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(More customer reviews)I don't usually read self-help books. My girlfriends give them to me (implying there is something seriously wrong with me) and I read them out of respect. I find the area sometimes interesting but rarely useful. The problem, as I see it with most of these books, is that either they are so academic that you can't apply what you learn to your own life, or they are so filled with stories about "people just like you" that you spend most of your time self-diagnosing from someone else's life. Neural Path Therapy goes straight to the issues: it is one of the few therapy books that provides a useful and practical plan for the stresses in life that often overwhelm us. This is a book you can use.
Neural Path Therapy begins by explaining how our sometimes puzzling brains work, on a neurological level. When we think, when we respond to outside stimuli, we develop neural pathways: neurological routings in our brain for all those thoughts. I tried to think of this as if the brain was setting up it own postal delivery system. The thoughts/emotions had to be driven from point A to point B for delivery. The more you drive from A to B the deeper the ruts in the road get. But what if the "package" being delivered is the equivalent of a letter bomb? How many of our thoughts are unwanted: stressful thoughts, angry thoughts, depressive, disturbing thoughts, thoughts of self-doubt or ugly self-image thoughts - thoughts that undermine who you are and what you achieve. How do we stop the delivery of negative thoughts - how do we get out of those ruts we've created? The authors McKay and Harp don't try to steal you away from other methods of professional therapy or treatment you might be following, they just want to supply you with a simple, readily available tool to manage these thoughts.
The authors first help you become aware of the thoughts that act as "triggers" to emotional discomfort; they encourage you to recognize the mental pathways that engender self-destructive thinking. Through simple breathing exercises you are taught to step back and observe these thoughts, to see them as "mental objects" which are within your ability to manipulate. Then you choose how to react to these thoughts. As simple as this sounds, it is extremely effective. While the book goes into greater depth later about how to "react" when you are examining these thoughts, just getting to the point where I can see my anger, or pain, or angst as only a damaging "object" inside my mind has been extraordinarily helpful to me. The system McKay and Harp have provided in their book expects only that it be applied - like any good methodology it requires practice. I can't recommend this book strongly enough.
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When we set out to describe the problems this book can help fix—the stressful and anxiety-provoking conditions of everyday living—we quite simply ran out of space. It's no secret that life is tough, and that each passing year isn't making it any easier. Whether you're more stressed by politics, the environment, your relationships, major life changes, or just the daily task of keeping food on the table, it's easy to let life knock you down and hard to get back up again. But this book offers readers a chance at a different way of life. It shows them how to accept their lives as they are, regard the events of each day with nonjudgmental awareness, and stop obsessive thoughts from compounding their feelings of helplessness and frustration. The first part of the book introduces you to the basics of neural network learning theory. The basic idea is that neural pathways strengthen with use and weaken with disuse. While certain events are likely to provoke a hardwired neural response in us, we are capable of creating new neural paths with no more than a thought. Instead of letting automatic triggers dictate our responses to painful events, we can use this characteristic of our nervous systems to short-circuit the responses that lead to painful thoughts and emotions. The second part teaches you five easy-to-learn skills for dealing with stress—breath counting, thought watching, compassionate awareness, softening to pain, and wise mind. Together, they make up a set of skills that readers can take with them anywhere, a kind of portable therapy.Once learned, the techniques in this book can be used to cope with many different situations. Combined with each other, they become a powerful tool for creating happiness, compassion, and well-being.
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