Cognitive Behaviour Therapy references (free plskthx)

The rash of depression-themed threads around here lately coupled with my own issues at the moment have made me realise I need to get my head out of my ass and change my thinking about a few key issues in my life.

To that end, a few friends have suggested trying CBT, because my biggest issue is thought patterns and anxiety related to those thought patterns. If I can change my thinking, then hopefully a lot of the rest will follow suit. Said friends have also suggested I don’t need to go to therapy to start some CBT exercises, but were curiously unhelpful in actually pointing towards any resources.

So what’s your favourite resource for getting your thinking better? Online and free, please. I’m poor as shit, and I’d prefer something I can find relatively quickly and simply, without having to wait 7-14 days for shipping.

I had thought about titling the thread “CBT resources” but then knowing my luck someone would come in with all these links to BDSM sites, and I already know enough about that :slight_smile:

Well the best resources are the classic CBT books. They are available very inexpensively online, and might even be available at a local used bookstore. Feeling Good by David Burns is the most popular; I personally found Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman to be the most useful.

In the meantime, you might want to check out one of my favorite threads, which I frequently reference: The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Support Thread. It contains practical information about exercises you can do to help change your thinking.

You can start with the simplest exercise of all: writing down your negative thoughts and analyzing them for accuracy and alternative possibilities. Or if you’re comfortable, you can share them here and people will be happy to analyze them for you. You can also search the board for “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy” to find other good information and resources.

Australia National University’s moodgym