Highly recommended if you are looking for some self help or verification you are ok. If you are willing to test your own feelings and thoughts there are some really good exercising to try out. I really liked the style of the writing and was not at all The author is a psychotherapist and has plenty of case studies to share with the readers. Certainly helped me with my inner peace and letting things go. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

I had a lot of issues with this audiobook and it’s message. Firstly, the author narrates it personally and it just doesn’t work. Some are just not mean to be audiobook narrators. His voice at times sounded like the automated voices found on YouTube videos and I didn’t enjoy listening but persevered anyway.

I have very real diagnosed mental health challenges. I have Complex PTSD from a number of serious traumas including facing death twice in horrific circumstances. This PTSD is debilitating. I also have severe chronic depression, the type where getting out of bed is a massive effort and talking takes up too much energy. Let’s add anxiety, a lot of it with my PTSD as trusted people (like Doctors) did things so wrong that I cannot now trust anyone in a “white coat” and can have a full meltdown if a hospital test needs to be done. I also am Autistic and depression and anxiety go hand in hand with Autism in both men and women, up t0 90% report this. Only 4% are in employment in the UK.

Rafael’s book in a nutshell breaks all depression, fears, worries and anxiety down to being neurotic (a belittling word used throughout). Telling us we just need to think positive and reframe how we view things and voila! No depression, no anxiety. Are you kidding me? Let’s share an example used of a real client of his who comes to him overwhelmingly anxious with low self-esteem and confidence as she is short. Just on 5 feet tall. His treatment is to tell her she is indeed of short stature but that’s ok. The we are told she wears high heels all the time, okay that makes sense until he says she’s NEVER had her boyfriend see her without heels on. Ever. That she leaves the heels by the bed to slip in and out of so he never sees. Excuse me? Like he can’t tell her height lying next to her? Did she shower in them too. Her cure by Rafael resulted in her throwing out every pair of heels in exchange for a pair of trainers and flat casual shoes. Mental health cure at its best. I honestly am surprised if that really was a real case.

Everything is broken down to such basic ways to “cure” depression and anxiety. It’s like self-talk is the magic. Changing how you think. Don’t think the worst. Don’t think everything will be catastrophic. Take the bad thoughts and think positive! Okay so let’s try that with 100 war veterans with severe PTSD, maybe with no limbs, maybe with no family as the PTSD changes them so much. Trust me this method won’t work.

His book is based on CBT methods, reframing thoughts. However that method is very resistant to the things many deal with. Autistic people for example due to how they are neurologically wired since birth. You cannot think your way out of feeling so suicidal after 4 months stuck in bed with crippling loneliness, chronic pain and more. How do I know? I tried it, tried it for 10 years, over and over. I know others the same, medication can help, sadly the Author plays down often the very real need to be on medication to reset brain wiring before therapy can even start to be effective.

I found the stories told to be as basic as what a school counsellor may deal with and frankly the book made me angry. This silly simple methodology is ineffective for so many. Yet those people try and try again to just change the way they see the world. Until after years they feel more useless, more depressed as they can’t do it. Trust me. I see this a lot. The best therapy for trauma and PTSD is EMDR and surprisingly Equine (horse) therapy that I highly recommend.

I fear many suffering various diagnosis will be just as disheartened by this book as I am. Maybe as angry as I am. I don’t see “psychology” here I see “positive self-help” and again client examples used are not only hard to believe but also people dealing with fairly minor issues. In a nutshell I disliked it.

Just to show I am not negative about any books teaching ways to manage with mental health issues I am listening to another right now that IS offering realistic messages and not sugar coating the really hard stuff. You cannot tell anyone who is in the grips of real mental health crisis to just think their way out of it.

**Listened to the audiobook**

The title and subtitle for this book sound great - I can see why people would want to pick up this book, or listen. Probably the same reasons as me!

Unfortunately the title sets up false promises. It did not give me ideas to build strength. It was full of personal anecdotes. I took nothing from this book, and feel pretty annoyed that I wasted my time.