BEYOND HAPPINESS

A veteran cognitive behavioral therapist and clinical psychologist shares what she knows to help readers achieve satisfaction beyond reaching for the sometimes-elusive emotion of happiness.

“Shouldn’t I be happy?” is a question many ask, but Guttman asserts that one’s goal should be something deeper and more lasting, which she calls “sustainable life satisfaction.” The author’s objective is to share techniques that can make a difference for a reader, even without the benefit of therapy sessions. Guttman’s program is based on the “six core techniques of sustainable life satisfaction”: Avoid assumptions, reduce people-pleasing behaviors, face your fears, make decisions, acknowledge that starting is easy but closing is hard, and self-reinforce by rewarding yourself. Each strategy is fully fleshed out and illuminated by accounts of the author’s work with clients, quotes from experts in her field of cognitive behavioral therapy, and cited data. It’s easy to believe that a reader could get closer to living a life of satisfaction by absorbing these techniques and putting them to use. However, there’s also a strong sense that more progress could be made with the help of a live therapist; for instance, the core principle of not making assumptions is difficult to absorb without a guide, and what one assumes to be true about other people’s moods or motivations isn’t easily set aside, as it’s based on a lifetime of experiences. The most challenging habit to break may be people-pleasing, but it’s well worth the effort to try. In all these cases, input from a dispassionate and skilled counselor could be illuminating. Still, some of the techniques here are very easy to grasp and implement, such as avoiding “negative forecasting” (“expecting that undesirable things will happen”), and it’s always useful to reward oneself for achievements and give oneself good self-care.

A self-help work that may be a good first step for a motivated reader.