Book Review- The Happiness Trap
If you have ever found yourself overwhelmed by your thoughts or emotions, struggled to find a sense of meaning in your day to day life, or felt exhausted trying to “just be happy,” The Happiness Trap is a must read.
The Happiness Trap, written by Russ Harris and published in 2008, takes a look at using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you live a meaningful and fulfilling life. As a self-help book, it is written in a straightforward way without overly clinical or theoretical language, making it an accessible and enjoyable read for both clinicians and non-clinicians.
Broken into three parts, Part 1 sets the stage for the rest of the book by looking at what happiness is, why it’s so difficult to hold onto, and how we fall into the happiness trap. It introduces the idea that our thoughts and emotions aren’t something we have very much control over, and in trying to exert control over them we set ourselves up to suffer. Part 2 presents the six core principles of ACT, and then dives deeper into the first four. In addition to numerous practical, experiential exercises, Part 2 provides a more in-depth look at the science behind human emotion and how ACT works. In Part 3, the last two core principles of ACT are discussed in detail before bringing it all together to show how using ACT can affect meaningful and lasting change in your life.
ACT is an evidence-based therapeutic modality that has been shown to be effective in working with anxiety (including social anxiety and test anxiety), depression, chronic pain, and stress. Many clients who work with an ACT therapist experience improvement in their symptoms and gain valuable tools and perspectives that support healthy psychological functioning long after they have left therapy. What The Happiness Trap accomplishes is succinctly introducing the key premises of ACT and providing exercises that the reader can begin doing immediately. The provision of these exercises allows the reader to gain an experiential understanding of ACT. While the theory and science of any therapeutic modality is often easily forgotten once a book is put down, an experiential understanding is longer lasting. You might not remember exactly why it works to sing a negative thought to yourself to the tune of happy birthday, but you remember to do that and it provides a measure of relief. The Happiness Trap strikes an excellent balance of describing the theory of ACT in a readable way while offering a multitude of opportunities to actually experience ACT, thus integrating more fully into the reader’s mind and subsequent actions.
It is important to note that reading the book is not a substitute for assessment and/or treatment by a qualified mental health professional. If you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, or another mental health disorder, or are having difficulty functioning the way you would like to in your daily life, talking with a mental health professional is the best way to determine an appropriate path forward. However, the book is an excellent adjunct to therapy if you are working with an ACT therapist, as it can serve as an at home resource you can utilize between sessions.
In addition to the book, Russ Harris has created a website, thehappinesstrap.com, that provides free resources to compliment the book as well as a wealth of other information on ACT. While the book itself is a relatively quick read, the numerous exercises and questions posed throughout will encourage you to work through it slowly and with intention. Whether you are brand new to ACT or have learned about it/used it before, The Happiness Trap is well worth a read.
If you are curious about whether you could benefit from ACT, or are interested in working with an ACT therapist, please feel free to give me a call at 425-243-9086 or email me at hart@blossomcounselingwa.com.
