Brian Sachetta's Reviews > Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior

The title of this book really grabbed me. I just love that phrase. “Get out of your own way.” For me, it means turning off my mind or emotions and just “doing it” when anxiety and fear hold me back. I mutter it to myself in stressful situations sometimes and find it to be pretty helpful.

In terms of said helpfulness, however, I think that last sentence is about as far as this book got me. Don’t get me wrong, there are some good, surface-level ideas here, but they’re just that — quick lessons. I think the structure of the book could be to blame for this. It’s 175 pages but contains 40+ chapters. Each chapter tackles a different idea. It’s hard to flesh out one idea in 4ish pages, never mind 40 of them, all in a row.

I have no doubt that Goulston is an amazing psychiatrist. I’d work with him any day of the week. He’s thoughtful, sincere, and attentive. That comes across in all of his stories here. I just don’t think his astuteness translated onto the page as well as it could have. I wish the book were longer, the chapters longer, and the ideas expanded upon further.

That’s not to say you’ll get nothing out of the book, just that it might leave you wishing there were more to it. Again, the author is clearly a talented therapist, I just don’t think he gave himself enough room to fully show it.

-Brian Sachetta
Author of “Get Out of Your Head”