Snap Out Of It!

Rating:
Summary: Snap Out of It!
Review: Herbert S. Cohen, E.D.D., presents six steps for "banishing bad habits, addictions, and negative thoughts, in his book, Snap Out of It!. Dr. Cohen bases his steps on information learned in more than twenty-five years as a practicing psychotherapist. He's also a certified family and marriage therapist and an expert in stress management.

Dr. Cohen says that "one of the great truths I have found is that human beings can change." He admits that change can be difficult, but we all have the potential to make successful changes in our lives. Change is easier when it can be broken into smaller steps, allowing us to feel success as we progress. His steps are based on a process called "thought-stopping," a technique that's been in use since 1958.

He says the first step is to decide what you want to change, and he very strongly recommends changing only one habit at a time. He offers a questionnaire that will help with clarifying just what your goal is and determining reasonable changes. It never works if you're trying to follow someone else's goal. That is, if your goal is to quit smoking, it must be because you really want to do so and not because someone else wants you to.

Dr. Cohen provides an elastic band with his book, and his next steps involve wearing the band on your wrist. Whenever you find yourself doing whatever it is that you've decided you no longer want to do, you snap the band while telling yourself "No!" That's called thought-stopping.

The next step is to learn to relax, because changing your behavior can be stressful. Then while relaxed, you engage in some positive self-talk. Dr. Cohen provides several examples of how negative thoughts can be made more positive, saying that sometimes it can be as easy as changing the way the thought is phrased.

Dr. Cohen says that people are often resistant to change, because on one level, they're comfortable with the way they've always been. The best way to overcome that resistance is to have a clear and simple plan. Snap Out of It! presents six easy steps that readers can use successfully to make the self-improvement changes they desire.

Rating:
Summary: Snap Out of It!
Review: Herbert S. Cohen, E.D.D., presents six steps for "banishing bad habits, addictions, and negative thoughts, in his book, Snap Out of It!. Dr. Cohen bases his steps on information learned in more than twenty-five years as a practicing psychotherapist. He's also a certified family and marriage therapist and an expert in stress management.

Dr. Cohen says that "one of the great truths I have found is that human beings can change." He admits that change can be difficult, but we all have the potential to make successful changes in our lives. Change is easier when it can be broken into smaller steps, allowing us to feel success as we progress. His steps are based on a process called "thought-stopping," a technique that's been in use since 1958.

He says the first step is to decide what you want to change, and he very strongly recommends changing only one habit at a time. He offers a questionnaire that will help with clarifying just what your goal is and determining reasonable changes. It never works if you're trying to follow someone else's goal. That is, if your goal is to quit smoking, it must be because you really want to do so and not because someone else wants you to.

Dr. Cohen provides an elastic band with his book, and his next steps involve wearing the band on your wrist. Whenever you find yourself doing whatever it is that you've decided you no longer want to do, you snap the band while telling yourself "No!" That's called thought-stopping.

The next step is to learn to relax, because changing your behavior can be stressful. Then while relaxed, you engage in some positive self-talk. Dr. Cohen provides several examples of how negative thoughts can be made more positive, saying that sometimes it can be as easy as changing the way the thought is phrased.

Dr. Cohen says that people are often resistant to change, because on one level, they're comfortable with the way they've always been. The best way to overcome that resistance is to have a clear and simple plan. Snap Out of It! presents six easy steps that readers can use successfully to make the self-improvement changes they desire.

Rating:
Summary: Snap out of it is a snap
Review: I highly reccommend this book. It is easy to read and provides excellent examples that I could relate to. By wearing the band that comes with the book I was constantly aware of my goal to break my bad habit and it worked!

Rating:
Summary: Outside the coloring lines
Review: Snap Out Of It is the only "self-help" book I've even picked up much less read and interacted with since I was pregnant with my 1st child 33 years ago BUT, this one snagged me. The writer is gifted; the book is fun and makes you step outside the coloring lines for a fresh dip of zest whenever you pick it up. I find it healthy to keep around because ruts can feel safe, yet I know that snapping out of them is invigorating and nourishing. Bravo to the author; this is a fun read. A unique gift item too.

Rating:
Summary: Outside the coloring lines
Review: Snap Out Of It is the only "self-help" book I've even picked up much less read and interacted with since I was pregnant with my 1st child 33 years ago BUT, this one snagged me. The writer is gifted; the book is fun and makes you step outside the coloring lines for a fresh dip of zest whenever you pick it up. I find it healthy to keep around because ruts can feel safe, yet I know that snapping out of them is invigorating and nourishing. Bravo to the author; this is a fun read. A unique gift item too.

Rating:
Summary: Good therapy, but we need more information about "the band".
Review: We ordered a copy of this book for our library, but it arrived without "the band". When we turned to the book to find out what the band was, where to get a new one, and if substitute bands could be fabricated, we found no definitive and specific information about "the band" in the book - just sentences assuming that the reader already knew what "the band" was. Not only did we not get a band, but it would be impractical for a library to circulate a band with the book. (Multiple users, therapy continuing after the book has been returned, sanitary considerations, etc.) And what if you lose your band? How do you get a replacement? The publisher was not helpful when we called and explained our problem. This is not a new therapy - there are books describing it that just say to use a rubber band. It can be an effective therapy, but we don't like the way "the band" is mystified in "Snap Out Of It!" The book needs a page with wording like: The band is a bracelet of decorative elastic that you can wear to remind yourself of your goal. If you lose it, you can get another one from:... or you can make a new one this way:... This type of marketing is puts a product ("the band") ahead of frank discussion of a useful technique for personal improvement.

Rating:
Summary: Good therapy, but we need more information about "the band".
Review: We ordered a copy of this book for our library, but it arrived without "the band". When we turned to the book to find out what the band was, where to get a new one, and if substitute bands could be fabricated, we found no definitive and specific information about "the band" in the book - just sentences assuming that the reader already knew what "the band" was. Not only did we not get a band, but it would be impractical for a library to circulate a band with the book. (Multiple users, therapy continuing after the book has been returned, sanitary considerations, etc.) And what if you lose your band? How do you get a replacement? The publisher was not helpful when we called and explained our problem. This is not a new therapy - there are books describing it that just say to use a rubber band. It can be an effective therapy, but we don't like the way "the band" is mystified in "Snap Out Of It!" The book needs a page with wording like: The band is a bracelet of decorative elastic that you can wear to remind yourself of your goal. If you lose it, you can get another one from:... or you can make a new one this way:... This type of marketing is puts a product ("the band") ahead of frank discussion of a useful technique for personal improvement.