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.

Get ahead of your anticipatory anxiety, and start living with flexibility and peace of mind.

Do you automatically assume the worst-case-scenario when faced with difficulty? Do you stress about situations that haven't happened yet, or find yourself anticipating disaster around every corner? Does the prospect of making a decision leave you feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed? From subtle avoidance behaviors to the most nightmarish terrors, anticipatory anxiety is the engine that drives it all. Understanding how this hidden enemy tricks you, and, most importantly, how to overcome it, will liberate you to live a more flexible and joyful life.

In Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety, two anxiety experts team up to teach you how to manage your overactive imagination, limit future-based thinking, face your fears, make decisions, and live with more freedom and joy. This must-have guide is grounded in the authors' innovative and easy-to-remember DANCE model:

• Discern your anticipatory anxiety
• Accept doubts and discomfort
• No struggling or avoiding
• Commit to proceed
• Embrace the present as it is, so you can get on with your life

Your relationship with your worries and imagination will shift, so that you can focus on what is genuinely important.

It's time to stop worrying about what might happen, start facing your fears, rein in your self-defeating imagination, and live fully in the moment. Get this book and discover the motivation and skills needed to take charge of your anticipatory anxiety.

Should I, or shouldn't I? What if something goes horribly wrong? Anticipatory anxiety-the avoidance component of generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, and phobias-leads to chronic indecisiveness, procrastination, catastrophizing, and avoidance. From the authors of Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts, this liberating guide-grounded in proven-effective therapy modalities-shows readers how to face their fears, get unstuck, make decisions, and live a vital and engaged life.