Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Social Anxiety and Shyness: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Free Yourself fro

Description

Two leading social anxiety researchers present an acceptance and commitment therapy based workbook filled with assessments and exercises designed to help those with social anxiety or shyness.

Jan H. Fleming, MD, is a psychiatrist who divides her time between a private practice devoted to individuals suffering with social anxiety and her work as consultant in a hospital-based anxiety disorders clinic. Along with Nancy Kocovski, she developed and piloted a mindfulness and acceptance group treatment for social anxiety disorder. She is associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, adjunct professor of psychology at Ryerson University, and part-time psychiatrist at the anxiety disorders clinic at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Nancy L. Kocovski, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and associate professor in the department of psychology at Wilfred Laurier University. She and her students are actively engaged in research on mindfulness and acceptance processes and interventions in social anxiety. She has received research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Ontario Mental Health Foundation (New Investigator Fellowship) and had published widely in the area of social anxiety. She has adjunct appointments at Ryerson University and the University of Waterloo, and maintains a part-time private practice largely devoted to the treatment of social anxiety.

"Think of this book as a great skating instructor. Shyness and social anxiety push us to stay at the edge of the social skating rink, grasping tightly to a safety bar. Vitality and involvement cannot happen there. This book takes you by the hand and teaches you how to maintain your balance and choose your direction while in the open rink of full social participation. Are you fed up with living at the anxious edge of life? Release your grip on the safety bar and grab this book instead--it's time to go for it." --Steven C. Hayes, PhD, foundation professor of psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno and author of Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life "Jan Fleming and Nancy Kocovski have created a highly accessible guide to support the journey from anxiety to calm, from worry to clarity, for those who experience stress in the face of social engagements and new situations. Built upon carefully studied clinical applications and the rigorous science of focusing the mind in an open and peaceful way, this practical handbook offers health-creating relief for anyone with an anxious disposition--especially those with social anxiety and shyness--so that they can find the inner peace and interpersonal confidence needed to live their lives with more ease and well-being. Congratulations to the authors for bringing the research-proven benefits of mindfulness to the lives of so many who are sure to benefit from their empirically-proven and practical suggestions!" --Daniel J. Siegel, MD, executive director at the Mindsight Institute, clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and author of Mindsight, The Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology, and The Mindful Brain "The authors bring their expertise and caring approach to each of the well-thought-out steps that lead to reducing anxiety over a wide range of situations. The specific therapeutic techniques of acceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness are translated very skillfully into exercises that lead the reader gradually, step by step, to being able to look at their own anxiety in new ways." --Richard P. Swinson, MD, FRCPC, professor emeritus at Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, and author of The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook "This beautifully written book will benefit anyone suffering from shyness and social anxiety. The authors have a deep understanding and compassion for these difficulties, and their book is full of interesting and helpful exercises, all clearly explained and organized." --Ruth Baer, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, and editor of Mindfulness-Based Treatment Approaches and Assessing Mindfulness and Acceptance Processes in Clients "This book captures the most cutting-edge approaches for managing one of the most common, chronic, and debilitating psychological problems. Instead of trying to manage or get rid of social anxiety, the authors offer a shift in thinking toward how anxiety is transformed with an open, receptive attitude, and how a person can make progress toward meaningful life pursuits despite the presence of doubt and social fears. Many people will be helped by the insights in this workbook." --Todd B. Kashdan, PhD, associate professor of psychology at George Mason University and author of Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life "This well-written, accessible workbook describes a new approach for coping with social anxiety and shyness based on rigorous research by the authors and others. This book is an excellent resource for anyone who experiences anxiety in social and performance situations. I strongly recommend it!" --Martin M. Antony, PhD, ABPP, professor of psychology at Ryerson University and author of The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook