Feel the Way You Want to Feel…No Matter What!

Dr. Aldo R. Pucci
iUniverse (2010)
ISBN 9781936236046
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (07/10)


“Feel the Way You Want to Feel…No Matter What!” will teach readers to become aware of how their brain functions and how their lives are affected by their thoughts.  By becoming aware of our thoughts and how we react to situations, we can work on redirecting them in a positive way, which will also allow us to set realistic goals.  By applying the rational self-counseling skills that are taught in this book, we can achieve our goals and feel fulfilled no matter what our circumstances. 

The author, Dr. Aldo R. Pucci is the president of the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists.  In this book, he teaches Rational Living Therapy philosophy and techniques. Dr. Pucci began developing Rational Living Therapy in 1990. Rational Living Therapy is related to cognitive behavioral therapy. 

I found it fascinating to read about how we can undermine ourselves with negative thoughts and reactions towards situations that can be perceived by others as positive, negative, or neutral.  Dr. Pucci dedicates a large portion of the material to describing “Common Mental Mistakes” and “Ideas that Cause Misery.”  I found myself relating to a lot of issues that were discussed in both of these sections. By becoming aware of my unhealthy thoughts and how they were not helping me, I feel like it will be easier for me to overcome them as they crop up in the future.  I also gained a greater understanding of why some of the people in my life might think the way that they do. After becoming aware of our self-defeating thoughts and behaviors, we then are taught to replace them with positive rational replacement thoughts.

The material covered in this book is well organized in a manner that will allow the reader to get to work on learning the techniques right away.  There are sections that have worksheets filled in with examples, and blank ones so that readers can get an idea of what they need to do, and yet still personalize the material for their specific needs.  Each chapter also ends with a useful summary so that the main points can be concisely summed up and are available for a quick review.

“Feel the Way You Want to Feel…No Matter What!” is a great resource as a self-help book for a lay person, or as a resource for mental health practitioners.  Either way, I think that everyone will benefit.  Dr. Pucci provides all of the information needed for a person to be able to accomplish what they set out to in this book.  This book is the perfect resource to get you started on the path to feeling fulfilled.

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