Description
Book SynopsisThe post-9/11 age is characterized by collective anxiety about the state of the nation and the world. Through a cognitive-theological approach to the treatment of this anxiety, the author demonstrates that it is possible and indeed necessary to help those in our care to live meaningfully even in a time of change and uncertainty.
Trade ReviewIn the tradition of Erich Fromm and Rollo May, Kirk Bingaman addresses the psychological and social implications of anxiety. But Bingaman adds a new twist, namely the relevance of theology to address the "new anxiety" of our post-9/11 era. This important book demonstrates that a formative and fruitful integration is possible between theology and therapy, and underscores the necessity, in a "supermodern," post-9/11 world, for such an integration in treating anxiety. -- Rev. Kevin Gillespie, S.J., Ph.D., associate professor of Pastoral Counseling, Loyola College, Maryland
This is one of the few works on cognitive therapy that focuses on our deepest core belief—the cognitive foundation of our hopes and fears that provides purpose and meaning to our lives. Dr. Bingaman enters this realm where mental health practitioners have traditionally feared to tread. Therapists will gain important insight by reading this book. -- Rian E. McMullin, Ph.D., one of the founders of Cognitive Restructuring Therapy; author, The New Handbook of Cognitive Therapy and Taking Out Your Mental
[Bingaman] paints a clear and recognizable portrait of the non-places we inhabit and our intense need to make meaning of the events that flood our lives. His argument and case studies are compelling....Bingaman builds a strong case. * Journal of Pastoral Theology, Fall 2007 *
Kirk Bingaman provides compelling evidence that we confront a "new anxiety"—one in which many of our worries, anxieties, and fears are not disproportionate to the threats that confront us. He draws on cognitive behavioral therapy to address this new anxiety, but rather than the traditional emphasis on the client's irrational beliefs, he advocates an emphasis on the client's core beliefs—beliefs that heretofore have provided inadequate, even unsettling, answers to the fundamental question: Where is God? For those who seek expert guidance on how to assist clients in developing core beliefs that effectively address the new anxiety, this book is a godsend. It could not have come at a more opportune moment. -- Donald Capps
