Table Of Content“Scott Symington tackles an important topic that affects almost 20
percent of all people at any given time—anxiety. In this easy-to-read
book, he guides the reader through an innovative approach called the
Two-Screen Method, where we learn how to deal with worries
visually, and apply mindfulness principles when we need it the most.
Through specific steps and well-told client stories, the readers are
provided with a blueprint to ease themselves from their own anxious
patterns and break the loop of fears that hold them back from
achieving advancement, peace, and better relationships. A must-read
for anyone!”
—Karen J. Miller, PhD, clinical neuropsychologist and health
sciences professor at the University of California, Los Angeles
“It is rare that a new book actually presents a truly new thought,
perspective, or tool. Scott Symington’s Freedom from Anxious
Thoughts and Feelings does all three; his groundbreaking Two-Screen
Method for dealing with anxiety is broadly applicable and effective.
We use his approach regularly in working with clients who are
struggling with sexual issues. We find it is a tool that people can easily
visualize and apply in order to accept, but put aside, interfering
emotions while focusing on and pursuing spiritually sound,
relationship-enhancing, and life-giving goals.”
—Clifford and Joyce Penner, sexual therapists, educators, and
authors of The Gift of Sex
“Scott Symington’s remarkable book is apt to enhance the emotional
well-being of anyone who simply reads it through carefully one time.
For those who wish to gain the best possible benefit of the book, he
provides the tools. This is no theoretical work or an extended sales
pitch for starting therapy. Symington is confident that most readers
who suffer from anxiety, worry, or depression will significantly
enhance the quality of their inner lives by diligently following his
Two-Screen Method guidelines for about twelve weeks. He makes a
convincing case and offers tremendous hope in an overly stressed
world.”
—Anthony J. Mulkern, PhD, president of Mulkern Associates
“Scott Symington’s Two-Screen Method combines several years of
clinical therapeutic experience with the practical skills of mindfulness
training to provide a process that creates internal psychological space
within the person, which allows for the growth and development that
permits us to be free of anxious thoughts and feelings. This method
visually guides us toward self-acceptance by challenging distorted
views of our identity, so that we can live in the present moment and
find our true self and ultimate value.”
—James A. Van Slyke, PhD, associate professor in the
department of psychology at Fresno Pacific University, and
author of The Cognitive Science of Religion
“Scott Symington has done a masterful and creative job in
synthesizing psychological research and clinical practice into a book
that is relatable, easy to understand, practical, and easy to apply. I
wholeheartedly recommend this book to both therapists and their
clients, as well as anyone interested in acquiring effective tools for
dealing with anxiety. Indeed, freedom from problematic anxious
thoughts and feelings is possible. I expect many lives will be
profoundly impacted by this book.”
—Paul Lo, PhD, clinical psychologist and chief of the Mental
Health Clinic Section at the VA Greater Los Angeles
Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA
“Scott Symington uses captivating imagery to not just tell, but vividly
show how to change your relationship with anxiety. The two-step
approach in this book is a powerful way to evade the clutches of
anxiety, and then use the momentum to experience life more deeply
and take action to live your best life. I personally use this practice
regularly and teach it to my clients who are delighted by how simple
and profound it is.”
—Jeanette Lantz, PhD, BCB, founder and director of Cognitive
Behavior Therapy Northwest
“Living as we do in a world of fear and anxiety, Scott Symington gives
us a powerful tool to face, accept, and move beyond these pervasive
forces inside and around us. This book is a practical, realistic, and
transformative guide. Read it, practice it, and find freedom.”
—Mark Labberton, PhD, MDiv, president of Fuller Theological
Seminary
“With this book, Scott Symington shares the secrets he has unlocked
through years of real-world clinical experience with a wide variety of
anxious clients. A unique combination of time-tested therapeutic
techniques coupled with innovative practices, his Two-Screen Method
is a valuable addition to the cognitive behavioral therapy tool chest.
The easy-to-follow explanations and recommendations will open
readers up to a world of sweet relief as they move through the steps
and shed the fears that have held them hostage. As you climb the
Freedom Ladder, prepare to trade in your exhausting anxieties for a
new set of positive, life-affirming beliefs that will carry you forward
into a happier ever after.”
—Susanne Whatley, news host on NPR affiliate KPCC in Los
Angeles, CA
Publisher’s Note
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject
matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering
psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. If expert assistance or counseling is
needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books
Copyright © 2019 by Scott Symington
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
www.newharbinger.com
Cover design by Amy Shoup
Acquired by Jess O’Brien
Edited by Kristi Hein
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file
Contents
Contents
Introduction
What Do I Do Inside My Head?
1. Seeing Your Internal World
2. Understanding Your Anxious Side Screen
3. Freedom from the Anxious Side Screen
4. Mindfulness Skills Anchor
5. The Addictive Side Screen
6. Healthy Distractions and Activities Anchor
7. The Depressive Side Screen
8. Loving Action Anchor
9. The Two-Screen Method Fully Applied
10. Q&A from the Couch
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References
Introduction
What Do I Do Inside My Head?
Prominently displayed in our family room is a quote from St. Irenaeus of
Lyons: “The Glory of God is the human person fully alive.” I love this quote. It
speaks to our design. It helps us understand the restlessness of the human spirit
—that part of self that refuses to be contained or muted. Inside us all, whether
conscious or unconscious, is a burning desire to burst out onto life’s stage,
proclaiming, “Here I am!” It’s the human person fully alive.
As a clinical psychologist in full-time private practice, I have a front-row
seat on those influences that cripple the human spirit, blocking people from a
life fully lived—chronic worrying, depressed moods, destructive patterns of
behavior. In the midst of these struggles, everything may look fine on the
outside. You might see a smile or all the trappings of success. But looks can be
deceiving. On the inside, these people can feel embattled or hopeless or out of
control. They feel trapped by and stuck with thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
they don’t understand and can’t seem to change.
Take Laura, for example, who feels anxious in social situations. Following
a conversation or social interaction, she’s regularly plagued by worries of
having said something “stupid” or others laughing behind her back. Then
there’s Emma, who’s prone to depressed moods. A Facebook post or news of a
friend’s engagement can automatically trigger painful thoughts of comparison:
Why don’t I have a boyfriend? Why does everyone else get to enjoy life except
for me? As she travels down memory lane, recalling times when she felt hurt
and rejected, her mood and outlook on life darken.
With Gary, it’s less about emotional pain and more about a behavior he
can’t control. Dozens of times he’s promised his wife—and himself—that he’ll
stop looking at internet pornography. Most of the time it’s not a struggle for
him to stick to this commitment. Then, before he knows it, especially during
stressful seasons at work, he falls back into the same unwanted pattern.
All these individuals are stuck in patterns of thought, emotional reactions,
and behaviors that cause pain and problems in their lives. They find themselves
in this predicament not because they lack the desire or willpower to change—
just the opposite. They want nothing more than to enjoy and feel good about the
life they’re living. Which makes sense—who wants to be up at 2:00 a.m. stuck
in a worry loop? What’s attractive about a depressed mood or a repetitive
behavior that puts in jeopardy an important relationship or deeply held value?
Lacking the desire or intention to change is not the issue. In these
situations, our struggle is with knowing what to do on the inside to change the
way we’re thinking, feeling, or acting. We’re not clear on what to do with our
thoughts or how to respond to the feelings to shift our experience. No matter
what we try, we often find ourselves back in the same feeling, chewing on the
same recycled worries, repeating the same unhealthy behavior.
This tendency to get and remain stuck shouldn’t come as a surprise. After
all, we’ve never been taught how thoughts and feelings work. Though the
quality of our life is greatly determined by how we feel on the inside, we’ve
being going through life without an internal map or guide. Our primary
education has been about expanding our knowledge of the external world—how
things work on the outside. Somehow, we all missed the course titled
Navigating Your Internal World 101. We’ve been trying to live a free and
meaningful life without even the basic knowledge of how to prevent ourselves
from being overrun by a feeling or protect our mind from the thought patterns
that fuel negative moods and unhealthy behaviors. We’ve been left to fend for
ourselves in our mental and emotional life.
To make matters worse, the actions we do take, in the absence of an
internal map or guide, often exacerbate the negative symptom or pattern. Our
reflexive responses and natural ways of coping with internal challenges—the
anxious feeling, the destructive urge, the negative mood—end up fueling the
very internal activity we’re trying to defuse.
Unaware that the psychological realm is a universe unto itself, filled with
paradoxes and counterintuitive principles, we apply the problem-solving
methods that seem to work in our daily lives to challenges showing up in our
minds and emotions. We study and analyze perceived threats (anxious worries).
We run from—or try to fight off—sources of pain or fear. We take steps to
establish a sense of safety and security. And the list goes on.
But all these strategies backfire. The more we try to seek emotional safety
or change the way we’re feeling or get rid of threatening thoughts, the more we
energize the unwanted thoughts and feelings. Our natural, reflexive internal
responses end up empowering the very thoughts and feelings from which we’re
seeking freedom.
To break free from the current pattern, you need to relate to thoughts and
feelings—especially the problematic ones—in a new way. Certain internal
reactions support the thoughts and feelings coming into our awareness, while
other responses cause them to dissipate. When the worry comes into your mind
—when the challenging feelings show up—you need to know the specific
internal action steps that will decrease their power and presence.
That’s what this book is about. You’ll be introduced to a powerful, easy-
to-use method for de-energizing and breaking free from anxious thoughts and
destructive feelings. It’s called the Two-Screen Method® (TSM).
The Two-Screen Method
What makes the Two-Screen Method unique—and especially helpful—is how
it, in the words of one client, shows you “what to do inside your head.” Instead
of describing and giving you instructions on how to stop worrying or get
emotional relief, TSM actually guides you—on the inside—through the mental
and emotional steps that lead to the desired change. What makes this possible is
the novel way you’re taken through the change process. Your companion and
guide is an image inside your mind. You imagine your internal world as a
media room with two screens. On the wall you see facing forward is the front
screen, which represents the present moment and life-giving internal activity—
all the thoughts, feelings, and images that translate into well-being and a life
well lived. Off to the right, still inside your mind, is a side screen—the place
where the fears, worries, unhealthy urges, and destructive moods show up. With
this image in mind, you are then shown how to de-energize the problematic
thoughts and feelings showing up on the side screen, while cultivating your
ability to be in the present moment and express the best parts of who you are on
the front screen.
This visual approach allows you to take advantage of some of the most
effective psychological strategies, simply by relating to the image in your mind
as directed. More specifically, TSM enables you to access and apply
mindfulness principles with ease. You may or may not be familiar with the term
mindfulness or be aware of the explosion of mindfulness-based treatments in
the field of psychology. We’ll talk more about mindfulness later, especially in
chapter 4, but for now simply know that mindfulness is a way of relating to
your inner and outer experience with an attitude of openness, acceptance, and
present-moment focus. As you become more mindful, as you learn to be more
accepting of challenging feelings and more tolerant of alarming thoughts
coming into awareness, these sources of pain that you struggle with become
Description:A ridiculously easy, breakthrough approach to practicing mindfulness. If you suffer from anxiety and experience racing, panicky thoughts, you need help right away. You’ve probably heard about mindfulness, and how effective it can be in easing anxiety and worry—but how do you do it, exactly? In t
