Review of The mindfulness and acceptance workbook for social anxiety and shyness: Using acceptance and commitment therapy to free yourself from fear and reclaim your life.

Abstract

The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Social Anxiety and Shyness: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Free Yourself From Fear and Reclaim Your Life by Jan E. Fleming and Nancy L. Kocovski, Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 2013, 168 Pages. (ISBN-10: 1608820807, US $19.95 Paperback) Reviewed by RANDI E. MCCABE DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0038090Individuals who are dispositionally shy may desperately wish to engage more socially but feel inhibited from doing so due to feelings of awkwardness and anxiety. This anxiety may be associated with a range of situations, including social interactions such as making conversation, and performance situations such as giving a speech. Feelings of social anxiety and fears of negative selfevaluation can directly interfere with life satisfaction and goal attainment as negative reinforcement leads individuals to alter their life path in ways that minimise the experience of social discomfort. For a subset of people, social anxiety leads to significant clinical distress and impairment warranting a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder. The evidence-based psychological treatment of choice for individuals suffering from social anxiety disorder is cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), an approach that encompasses a variety of treatment packages, the majority of which include a central emphasis on exposure. CBT has been associated with moderate to large effect sizes; however, dropout rates are in the range of 10-20% and a portion of treatment completers achieve only a partial response (Rodebaugh, Holaway, & Heimberg, 2004). Thus, there is a need for new approaches that may meet the needs of those who do not respond to traditional CBT protocols. This book provides just that option.In The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Social Anxiety and Shyness, the authors present a comprehensive treatment approach for overcoming shyness and social anxiety using mindfulness and acceptance strategies. In developing their treatment program, Fleming and Kocovski drew from the work of Steve Hayes (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; ACT), Jon Kabat- Zinn (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction; MBSR), and Zindel Segal (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy; MBCT), who contributed the foreword for the book. Integrating ACT, MBSR, and MCBT strategies, the authors have specifically tailored the program to individuals with social anxiety. The book naturally developed out of the authors' own research program investigating group mindfulness- and acceptance-based therapy for social anxiety (MAGT). A major strength of the book is that it is based on empirical evidence showing both in an open trial and in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that MAGT is associated with a significant reduction in social anxiety that is equivalent to the efficacy associated with CBT. Thus, the workbook offers a viable treatment option for consumers with social anxiety and for therapists working with clients with social anxiety. The approach may be used as an initial treatment or as an alternate option if standard CBT was not a good fit or the gains realised were suboptimal. The authors do a thorough job of summarising the research literature on mindfulness- and acceptance-based strategies for social anxiety, including their own work in this area, in Appendix A of the workbook.Overall, the book is well-written and a quick read with short chapters and focused exercises. In the introduction, the authors orient the reader to the roots of the approach taken in the book (ACT, MBCT, and MBSR) as well as the authors' inspiration for the book. They provide an overview of the organisation of the book as well as how to use it. An attractive feature of this workbook is the companion resources provided on the publisher's website. Users of the workbook can download all the worksheets as well as listen to audio files of the seven main meditation exercises (mindful eating, observing the mountain, body scan, mindful stretching, awareness of thinking, imagining VITAL action, and loving kindness). …