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Jacobs, Ph.D., Marion
Kramer
TAKE-CHARGE LIVING:
How to Recast Your Role in
Life…One Scene at a Time
iUniverse Editor's Choice (152 pp.)
$15.95 paperback
March 23, 2006
ISBN: 0-595-37260-0
A straightforward, practical toolkit for identifying and overcoming
barriers to change.
As clinical psychologist Dr. Jacobs demonstrates in this slim,
efficient volume, our minds and bodies often work together to
keep us from making changes that would improve our lives. Though
the title may turn away some readers, the book's structural concept,
acting, is an integral component of the process. Not just a gimmick,
this overarching theme helps reinforce the fundamental principles
of rehearsing and repetition in working toward change. Jacobs's
caring, direct approach will engage even the therapy-averse. She
teaches readers how to identify a desired change, to examine the
emotional barriers that prevent one from making that change and
to devise a practical plan of action for working
toward a goal. Illustrating how the mind and body are deeply and
intricately bound, she outlines the four systems that interact
to shape how we act and feel: emotions, bodily reactions, thoughts
and behavior. Since we can't directly turn on or off the first
two, Jacobs advocates focusing on changing the latter two. What
distinguishes this book from much self-help hokum is the realistic
discussion of the intense negative feelings that often arise from
enacting change, and the techniques required for withstanding
those feelings and moving forward. As the author explains, it's
necessary to take swift action, to forge ahead using a step-by-step
plan, gradually diminishing fearful emotions by giving the brain
evidence that engaging in the new behavior isn't as dangerous
as it had thought. Her methods are grounded in years of experience
as a therapist, as shown through the case studies she uses to
illustrate steps and challenges encountered in taking charge.
A self-help book that could actually work.
-Kirkus Discoveries
Kirkus Discoveries, VNU US Literary Group, 770 Broadway, New York,
NY 10003 646-654-4686 fax 646-654-4706
discoveries@kirkusreviews.com
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