Ptsd/anxiety Workbooks

[Fraser46]

Hello,

Has anyone tried any of the PTSD/Anxiety workbooks?

E.g.
The PTSD Workbook: Simple, Effective Techniques for Overcoming Traumatic Stress Symptoms (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook).
Healing from Post-Traumatic Stress: A workbook for Recovery.

Just before the summer at my professional review at work (my headteacher) set a target for me to develop strategies to deal with my anxiety. We have agreed to have regular meetings to discuss but did wonder if these sort of workbooks would be beneficial above formal therapy sessions. Thought it might reinforce ideas and possibly also evidence that I am working proactively on my recovery outwith therapy.

Suzanne

 

[KwanYingirl]

I have several workbooks. I start doing them, then I get triggered and I put it away. Finally my therapist said toss them, they're not how I'm going to progress with my treatment. But a lot of people are able to do them all.

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

I have one. I loved reading the beginning and doing the first exercises because it just seemed to validate everything I had been experiencing so far. I got the spot in the book where I needed to choose the exercises to help me. I got stuck. At first I thought it was because there were so many and I wanted to do them in the "right" order. I took it to my therapist and she went over a few with me. I was triggered and eventually realized that I can't do any of the exercises yet. I have a HUGE issue with right and wrong and I realized I can't use any activities that want to change my thinking because then I would have to say that my thinking was wrong. I know that's not actually how it is in reality, but that's how I react to it. Now I am reading each exercise (usually during therapy while my therapist reads my journal). I am simply reading and not doing. Should I feel the desire to try one, I will. My hope is that if I read them, I will eventually feel more comfortable with them. I haven't given up yet, but it certainly wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

On Amazon.com, you can "look inside" a lot of the books. I would recommend you see if you can look at sample pages and see if it interests you. If you think it might be helpful, then definitely try it. It definitely provides evidence if you do the exercises.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I love, love, love, love LOVE "CBT for Dummies" and the accompanying workbook. It isn't geared specifically toward PTSD, but is hands down my favorite set of books in terms of what has helped my symptoms the most. I never used any other trauma or abuse workbooks. A lot of people swear by one of the DBT workbooks, but on page 100, they made an about face and went against the exact skill they had been pushing for the previous 99. I blame it on bad editing, but still, I lost all faith in the book and tossed it in the donation pile.

 

[Fraser46]

I will have a look on amazon and see what I think.

 

[Underdog]

I would personally think that since they are non-personal and generic, they may help a tad but would be prone to setting off unforeseen triggers that a one-on-one approach would be able to better assist with. That being said, I have found learning about PTSD to be an extreme relief for myself, but it can be a dual edged sword as sometimes it sends me over the edge and triggers me.

 

[littlelostchild]

Mind Over Mood is a good one with worksheets. It supports CBT and begins with the basics of thoughts, moods and situations. It has you use evidence to challenge your thinking and create action plans. There are chapters on core beliefs, depression, anxiety, and the trio of anger, guilt and shame.

It is worth a look at to see if it what you need.

Best of luck.

 

[Fraser46]

Thanks, I will have a look at these suggestions.