The Illustrated Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living

Love this illustrated version. Makes it easy to read and understand for younger and older readers. If you have trouble concentrating to read, this is a good book for you.

This book had some good points and helpful strategies. It was very easy to read, just like a comic book. So if you want to avoid reading a long, arduous book, this will probably be good.

The Illustrated Happiness Trap is a very readable and truly helpful guide to mindfulness-based acceptance and commitment strategies. I'm an ACT therapist, and after reading this book, I've given and recommended it to quite a few people. Although it is a condensed (and illustrated) version of The Happiness Trap, it covers the same information in a very pragmatic and engaging way. I really appreciate The Illustrated Happiness Trap because some people just aren't likely to read the longer book. It's been particularly helpful with teens, and for that reason, I'd love to see a version with examples and stressors more common to teens. Thanks for another winner, Russ.

This condensed version of the Happiness Trap is perfect if you're struggling with depression and the thought of reading the full book is overwhelming. The pictures are engaging and do a great job of communicating the concepts. The recommended exercises are simple and helpful.

I have ADHD and GAD. I was diagnosed with the former as an adult and only recently have been discovering the interplay between those two issues. My therapist has been working with me using ACT techniques, and recommended The Happiness Trap. I picked up this book as a more ‘brass tacks’ read to hold my attention better. Despite the simplistic, comic book nature of this book, many of the ACT concepts are distilled nicely and are easily understood. It’s important to do the exercises often to build up the skills. I still struggle with GAD, and likely always will. But this book has taught me skills that have taken the edge off (skills like dropping anchor and expansion). I still think working in conjunction with a therapist is best, but this book is still great.

Easy reading and subject matter

Very effective cognitive technology. Emphasized moving away from emotional regulation to value based living and opening up to depth of experience. The happiness trap is thinking that we can create a state of "happiness." The belief is that we can reduce suffering by not wrestling with our emotions and creating a wider dynamic range of acceptable emotional expressions. Cognitive strategies to wrangle with emotions create suffering in the long run. Fusing and defusing with thoughts and sensations are important concepts. Non-evaluative modes of experiencing thoughts and feelings go a long way to freeing us.

I sent this to a friend in prison to whom it was recommended reading for addictive behaviors. For the first time someone has explained why we have crazy thoughts come into our minds, why our mind keeps telling us stories, and basically how to manage our thoughts and thought processes. Very helpful for anyone who suffers from depression or feels like a failure and has low self-esteem. It is not a "think happy thoughts" and everything will be perfect kind of book. Quite the opposite. It gives you practical help and teaches you that it is not normal to be happy every minute of every day. Learned a lot.

Book has printing issues, last pages are not printed (missing 10pages)

This book is great, I haven’t read it yet, but people have told me that has helped them overcome or at least feel better about depression and themselves, and i’m sure it will be helpful to me as well

De toutes les thérapies brèves, je pense que l'ACT est définitivement celle qui me "parle" le plus. J'ai bien longtemps été consciente de mes pensées automatiques sans pour autant réellement réussir à m'en détacher. Ce livre me parle car il m'aide à passer de la contemplation à l'action... Enfin :)

illustrierte Version des Buches "The Happiness Trap". Sehr interessant und ansprechend.

This illustrated version of the Happiness trap provides and excellent introduction into ACT and how to create a meaningful life while acknowledging your thoughts and using the present to leave them for what they are, thoughts.