Dr Russ Harris is a medically-qualified doctor, stress consultant, executive coach, trainer, author, and a leading authority in the powerful new paradigm of Psychological Flexibility. (This is a revolutionary new development in human psychology that enhances performance, reduces stress, and improves health and wellbeing.) Dr Russ regularly presents workshops on Psychological Flexibility at both national and international psychology conferences, and has a thriving business traveling around Australia running training seminars for psychologists, coaches and a variety of health professionals.
Dr Russ's first book, 'The Happiness Trap', was published in Australia in March 2007, and is already well on the way to becoming a bestseller. (The title reflects a key theme in the book - that popular ideas about happiness are misleading, inaccurate, and actually make us miserable in the long term.) He is currently completing his second book 'From Fear To Fulfilment' - which is also the title of his most popular talk.
Back in the early nineties, when Russ was a GP in Melbourne, he moonlighted as a stand-up comedian, and as well as appearing regularly on the Melbourne comedy circuit, he featured on TV shows such as Tonight Live with Steve Vizard, and The Mid-Day Show with Ray Martin. As a result of this experience, his talks are fast-paced, engaging and humorous - as well as being action-packed with information, tools, and techniques for reducing stress, enhancing performance, and increasing vitality.
For what it's worth, I can't divorce the author's attitudes to autism from the rest of the contents of the book.
Having his child diagnosed with autism is the life-shattering experience Harris bases his discussion around. The diagnosis is "like someone sticking a knife into your gut and twisting it around, and then slowly pulling the intestines out through the wound." Autism is "one of those words like 'cancer' . . . when you hear it in everyday conversation, you can't help but shudder."
Harris moves his family across the country so his son can get ABA therapy, which (One particularly worrying aspect of ABA therapy is ", which is fucking ironic when on page 179 he does this whole exercise about noticing your hands and the experience of holding the book.)
Harris specifically notes "some of my readers are undoubtedly parents of autistic children, and they may well have reactions of envy or resentment or other painful emotions upon reading about my son's outcome," seeing as how Harris's son "is no longer autistic - not by any stretch of the imagination." It never crosses Harris's mind that autistic people might be reading the book and be distressed by his attitude.
Yeah, so, I struggled through the whole book thinking, "Seriously, fuck this guy." I do think ACT therapy offers highly useful strategies, but I 100% rec over this one, and seriously, if I'd read this first I would never have picked up another book by Harris.
The author is a ACT therapist and this book is an attempt to provide the reader with an understanding of it in order to help themselves. Acceptance Commitment Therapy looks like a therapy that applies mindfulness (what doesn't nowadays?) with working out personal values in order to bridge the gap between the reality that we find we have and the reality that we want.
The four step process is: 1. Hold yourself kindly 2. Drop the anchor 3. Take a stand 4. Find the Treasure
Maybe some readers will be able to apply the book's suggestions and help themselves but I found it to be just a rehashing of old principles and practices. That's not to say that there is nothing to take away from a full reading of it. I found the concept of taking a stand when facing a personal crisis helpful. "Stand for something that matters, deep in our heart: something that dignifies our suffering and gives us the will and the courage to carry on."
Equally, there are some trite comments - such as "we create our lives through our actions, not through our thoughts" - bit of a Cartesian split here. I cannot for one minute imagine how a life created will not be a mixture of them both.
4 stars An interesting, inspiring and not too complicated read which I bought (and wish I had read) some years ago when I wasn't doing too well. I really think it could have helped me then, although on the other hand to be able to take out of it what you can, I think you have to be feeling (somewhat) good/ok, otherwise your mind keeps making objections, thinking up reasons why this could never work for you, etc. However, this book does address those difficulties and how to deal with them.
This book was fine, ok, though I didn't really have any epiphanies reading it and towards the end Thoth it a bit repetitive. That might very well be because I'm well acquainted with the topic, the mindfuln, the cognitive and the external using approaches and while I think greatly of them, and use them in my own work, in the form it has here, there's just not much to peak my interest, not many new angles.
So an easy book, useful too, but probably more for a 'beginner' in the field :)
I first came across the work of Dr Russ Harris when I started listening to his 'Mindfulness of the Breath' CD. I've had great success with his CD so I was looking forward to reading one of his many books, The Reality Slap.
A 'Reality Slap' can be something that happens in life like an illness, fire, bankruptcy, divorce or loss of a loved one. Dr Russ Harris is an Australian and I responded immediately to his down to earth writing style, and he gave me much food for thought.
I guess you could call The Reality Slap a self-help book, however it's definitely a book with a difference! Dr Harris acknowledges the 'internal chatter' that readers experience, and that some readers will struggle with the content. Somehow he manages to gently lead us through, even sharing lessons he has learned in his own life struggles, endearing himself to the reader even further.
I also enjoyed the list of 60 Life Values in Appendix 5, which was an interesting exercise to work through. Highly Recommended.
Ever read a book where you think "If only it wasn't for x, this book would have been fantastic"?
If only this book hadn't included the ABA therapy of Russ's son, it would have been a wonderful guide to how to deal with life when it sucks.
Instead, I can't recommend it. I have no doubt that Russ loves his child. ABA therapy however, has a terribly abusive association (). I also didn't like him talking about how horrible it was that his child was autistic. It did not make me relate to him. Instead it made me think less of him and want to teach him about autistic self-advocacy (Disclaimer: I am not on the spectrum).
I came across this book purely by accident when browsing the bookshop and I am really glad I found it. I don't usually buy 'self help' books as such, and the ones I have bought I never finished due to loss of interest. The thing I really liked about this book is that the author would regularly acknowledge that it isn't just the simple act of 'positive thinking' that allows us to find fulfillment in life. Rather, the book teaches us to find peace when we experience negative emotions instead of trying to fight them. This is done using a variety of detailed 'mindfulness' techniques described in the book.
I loved how Russ Harris would use real examples from his own life (in particular his Autistic son) when explaining the ACT approach. I also appreciated how Russ Harris admitted convincingly that even HE needs to consciously remind himself of the techiques he is writing about during painful times in his life. This made me think of him as a human with actual insight and not just a know-it-all expert who may make the reader feel like they must develop sound coping skills within a day of reading their book.
All in all, this book does not claim to have all the answers to your problems (or reality gaps). It does however provide the reader with some food for thought when looking at painful emotions. It aims to give the reader the opportunity to see painful situations in a different light (compared to other books) and deal with the "here and now". Highly recommended.
I cannot recommend 'The Reality Slap' highly enough. I was slightly concerned when I first started to read it but as I settled down and took proper notice it soon became obvious what a well observed and very helpful book this is. It has already made a difference to my way of life, and it will be kept close at hand for me to refer to often.
If you're autistic, I strongly recommended you look elsewhere if you're interested in ACT.
I was expecting a book on ACT therapy so the autism stuff caught me off guard. The negative attitude toward it is in almost every chapter. Putting an entire appendix about ABA therapy seemed wildly inappropriate.
Do not read if you or a loved one has Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Sensory Processing Disorder. There is a clear lack of research as the author describes how awful Autism is. What an asshole.
Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for this, but it seemed all fairly trite, obvious or perhaps oblivious would be a better term and just old hat. I wanted to believe this wasn't just another attempt to cash in when people are hurting and vulnerable, but there seems to be a lot of that, the pain and the exploitation of said pain. I am going to give Harris a nod for at least reiterating help.
It took me an hour to read this book because it is mostly the same as his other books, aside from the 4 steps. The one star rating is not for that however, it鈥檚 for how terrible his views on autism are. I picked up this book because I needed a way to get out of a familiar rut that is exacerbated by my ADHD, and in the first chapter I had to read about how autism, is like cancer or AIDS. Way to lose neurodivergents.
Baz谋 kitaplar谋 okursunuz, 莽ok be臒enirsiniz ama yine de hakk谋nda s枚yleyecek pek bir 艧eyiniz olmayabilir. Bu kitap hakk谋nda bir ka莽 c眉mle etmek istedim 莽眉nk眉 okudu臒um s眉re莽te hayat谋ma 莽ok yak谋ndan temas etti. Kabullenmekte zorland谋臒谋m 艧eyler vard谋. Ya艧am tarz谋m谋 bir anda de臒i艧tirmem gerekti, s眉rekli bir mutsuzluk, huzursuzluk halindeydim. Kabul kararl谋l谋k terapisi bu d枚nemde ilgimi 莽ekti ve iyi ki bu kitaba bu d枚nemde ba艧lad谋m. De臒i艧tirilemez s眉re莽lerden ge莽erken t眉m s眉re莽te bir huzur hissetmek, ac谋ya da yer verebilmek hi莽 kolay de臒il. Bunlar谋n insaniyetini derinden hissettiren ve y眉k眉n眉z眉 hafifleten bir bak谋艧 kazand谋r谋yor kitap. 鈥淗ayat谋n bize verdi臒i budur. E臒er bir kimseyi veya bir 艧eyi 枚nemseyeceksek, er ya da ge莽 bir beklenti a莽谋臒谋 ile kar艧谋 kar艧谋ya kalaca臒谋z; istedi臒imiz ile elde etti臒imiz aras谋nda bir a莽谋kla. Ve bu oldu臒u zaman da ac谋 veren duygular ortaya 莽谋kacak. Ger莽ekten 枚nemi olan 艧eyler ayn谋 zamanda incitir de. Peki, bu ac谋 veren duygular谋 kucaklay谋p bunlar谋 bizim de臒erli bir par莽am谋z olarak g枚rebilir miyiz? Bunlar谋n bize 枚nemli bir 艧ey s枚yledi臒ini teslim edebilir miyiz; ya艧谋yoruz, bir y眉re臒imiz var ve ger莽ekten 枚nemsiyoruz.鈥� 鈥�.. 鈥溍杛ne臒in ben, zihnimin o臒lumla ilgili hikayelerini, onun kim olabilece臒ini, kim olmas谋 gerekti臒ini, nelerden mahrum kald谋臒谋n谋 veya onun ar谋zalar谋n谋 b谋rak谋p onu oldu臒u gibi, t眉m beklentilerimden ve yarg谋lar谋mdan ayr谋艧arak sevdi臒im o anlar谋n g眉zelli臒i ger莽ekten inan谋lmazd谋. O臒lum o anlarda bir sorundan bir ayr谋cal谋臒a d枚n眉艧眉yordu. Kendisinden hayata ve sevgiye dair 莽ok 艧ey 枚臒rendi臒im, bu ola臒an眉st眉 insanla hayat谋m谋 payla艧t谋臒谋m i莽in kendimi 艧ansl谋 ve kutsanm谋艧 hissediyorum. Ger莽ekten de o anlarda, ben cennetteyim.鈥�
We can鈥檛 stop that voice in our head from telling us stories, but we can learn to catch it in the act. And we can learn to choose the way we respond: to let the helpful stories guide us and let the unhelpful ones come and go like leaves in the breeze.
What does this pain reveal about my heart? What does it show me that I care about? What would you have to not care about, in order to not have this pain?
What is the key to lasting fulfillment? What is the essence of human vitality? What is the core of all those things we call 鈥渓ove鈥�? It is to care, connect, and contribute 鈥� to live with presence and purpose. Surely there is no greater privilege than this. So I encourage you to make the most of this privilege: to live with presence and purpose. And also to be realistic: to acknowledge that you will often forget to do this. The beautiful thing is that whenever you remember, you have a choice. You can hold yourself kindly, drop an anchor, and take a stand. And right there, in that moment, you will find treasure: the fulfillment that is always there, even when life hurts.
鈥淟ife is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties, but of little things, in which smiles, and kindnesses, and small obligations, given habitually, are what win and preserve the heart and secure comfort.鈥� Sir Humphry Davy.
鈥淵ou will find, as you look back upon your life, that the moments when you have really lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.鈥� Henry Drummond.
鈥淒o your little bit of good where you are; it鈥檚 those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.鈥� Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
It doesn't matter how smart, kind, talented, wealthy, attractive or successful you are, at some point in our lives, we will have to face something awful. Yes, sometimes life just sucks and bad things happen to good people. It could be the death of a loved one, a diagnosis of a serious illness, suffering a permanent disability, being the victim of a serious crime or a job loss. This book is all about how we respond and look after ourselves when an inevitable cr@ppy thing happens to us. This isn't one of those books that tries to tell us that horrible life events are some sort of wonderful gifts and that "everything happens for a reason" (which is good, because I'm no fan of that philosophy). Instead, it focuses on strategies you can put in place to acknowledge your pain, care for and ground yourself and find new ways of obtaining meaning and purpose in life. And it does this so, so we'll. This book feels like a warm hug - I loved it.
By one of the creators of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), this book is an aid for those going through really tough times, when the desired reality isn't what you thought was in the brochure. The author, who grieved over having a son with autism, coped with this with a combination of mindfulness and reframing exercises. One can acknowledge the inevitable pain in our lives, but can learn how to hold yourself with compassion, accept that which you cannot change and act within your values to change what you can.
For beginners. Basically, these are exercises you can try to overcome personal grief. He mercifully does not go down the old forgiveness road nor does he go religious. For those well self-help read, this material will be too familiar.