A review by julesthebookgoblin
Don't Believe Everything You Feel: A CBT Workbook to Identify Your Emotional Schemas and Find Freedom from Anxiety and Depression by Robert L. Leahy

2.0

This had the potential to be a wonderful book. Not to say it isn’t helpful, but it is a neurotypical approach to emotions and cognitions characteristic of mental illness. Additionally, as a white man, I can understand your perspective when you make statements about the link between anxiety and avoidance such as “You have to go through it to get past it”. Unfortunately, not all of us have this privilege. I know far too many women who ended up in ditches after a simple walk home. I know far too many black men who were shot down while on a run. Our anxieties are real. We are not catastrophizing. It COULD very well happen. It has happened. Too many times, even in my own house, I have rejected unwanted advances and been met with disrespect and abuse from people I didn’t think possible. The reasons for our fears are more prevalent than you imagine. “What is the worst that could happen” is, frankly, a bit offensive. I could have my life cut short if I find myself walking home alone. Don’t get me wrong, I have a degree in Psychology, exposure and confrontation WORK, but they have to be adapted, not generalised. I am entirely comfortable with the discomfort of running into an ex. I am, however, not ok with exposing myself to potential predators and would prefer to avoid these experiences altogether.