by-session guide to implementing ACT; transcripts from therapy sessions; guidance for creating your own therapeutic techniques and exercises; and practical tips to overcome therapy roadblocks.

This book aims to take the complex theory and practice of ACT and make it accessible and enjoyable for therapists and clients.

The practice of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is made even more accessible in this fun, easy-to-understand, and illustrated companion to The Happiness Trap

There's this idea going around that we're always supposed to be happy--and it's making us miserable. The good news is, if you can learn to let go of that impossible expectation, your life will be a whole lot happier. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a simple, self-administered therapy that uses mindfulness to enable you to do just that.

In this follow-up to his bestselling The Happiness Trap, Russ Harris shows how you, like millions of other people, can use ACT to start living a life that's far richer, fuller, and more meaningful. You will learn how ACT can help you:

- Reduce stress and worry
- Handle painful feelings and thoughts more effectively
- Break self-defeating habits
- Overcome insecurity and self-doubt
- Recognize and treasure the whole range of emotions that make up a satisfying life

An essential guide for anyone experiencing loss.
--Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Life

Grief is a journey that can lead to powerful, personal growth. With contributions from grief experts Russ Harris, Alexandra Kennedy, Sameet Kumar, Mary Beth Williams, and Soili Poijula, this thoughtful compilation will help you heal the pain of loss--no matter the cause--and move forward in life with a renewed sense of meaning and purpose.

Grief comes in many forms. You may grieve a loved one who has passed on, a romantic relationship which has ended, the loss of a job you loved, or even a place you used to go that no longer exists or has changed. You may also be dealing with another kind of loss--a sense of who you are and how you can live your life in an increasingly uncertain and changed world. But what if you could transform your grief into lasting positive growth?

Featuring excerpts from the authors' previously published works, How to Grieve What We've Lost offers effective therapeutic tools based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and more. In the book, you'll find strategies for immediate relief, including present-moment awareness and mindful breathing. You'll learn to create a safe sanctuary for your grief, so you can honor your feelings and give them the space they deserve. And you'll discover ways to create a support network, give voice to your sorrow, and share your humanity with others.

This heartfelt guide also includes simple tools to help you:

• Identify the things that really matter to you
• Honor your grief
• Prioritize your mental health and self-care
• Learn and grow from your loss

Whether you are struggling with your own loss or a collective sense of grief, the evidence-based skills in this book will help you mourn in healthy and resilient ways--leading to profound personal growth and a renewed sense of meaning and purpose in life.

Build more compassionate, accepting, and loving relationships with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

Let's face it: Picture-perfect storybook romances don't exist in real life. Couples fight. Feelings of love wax and wane through the years. And the stress and tedium of everyday life and work can often drive a wedge between even the most devoted couples. So, how can you reignite passion and intimacy in your relationship, cultivate greater understanding and compassion between yourself and your partner, and bring the joy back to your love life?

In this fully revised and updated edition of ACT with Love, therapist and world-renowned ACT expert Russ Harris shows how developing psychological flexibility--the ability to be in the present moment with openness, awareness, and focus, and to take effective action in line with one's values--can help you and your partner strengthen and deepen your relationship. Also included is new information on attachment theory, powerful mindfulness and self-compassion techniques, and assertiveness and boundary-setting skills.

ACT with Love will show you how to:

• Let go of conflict, open up, and live fully in the present
• Use mindfulness to increase intimacy, connection, and understanding
• Resolve painful conflicts and reconcile long-standing differences
• Act on your values to build a rich and meaningful relationship

If you're looking to increase feelings of intimacy, love, and connection with your partner, this book has everything you need to get started--together.

Practical skills grounded in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you bounce back when life knocks you down.

Whether it's the loss of a loved one or a job, the end of a relationship, a pandemic, or a natural disaster--nothing really prepares us for those moments when life hits hard and turns our world upside down. The good news is that you can move forward. There are tools you can use to find your way back from despair and live a fulfilling life.

In this candid self-help guide, psychotherapist Russ Harris offers powerful and doable skills grounded in evidence-based ACT to help you recover from grief, loss, and crisis; transcend your pain and suffering; and build a rich and meaningful life--even in the face of adversity. You'll also find tools to help you deal with painful memories, create your own healing grief rituals, and transform difficult emotions into unexpected allies.

Finally, you'll learn how mindfulness and self-compassion can help keep you grounded, even when it seems like your world is in free fall. If you're ready to start building the resilience needed to heal from loss or thrive in the face adversity, this guide will show you how to get there, one step at a time.

Trauma-Focused ACT is going to go down as one of the great contributions to the field of trauma-informed care.
--Kirk Strosahl PhD, cofounder of ACT

Trauma-Focused ACT (TFACT) provides a flexible, comprehensive model for treating the entire spectrum of trauma-related issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addiction, depression, anxiety disorders, moral injury, chronic pain, shame, suicidality, insomnia, complicated grief, attachment issues, sexual problems, and more. Written by internationally acclaimed ACT trainer, Russ Harris, this textbook is for practitioners at all levels of experience, and offers exclusive access to free downloadable resources--including scripts, videos, MP3s, handouts, and worksheets.

Discover cutting-edge strategies for healing the past, living in the present, and building a new future. With this compassion-based, exposure-centered approach, you'll learn how to help your clients:

• Find safety and security in their bodies
• Overcome hyperarousal and hypoarousal
• Break free from dissociation
• Shift from self-hatred to self-compassion
• Rapidly ground themselves and reengage in life
• Unhook from difficult cognitions and emotions
• Develop an integrated sense of self
• Resolve traumatic memories through flexible exposure
• Connect with and live by their values
• Experience post-traumatic growth

Based in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and mindfulness practices, this self-help guide offers breakthrough insights and simple techniques for managing anxiety and developing long-lasting confidence.

The author of The Happiness Trap offers an exciting alternative to the usual approach of so many self-help books, demonstrating the simple and effective methods of ACT (David Richo, PhD, author of How to Be an Adult in Relationships).

Too many of us miss out on opportunities in life because we lack self-confidence. Whether it's public speaking, taking on a leadership role, or asking someone for a date, there are situations in which we just don't feel equipped to handle the challenges we face.

Russ Harris offers a surprising solution to low self-confidence, shyness, and insecurity: Rather than trying to get over our fears, he says, the secret is to form a new and wiser relationship with them. Paradoxically, it's only when we stop struggling against our fearfulness that we begin to find lasting freedom from it.

Drawing on the techniques of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a cutting-edge form of cognitive-behavioral therapy, The Confidence Gap explains how to:

- Free yourself from common misconceptions about what confidence is and how to build it
- Transform your relationship with fear and anxiety
- Clarify your core values and use them as your inspiration and motivation
- Use mindfulness to effectively handle negative thoughts and feelings.

This book could save you years of psychological struggle, yank you out of negative emotional patterns, and help propel you to a much happier, more productive life.
--Martha Beck, author and Oprah Winfrey's life coach

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a powerful, evidence-based treatment for clients struggling with depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, and a host of other mental health conditions. It is based in the belief that the road to lasting happiness and well-being begins with accepting our thoughts, rather than trying to change them. However, ACT can present certain roadblocks during treatment. As a mental health professional, you may adopt basic principles of ACT easily, but it generally takes at least two or three years of hard work and ongoing study to become truly fluid in the model. During that time, you will probably find yourself stuck at some point, and so will your clients.

In Getting Unstuck in ACT, psychotherapist and bestselling author of ACT Made Simple, Russ Harris, provides solutions for overcoming the most common roadblocks in ACT. In the book, you will learn how to deal with reluctant or unmotivated clients, as well as how to get past certain theoretical aspects of ACT that some clients may find confusing. This book will help clients deal with sticky dilemmas and unsolvable problems, and will help simplify key ACT concepts to help you break down psychological barriers.

Other common problems with ACT that the book addresses are inconsistencies and sending mixed messages, talking and explaining ACT instead of doing it, being too eager to treat a client, being a Mr. Nice Guy or Ms. Nice Girl, or putting too much focus on one process while neglecting others. The chapters of the book are based in real life scenarios that take place between therapist and client, and the author provides feedback by analyzing mistakes in what was said and where improvements could be made.

As more and more mental health professionals incorporate ACT into their practice, it is increasingly necessary to have a guide that offers them effective solutions to common ACT roadblocks. For that reason, this book is a must-have for any ACT therapist.

A practical and easy-to-use primer, ideal for newcomers and experienced professionals alike, ACT Made Simple offers clear explanations of the six core processes of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and a set of real-world tips and solutions for rapidly and effectively implementing this powerful therapy into practice. This fully revised and updated second edition includes new information and chapters on self-compassion, flexible perspective taking, working with trauma, and more.

Whether it's the loss of a loved one, the end of a relationship, a pandemic, or a natural disaster-nothing really prepares us for those moments when life hits hard and turns our world upside down. In this candid self-help guide, best-selling author Russ Harris offers practical skills grounded in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help readers recover from grief, loss, and crisis; transcend pain and suffering; and build rich and meaningful lives-even in the face of adversity.

Nueva edición ampliada y actualizada. El libro que ha ayudado a más de un millón de lectores a liberarse de la ansiedad

Te sientes solo, aburrido, desdichado, inseguro o insatisfecho, y, a pesar de todo, pones cara de felicidad, fingiendo que todo va bien? Si tu respuesta es afirmativa, tranquilo, no eres el único!

Los últimos estudios científicos sugieren que vivimos prisioneros en una trampa invisible: un círculo vicioso en el que cuanto más luchamos por alcanzar la felicidad, más sufrimos a largo plazo. Por fortuna, escapar de la trampa de la felicidad es posible gracias a una innovadora psicoterapia conocida como Terapia de Compromiso y Aceptación (ACT). A través de tres poderosos principios, la ACT permite lidiar con el dolor, vencer los temores y construir una vida rica, plena y llena de sentido.

Tras haber vendido un millón de ejemplares, esta edición actualizada y ampliada de La trampa de la felicidad ayudará a cualquier persona que se enfrente a una enfermedad, una pérdida, la ansiedad, o la depresión, a liberarse y construir una vida verdaderamente feliz.

Este libro ofrece una serie de técnicas ingeniosas y creativas que todos podemos aplicar para superar la ansiedad, la frustración y la inseguridad. Harris analiza cómo caemos en la trampa de la felicidad para luego mostrarnos el camino hacia la libertad.

Nueva edición ampliada y actualizada. El libro que ha ayudado a más de un millón de lectores a liberarse de la ansiedad.

Steven Hayes, autor de Sal de tu mente, entra en tu vida

The ultimate ACT tool kit to kick-start your practice

Do you want to help your clients find rapid relief from suffering and go on to build richer, fuller lives? Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a unique and creative model for therapy and coaching based on the innovative use of mindfulness and values. And ACT Made Simple is a comprehensive guide to this powerful, evidence-based approach-chock-full of tools, techniques, and strategies to maximize human potential for a rich and meaningful life.

Fully revised, updated, and expanded, this practical primer is ideal for newcomers and experienced professionals alike. Renowned ACT trainer Russ Harris will take you step by step through the entire ACT model in a way that is both engaging and entertaining. You'll gain an in-depth understanding of ACT theory, as well as a wealth of practical tips you can put into practice immediately with your clients. If you're new to ACT, this book will get you started; and if you're already using ACT, this book will help you progress to the next level.

In this second edition, you'll find:

- A session-by-session guide to implementing ACT effectively

- Brand-new chapters on self-compassion, shame, exposure, and more

- Skilling up sections and tips to overcome therapy roadblocks

- How to use the powerful new choice point tool

- A wealth of scripts, exercises, metaphors, and worksheets

ACT Made Simple is more than a classic in the psychotherapy literature, it is the introductory text for learning ACT from the ground up.... A must-read.

-Dennis Tirch, coauthor of The ACT Practitioner's Guide to the Science of Compassion

Popular myths about love set us up for a struggle with real life. The inconvenient truth is there's no such thing as a perfect partner, all couples fight, and feelings of love come and go like the weather. But that doesn't mean you can't have a joyful and romantic relationship. Through a simple program based on the revolutionary new mindfulness-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), you can learn to handle painful thoughts and feelings more effectively and engage fully in the process of living and loving together.

Popular myths about happiness are directly contributing to our epidemic of stress, anxiety and depression - and popular psychological remedies are making it even worse In this easy-to-read, practical and empowering self-help book, Dr Russ Harris, M.D., reveals how millions of people are unwittingly caught in The Happiness Trap He then provides an effective means to escape, through a revolutionary new paradigm in Western psychology.Mindfulness is a transformative mental state of awareness, openness and focus. Although mindfulness is worlds apart' from the methods of popular psychology, it is easy to learn, and will rapidly and effectively help you to reduce stress, handle painful feelings, let go of self-limiting beliefs, overcome fear, and generally increase life satisfaction.The concept of mindfulness has been around in the East for thousands of years but until recently, we in the West could only develop this ability if we embarked on a lifelong relationship with traditional Eastern practices, such as meditation, yoga, Tai-Chi, Zen, or the martial arts. However, thanks to a radical new approach that combines the best of Western and Eastern practice, coined Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, we can now learn these powerful life-changing techniques in a matter of minutes. ACT has been scientifically proven to treat everything from depression and stress to drug addiction and schizophrenia.

Renowned ACT expert Russ Harris presents easy-to-read Q&A sessions to uncover the most common ways clients and practitioners get stuck when using ACT, how to get unstuck, and how to transform that stuckness into powerful personal growth.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a highly effective, evidence-based treatment for a number of mental health issues--from depression to addiction--that focuses on mindfulness, client values, and a commitment to change. It also provides innovative tools, techniques, and strategies for promoting psychological flexibility and profound behavioral change. However, there are several challenges and frustrations that can arise when delivering ACT in-session.

In the tradition of the hugely popular professional guide ACT Made Simple, ACT Questions and Answers offers practical tools for overcoming common sticking points in-session. You'll find effective tips and strategies for moving past misconceptions about mindfulness and acceptance, how to deal with reluctant or unmotivated clients, and how to break down communication barriers that can stand in the way of progress. You'll also find links to free downloadable resources.

If you are new to ACT--or just want to improve your delivery--this easy-to-read reference guide will help you troubleshoot common in-session challenges and help your clients achieve lasting change.

Trauma-Focused ACT presents a highly effective, research-based protocol for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as a broad range of trauma-related disorders-from depression to addiction. Newcomers and experienced professionals alike will learn a comprehensive approach to treating trauma with a focus on living in the present, healing the past, and building the future. This unique guide is based on the empirically supported program author Russ Harris developed for the World Health Organization (WHO).

In this fully revised and updated edition of ACT with Love, therapist and world-renowned acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) expert Russ Harris shows couples how developing psychological flexibility-the ability to be in the present moment with openness, awareness, and focus-can help build more compassionate, accepting, and loving relationships. Readers will also find new information on attachment theory, powerful new mindfulness and self-compassion techniques, and new assertiveness and boundary-setting skills.