Quotes from David D. Burns

Depression is an illness and not a necessary part of healthy living.

I've been interviewed for hundreds of magazine articles, and they come out incredibly goofy about 90 percent of the time.

I always wanted to see people's lives transformed from depression and anxiety to joy and peace.

What saddens me is seeing patients who have been going to therapy for years and years with no change, but they keep going to the same therapist. To me, that's not right.

The stereotype of psychotherapy portrayed in popular books and movies is lying on the couch and saying whatever comes into your mind, while a kindly psychoanalyst listens and nods knowingly from time to time. After years and years, something wonderful is supposed to happen.

I'm all for 'tools,' not 'schools,' of therapy. To me, the schools of therapy compete much like religions, or even cults, all claiming to know the cause and to have the best method for treating people.

A poor self-image is the magnifying glass that can transform a trivial mistake or an imperfection into an overwhelming symbol of personal defeat.

One of the most interesting things about the cognitive theory is the idea that anger and interpersonal conflict ultimately result from a mental con. In other words, you're telling yourself things that aren't entirely true when you're fighting with someone.

There is no 'ultimate goal of therapy.' Thinking there is some ultimate or universal goal of therapy is one of the most fundamental errors of our field. To me, that concept is rather arrogant, as if therapists were some kind of spiritual experts who knew what human beings are supposed to be like.

People who are prone to anxiety are nearly always people-pleasers who fear conflict and negative feelings like anger. When you feel upset, you sweep your problems under the rug because you don't want to upset anyone. You do this so quickly and automatically that you're not even aware you're doing it.

Cognitive therapy is a fast-acting technology of mood modification that you can learn to apply on your own. It can help you eliminate the symptoms and experience personal growth so you can minimize future upsets and cope with depression more effectively in the future.

People who are prone to guilt tend to work harder and perform better than people who are not guilt-prone, and are perceived to be more capable leaders.

In addition, we still do not really know how the brain creates emotions. We do not know why some people are more prone to negative thinking and gloomy moods throughout their lives, whereas others seem to be eternal optimists who always have a positive outlook and a cheerful disposition.

Ask people for suggestions on how to improve, and if they're going to reject you for being imperfect, let them do it and get it over with.

The attitude that depression is necessary strikes me as destructive, inhuman, and victimizing.

Your feelings do not determine your worth, simply your relative state of comfort or discomfort.

The moment you have a certain thought and believe it, you will experience an immediate emotional response. Your thought actually creates the emotion.

People are not only thinkers, they are doers, so it is not surprising that you can substantially change the way you feel by changing the way you act. There's only one hitch—when you're depressed, you don't feel like doing much.

For example, if you feel sad or depressed, you're probably telling yourself that you've lost someone you love or something important to your sense of self-esteem. If you feel guilty or ashamed, you're telling yourself that you're bad or that you've violated your own personal values. If

my anger directed toward someone who has knowingly, intentionally, and unnecessarily acted in a hurtful manner?     2.   Is my anger useful? Does it help me achieve a desired goal or does it simply defeat me?

Remember that as the drug begins to work, you will feel less suicidal.

Because of your twisted thinking, you see yourself in a trap from which there seems to be no escape. You jump to the conclusion that your problems are insoluble. Because your suffering feels unbearable and appears unending, you may erroneously conclude that suicide is your only way of escape.

When you confront the monster you fear the most, you'll defeat your fears.

you cannot earn worth through what you do. Achievements can bring you satisfaction but not happiness. Self-worth based on accomplishments is a "pseudo-esteem