Acknowledgements Introduction: what’s so wrong with popular psychology anyway?      Myth 1    The root of all your problems is low self-esteem  Myth 2    Let your feelings out!    Myth 3    Emotional intelligence is what really counts    Myth 4    Let your goals power you towards success! Myth 5    No one can make you feel anything    Myth 6    Think positive and be a winner!    Myth 7    We need to talk… Myth 8    Whatever your problem, CBT is the answer Myth 9    You can never be too assertive   Myth 10 Men and women live on different planets   Myth 11 Your inner child needs a hug   Myth 12 You can learn to do anything you want Myth 13 You’d better get yourself sorted   Myth 14 You are stronger than you know   Myth 15 You are a master of the universe! Myth 16 There is no failure, only feedback   Myth 17 It’s all your parents’ fault   Myth 18 You can heal your body   Myth 19 You are in control of your life Myth 20 Married bliss: a matter of give and take   Myth 21 Discover the real you!   Myth 22 Make every second count Myth 23 We must all strive to be happy   Epilogue References Bibliography   

Is self help really helping?   Self help is now seriously big business. It’s also having a big influence on all our lives – whether we’re aware of it or not.   After several decades of huge growth in the industry, most of us believe without question that we should do more, be more, expect more. But given that we seem to be less happy than at any time in history, could it be that self help is actually counterproductive?  Is it possible that self help is just messing with our minds?   It seems that in the quest for greater confidence, happiness, wealth, attractiveness and success, we’ve lost our ability to critically assess what we’re being fed. Many of the ‘undisputed truths’ of self help have precious little scientific support, and some have a fair body of evidence against them.   In this brilliantly articulate pause for thought, Dr Stephen Briers takes a hard look at the casual psychologising of everyday life, exposing the science that has been swept under the self help carpet, and questions whether what’s supposed to set us free is in fact providing the shackles on our lives.   Psychobabble eases the heavy burden of unrealistic expectation, gently suggests that some things need to be endured not fixed, and leaves us with the liberating possibility that we might be good enough just as we are.