Amazon.com.au:Customer reviews: A Liberated Mind: The Essential Guide to ACT

A must read book, especially for anyone interested in psychology

Reviewed in Australia on 8 September 2019

I loved this book! As a student of counselling it is right up my alley, but it would be useful for anyone who is interested in how the mind works and how we can better harness it's power for good. For those interested in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) this is captivating reading... Not only can you learn directly from the originator, you will also get the back story of how and why this approach has been developed over the last 4 decades. Including the very personal connections to Steven's own life story and experience with panic disorder. And this is a practical book with lots of hands-on techniques available to build your own toolkit. A Liberated Mind is a fitting legacy for Steven Hayes who has dedicated so many years to academic research in the service of others. I highly recommend this book, and hope many more will join the ACT journey towards liberated minds, more purposeful, fulfilling and compassionate lives.

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Grant Dewar

Liberate your mind to Liberate your Life

Reviewed in Australia on 27 August 2019

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Steve Hayes one of the great thinkers of our time, offers us the keys to living in sustainable, flexible and genuinely productive lives... by transforming pain and suffering into meaning and purpose.

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Rae Rafferty

Can't put it down

Reviewed in Australia on 17 October 2019

Steve Hayes not only simplifies complex ideas, he portrays them in such as way as they come alive! This is a brilliant read. I have read many ACT books but this is the cream of the crop! LOVE IT. Appropriate levels of self disclose, hard science, story and background thinking that went into ACT. There are some ACT concepts that I have struggled to fully understand for years and voila! one sentence or paragraph from Steve about it and it has all clicked into place.

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Mr. S. Alidina

Psychological flexibility matters more than anything else. This book is the guide.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2019

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This book is based on a wonderful evidence based therapy and training process called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It's written by the originator of ACT, so it's a definitive guide which I think will be a classic.

I read a fair amount of books. This is the first book in years in which I read each page carefully and filled with notes and underlined sentences. Usually I just read on Kindle but the contents of this book seemed too precious to me to just scan read it. It surprised me too.

Steven has through his research with his colleagues discovered fundamental insights into the way the human mind works and why it causes itself so much suffering. So whether you are suffering from too much stress, anxiety, depression or just experience the challenging ups and downs of life, you will learn something new within these pages for sure. There's definitely lots of new insights in here.

I hope many therapists read this book. I know there are many forms of therapy. But I personally believe in evidence-based therapies rather than approaches that feel good but may or may not work in the long run.

The reason I say this is because there seems to be a good quality evidence base for ACT. If it didn't have that, I wouldn't be so interested. And some of the stories of the research work they've done on ACT and the findings are very exciting!

There are also some fundamental differences in the way ACT has been researched compared to CBT. ACT is based on lab research rather than just clinical studies so it arguably has a more solid basis to its findings and possibility of wider ranging applications beyond the therapist room and out into offices, schools, communities, prisons and hospitals.

The book is written partly in a story style and partly includes powerful exercises that have been well tested and found to work. There's a lot of content and it's well organised.

Ultimately this book is about the power of improving your psychological flexibility which may be scientifically speaking the most well-founded quality of humans to measure and improve for our mental and emotional well-being. These are developed through 6 skills which can be considered as 6 pivots, as a small shift in mindset and energy can lead to their flourishing rather than a lifetime of effort.

If you want to read something different and like to be challenged and love the need for evidence based work and want to do exercises that have been found to work for others and want to create a rich, full and meaningful life, this book will probably be a great fit for you.

Through reading this book I've managed to discover some hidden thoughts that were holding me back and feel I'm freer from them now. And have taken some brave new steps in my life that I'm proud of. Not just just changing my mindset but taking action too.

Buy and read this book slowly and carefully and begin the journey to an authentic, meaningful life. 🙏🏽

74 people found this helpful

Sean Ferguson

An Excellent and Thorough New Approach

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 September 2019

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After trying various forms of CBT for many years to cope with 30+ years of anxiety (with no success), I have found Dr Hayes approach in this book to be revelatory. It’s not snake oil and it won’t “fix you”, in fact that’s part of the treatment - learning to accept and not struggle with trying to change negative or anxious thoughts. His metaphor of the “dictator within” really hit home and I can’t thank him enough for writing the book and sharing his experience.

19 people found this helpful

Tony Burton

ACT explained in a highly user-friendly way...buy it, use it, benefit from it.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 September 2019

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There are many excellent books on ACT, but this is written by one of the primary originators. It is just magnificent, with the history & development, interwoven with the authors and some of clients struggles, and applying the model. The theory is explained in a highly user-friendly way, & how to bring the 6 processes into your life right now. This ought to be a huge seller - and the message of psychological flexibility stepped even more than ever, into cultures worldwide. Anyone reading this needs to know that ACT is being adopted by not only Clinical Psychologists worldwide, but can be used in so many areas of life. A fine exposition.

Highly recommended.

9 people found this helpful

Peter Williams

Learn to live with your thinking

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2019

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This book has opened my eyes. It has helped me see the real world more clearly and I spend much more time in the present moment. It has also helped me experience my internal world; instead of living in fear of my thoughts, I can watch them dispassionately and even - sometimes - enjoy the drama.
Dr Hayes writes with compassion and commitment. I appreciate the scientific research that has gone into developing ACT and I can vouch for its effectiveness. It has literally been a life saver for me.
I’ve tried many different approaches and techniques with little success, but this book has taught me how to live with my mind in a way that has brought fulfilment. It’s not easy, and I still get drawn into my thinking, but now I recognise the symptoms and have the tools to recover.
Expect to find some things you don’t like, and expect to have some battles. Keep going anyway and let Dr Hayes’s ’ book guide you to a better way of living.

9 people found this helpful

DT

Love is everything

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 June 2021

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A highly practical guide to take back control of thoughts so one can lead a fulfilling life full of love.

The author shares his own struggle with mental health and the relatively simple tools he used to change his thinking. He then goes on to give practical exercises and show how these can be used in a wide variety of situations from helping cancer patients to supporting communities ripped apart by war deal with a serious disease.

Practical, helpful, and astonishingly well documented with thorough scientific study. Written with deep consideration and a good dose of self-deprecating humour. Wonderful.

sarah jane

A must read if you have tried everything (and bothings changed)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 January 2021

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Having had 10 years of anxiety and many failed attempts (with professionals and self help) of CBT I read this and a weight lifted. Its truly reassuring, affirming and gives hope about recovering from mental health issues. Written by a doctor who tried to treat his own anxiety with the professional advice he was giving to clients, and did not get better, it lifts the lid on trends in psychology treatment and explains why these popularised programmes sometimes do not work. Rest assured he presents a new way of looking at issues, and they will likely solve other emotional problems as well as the one he was afflicted with. I am sure anyone with depression, BPD or PTSD would greatly benefit from this. It should be required reading from the age of 21.

M

the most useful psychology/self-help/life-improvement book I've read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 April 2020

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This is an amazing book. I have read many psychology books from multiple schools of thought, and none of them really teach how to live after recovery. Most approaches focus on getting out of the core problem as fast as possible, but don't really teach how to learn to live healthily. This book is a kind, honest, detailed guide on how to do it. I think everyone should read it, as everyone could benefit from techniques, psychological and philosophical approach to living more fulfilled life explained in this book.

One person found this helpful

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