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Outsmart Yourself: Brain-Based Strategies to a Better You
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5 out of 5 stars
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Absolutely life-changing
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We have all had experiences with people that prove that those with the highest IQs are not always the most successful. What could these very smart people be missing? Chances are it's emotional intelligence (EQ) - the ability to perceive, understand, and manage emotions in ourselves and others. Sounds very powerful, doesn't it? Could we really manage our own emotions, as opposed to having our emotions run the show? Could we really effect change in the emotions of our coworkers or family members?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Publisher's Summary
The brain is an astounding organ, and today neuroscientists have more insights than ever about how it works - as well as strategies for helping us live better every day. These 24 practical lectures give you a wealth of useful strategies for improving your well-being. By presenting evidence-based "hacks" for your brain, Professor Vishton empowers you to take charge of your life and perform better all around.
Want to curb a few bad habits? Try making a notebook entry every time you perform the habit. Have a big project and feel the urge to procrastinate? Do nothing for 20 minutes and you'll feel ready to get to work. Come down with a case of the blues? Eat some fermented foods such as yogurt or sourdough bread.
From the myth of multitasking to the mechanisms behind falling in love, Professor Vishton shows you what is happening inside your brain to examine why we behave the way we do. What you'll discover is that the subconscious guides much of our behavior, leading to a kind of autopilot when it comes to making important decisions. Whether we're distracted by too many tasks, being influenced by crafty marketers, or simply living in a rut of bad habits, our conscious brains aren't always guiding us toward the best actions.
Using evidence from classic psychological studies such as John Watson's behaviorism experiments or Stanley Milgram's obedience studies, as well as the latest in scientific brain research, Professor Vishton gives you insights into how the mind operates, why our subconscious is so often in control, and what we can do change our behaviors.
You'll learn how the imagination can be as powerful as physical practice, explore the subtle art of persuasion, unpack the keys to healthy living, delve into the psychology of anger and fear, and much more. When you complete this course, you will have an abundant list of practical, everyday ways to strengthen your creativity, improve your problem-solving, enhance your health, and more.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about Outsmart Yourself: Brain-Based Strategies to a Better You
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jon
- 25-01-2017
Fascinating
Fascinating story with real interesting facts. Will definitely listen to this again in the future
9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 10-07-2019
Fantastic set of courses!!
Love the information and delivery of these lectures. I have recommended to all my friends.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Artem
- 21-12-2018
Science!
In short, many useful advices backed by scientific research and studies. If you want to change some bad habits, and to be overall more efficient in everyday life by..well as a title suggest, outsmarting your ancient and at times "dumb" brain. Definitely will listen again, so it sinks. Well worth your time.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JoJo
- 28-09-2018
It could be perfect!
The music at end of each session starts too early and too noisy, many times I was so concentrated and listening, then suddenly the music comes out... it can be super perfect if the music starts a bit later, at least let our listeners realize the session nearly finishes then some music comes out.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul
- 21-06-2018
Listening to it again.
Absolutely loved it. If you want to know what goes on in your head then I highly recommend this audio.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- elise
- 30-04-2017
Very interesting listen
Would you listen to Outsmart Yourself: Brain-Based Strategies to a Better You again? Why?
Yes, to reabsorb the content.
What other book might you compare Outsmart Yourself: Brain-Based Strategies to a Better You to, and why?
brain rules by john medina and the brain that changed itself. Both about neuroplasticity and how to lead a better life.
Have you listened to any of Professor Peter M. Vishton’s other performances? How does this one compare?
no
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
no
5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-03-2020
Knowledge smash!
Great narrator So much knowledge! Actionable steps to beat procrastination, depression, bad habits and all the things that hold us back from time to time. Will listen to again and again.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jen Hawley
- 28-10-2019
fantastic
I would give this 10 stars if I could, fascinating listen and will return and listen again.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 19-07-2019
Fundamental knowledge
Excellently narrated set of lectures which provide key information about our brain's mechanics and tweaking techniques. Loved it!
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Morgan
- 25-11-2018
Amazing
loved it, engaging and intelegent which make you challenge your way of thinking. It was enjoyable and witty, hope to here more from this lecturer, very.good.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Marc
- 14-02-2017
20 times longer than necessary
What would have made Outsmart Yourself: Brain-Based Strategies to a Better You better?
This is insanely trivial. A few examples of "how to outsmart your brain":
If you are afraid of fyling on a plane: RELAX (yes, that is the trick!).
If you want to learn new skills: Practice (who would have thought that!)
If you are stuck on a problem: Do something else (seriously - people pay money for this kind of research results?)
But wait, it gets better:
If you feel depressed - just consider yourself to be a scientist who does a scientific research AND TAKE DRUGS (honestly, that's the tip! He's talking about Aspirin there - just take it to "brighten up your mood", like ... every day)
But wait - it STILL GETS BETTER:
If you feel stage fright - DRINK ALCOHOL!
I kid you not. "Researches have shown that a drink or two releaxes you". You have to read that one again to believe it.
That was about the moment when I stopped listening. I am just not interested in what "Tricks" this "professor" might have up his sleeves after those two.
The "researches" reported in this course are about a century old, it seems as if "psychology" is not a science, but draining money from people with every-day trivia. Now, I do not believe this, but this course definitely makes you think "why am I financing public universities to undertake researches that lead to the conclusion that smiling makes you feel happy" (another example from this "outsmart the reader to buy this nonsense".
Would you ever listen to anything by The Great Courses again?
If I need a reason to cancel my Audible membership: Yes, immediately. Otherwise - am I completely insane?
What does Professor Peter M. Vishton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Mr. Visthon repeats the same information over and over and over and over again.
Then he repeats is a couple of times, in case someone wasn't capable of following.
An example (not word by word, just to give an expression)
"Now, in order to relax, look for a place that is calm enough to allow you to sit down for a few minutes. Then sit down for a few minutes. Take a seat in order to relax in a calm place. Take care that you can relax in that place that you take a seat in, then sit down and relax. Breath out. Relax. haaaahhh... now, breath in again. Relax. You are in a calm place and want to relax, in order to do so, breath calmly. In ... hmmm .... and out .... relax. Feel how your body relaxes and you're getting all calm.
If you want to practice relaxation, look for a calm place where you can sit down. Then take a few minutes ..."
You get the picture. Every single chapter I have listened to (around half an hour each) could be shortened to max. 1 minute - that is in no way exaggeration, you do not need more than 60 seconds to give ALL the information contained in the respective chapter.
In the chapters I listened to, FRMI was explained IN DETAIL at least four times. Starting from zero every single time.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
The tips to experiment with drugs, drink alcohol or wait for beta blockers to become daily praxis in treating fear (!!) plus the obvious lack of ANY serious, more recent research results (e.g. about sleep) actually made me angry. That does not happen that often when listening to (obviously) comedy.
302 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 19-03-2017
handful of tips...but
The book goes too much in detail on the experiments informing the tips. without this roundabout, the book could be a few chapters. the book could summarise the key points or tips at the end of the chapter
26 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- PCW
- 18-01-2019
Nothing of value
Only listened to the first few lectures. The goal of these lectures is to promote positive changes to behaviors and thinking patterns in common, everyday situations. The main issue with these lectures is that it greatly implies that most behaviors are influenced by one main factor; this is NEVER the case. He also fails to present potential downsides to his recommendations. An early example is when he recommended ways of increasing motivation. He recommends to immediately tackle the most difficult task first before moving on to easier ones. His reasoning is that if you accomplish smaller tasks first you won't have enough energy left when it comes time to complete the more difficult task. There is some truth to this, but it is also true that immediately trying to do something very difficult without gradual steps towards it can GREATLY increase that chance that you will give up altogether. The other issue is that the supportive research studies he described were dubious at best. No mention of how many participants were in the study, when it was conducted, or how many trials were involved. Instead, he spends most of his time repeating the same poorly-supported conclusions over and over again.
13 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Indraneel Dabhade
- 12-11-2016
Brilliant Lectures
If you could sum up Outsmart Yourself: Brain-Based Strategies to a Better You in three words, what would they be?
Outstanding, Enlightening, Applicable
Who was your favorite character and why?
N/A
What does Professor Peter M. Vishton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
N/A
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Overcome obstacles by understanding your brain.
Any additional comments?
Provides deep insights into latest developments in neurosciences. Deals with overcoming everyday problems like fears, phobias, insomnia etc. Couldn't have been more thorough in explaining the functioning and control of key parts of your brain including hippocampus and amygdala. A course for everyone but won't go to the extent of saying a course for all age groups. The part I enjoyed the most was about exercising using your brain without moving a muscle. Tricking yourself into thinking you are exercising. Haha. Looking forward for more courses by Dr. Vishton.
49 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 19-12-2016
Great scientific self help information!
This course is awesome, no fluff just real strategies that can improve your life! love the section about imagery and how to use it , and the science to back up how effective it truly is. Also information about scientific information on how to influence others was fantastic!. Wow, is how I describe this course!
21 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- George
- 22-07-2017
Practical, insightful book!
This book was full of practical tips to improve happiness and health. My husband, who is a scientist, loved hearing all the science behind each idea. I just wanted the advice! It was a win - win for both of us. I've recommended the book to several friends already.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Natasha
- 27-12-2016
Good content
An easy to digest course, with lots of practicle advice and scientificaly backed and explored techniques and 'mind hacks'. I was also very pleased with the professor
11 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Victor M. Garcia Angeles
- 09-11-2017
Really?
The back of A cereal box has more scientific and serious info.
Asumptions and scientific shams
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bianca
- 13-02-2017
Outstanding!
It's obvious that a great deal of work has been committed to creating this book. Definitely one of the most informative and interesting books I've listened to. It's a great listen!
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pure Integrity
- 15-07-2017
Incredibly Practicle Overview of Neuroscience
I have a background in psychology and have studied neuroscience. This author gives an incredibly insightful and practical overview of some of the latest research on neuroscience as it relates to behavior.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bad_Ape
- 12-03-2017
Absolutely Brilliant
The whole book from beginning to end was fascinating. The narrator/author is easy to listen to and explains things in a way us non-scientists understand. My favourite "self help" book so far.
6 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 27-01-2017
A light scientific/pseudoscientific read/listen
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
The topics are well chosen and narration is pleasant and somewhat compelling. However, on several occasions the interpretations of research findings have been taken too far. For example, the author suggests that since inflammation has been observed in association with depression, treating inflammation with an anti-inflammatory drug may treat depression. This is a too common trap of taking association for causality. The experiment that recommends with aspirin is simply flawed and potentially dangerous. The fact that aspirin is an OTC drug does not mean that it is safe to use under any circumstance, as implied by the author. Elsewhere, he mentions that he does not recommend experimenting with propranolol (for the treatment of stress) because it's a prescription drug. He's presentation and interpretation of the famous 10000 hours work to achieve mastery is also incomplete and misleading - a host of other authors have turned this study on chess players into one of the most misinterpreted pieces of research! To keep the long story short, when it comes to presenting any piece of date, it is crucial to present the variability around the point estimate. In this case, the time to achieve mastery in chess ranges between 3000 to 16000 hours; quite wide!! When you are presented with 10000 hours without knowing the variability around this figure, a lot of individual differences get lost!
Do you think Outsmart Yourself: Brain-Based Strategies to a Better You needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
Yes it does. I quite like the choice of topics that are very relevant to day to day life. I'd like to see a more robust presentation and interpretation of the information though. The fact that the book has been written with the lay person in mind must not detract from the scientific rigor in interpretation and presentation. The information could otherwise be misleading or incomplete.
30 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Grey
- 15-02-2018
Excellent!
I have been listening and reading self help and neuroscience books for a few years now. This collection of lectures has been one of the most informative and helpful collections yet. Superb teachings that I have implemented into my life that have made a noticeable difference in my everyday life to myself and those around me. I can not preach enough as to how lucky I feel to have found this. Hat off to Prof Peter M. Vishton.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Barrijean Walsh
- 06-07-2018
very informative
really enjoyed it but would like to go back over certain chapters that apply to me, with a notebook and pen. there are a lot of chapters with lots of good advice
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steve Parke
- 15-12-2016
Outstanding
There are many words that could be used for this book but I thing the one above sums it up best. Just wonderful to read and many tips to out smart your brain and how to make it work for you and why we do what you do. If you only get one great courses book this would be the one. Will be putting this one back on again
16 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Igor
- 11-11-2017
Very insightful and intriguing
Very useful techniques to help you improve yourself. The analogies are brilliant and I found it hard to stop listening. The chapters link nicely together and the speaker is very engaging.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S. Jenö
- 27-01-2017
Must Listen
I've listened multiple books around this topic, but probably this is the most practical one. It's worth your time.
11 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tracey Corney
- 30-09-2019
brilliant and great tools
loved it. really practical and great tips and tools. well worth listening to for those trying to get the most out of their heads!
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sue Blue
- 30-12-2016
Fantastic
Perfect. Just the right amount of information, evidence and science for me to use in my therapy room. Highly recommend it.
6 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- The Messenger
- 08-01-2017
Goid course but too focused on self help
A very interesting course packed with lots of useful and interesting information. This is for me too much of a self-help book than a series of university lectures. It's ok but probably not what I expected from The Great Courses. I'd enjoy it more if it wasn't so direct in dispensing advice. Worth purchasing though and I really enjoyed most of it. It's just the format that I found a little off.
7 people found this helpful
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