Book Review #46 – Negative Self-Talk and How to Change It

Negative Self-Talk and How to Change ItNegative Self-Talk and How to Change It by Shad Helmstetter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There are excellent points in this book on how to change negative self-talk, that could positively change lives. And it is worth the money and a good read. However, this author coined the term Negative Self-Talk Disorder. Negative self-talk is not a disorder, disease or illness. The author missed an opportunity to explain that the brain is a ‘threat detector’, designed to keep us alive, survive. That’s its primary job. Out of all the info out there, this is what I have learned. So, negative self-talk is a natural function of the brain to protect us from danger (real or imagined). One missing key is to get curious about our negative self-talk, and not label it as a ‘disorder’. This is where I think the author did a disservice, by not emphasizing negative self-talk’s purpose. It has a purpose. And it would have been extremely helpful to address negative self-talk in the context of our lives and not call it a disease…so to speak.

View all my reviews on Goodreads