Stress Response

Description

Life is stressful, and that’s not always a bad thing. A certain amount of stress actually helps us work more productively and take action in a crisis. But recurrent and prolonged stress can paralyze us or lead us to feel exhausted, angry, or overwhelmed. The skills presented in The Stress Response can dramatically change the way you process stress. And they don’t take much time to learn. Drawn from a technique therapists use called dialectical behavior therapy, these powerful strategies can help you manage the slings and arrows of life more gracefully and effectively.

After learning the skills in this book, you’ll:

• Respond quickly to early signs of stress
• Approach, not avoid, stressful tasks and events
• Cope effectively with life events that contribute to stress
• Change the catastrophic thoughts and biases that make stress worse
• Practice soothing strategies for calming your body’s stress response

Reviews

“I personally have found Matta to be grounded, practical, and thoughtful in addressing difficult emotional problems. I am always looking for ways to translate DBT skills to real life and how to apply old material to new contexts. Matta has certainly done this in her book. In addition to providing user-friendly, practical, how-to steps, she offers a beautiful overview of DBT-based material that addresses a wide and flexible spectrum of coping options.”
—Renee Hoekstra, PsyD, clinical psychologist
“In The Stress Response, Matta has done an effective job of explaining complex issues and techniques in ways that can be understood and are helpful to anyone who experiences stressful emotions. She has shown great creativity in adapting DBT skills to develop an excellent resource that provides many strategies for stress management, which are explained through helpful examples and step-by step exercises. I am so appreciative that Matta has given a gift to anyone who experiences a stress response; that is, she has given a gift to everyone. I look forward to recommending this book to clients, colleagues, and friends.”
—Pat Harvey, coach, trainer, consultant, and author

“Christy Matta has written an elegant description of how dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) concepts relate to everyday stress-related symptoms in peoples’ lives. This resonates fully with me, as I and many other practitioners of DBT have found DBT concepts and techniques to be extraordinarily meaningful for ourselves as teachers as well as for those we treat. Her organized and practical examples, exercises, and practice assignments can be helpful for those seeking self-help and clinicians who are seeking a companion text in the course of conducting psychotherapy.”
—Marvin Lew, PhD, ABPP, psychologist

Author description

Christy Matta M.A., a trainer, consultant and writer, is the author of The Stress Response: How Dialectical Behavior Therapy Can Free You From Needless Anxiety, Worry, Anger, and Other Symptoms of Stress (New Harbinger, 2012). She has worked in mental health for over 20 years and is intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She has presented nationally on the topic of DBT and participated in the design and clinical supervision of DBT residential programs, including a winner of the American Psychiatric Association's Gold Award. She is also an expert contributor and featured blogger for a number of websites, exploring an array of topics related to stress management, mindfulness and dialectical behavior therapy.