David D. Burns
American
David D. Burns is an American psychiatrist and adjunct professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is the author of bestselling books such as Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, The Feeling Good Handbook and Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed Feeling Good.
1
Books ReviewedAsk LuvemBooks about David D. Burns
David D. Burns is an American psychiatrist whose work translates clinical cognitive behavioral therapy into accessible, self-directed practice for general readers. LuvemBooks has reviewed one of his books: Feeling Good, which teaches readers to identify and challenge distorted thinking patterns as a hands-on method for overcoming depression and anxiety — rather than simply explaining the condition. With an Amazon reader rating of 4.5/5 from nearly 9,000 ratings, it has earned a lasting reputation as one of the more practically useful books in the mental health space.
- Where should I start?
- Feeling Good: Overcome Depression and Anxiety with Proven Techniques is the natural starting point — and, on LuvemBooks, currently the only reviewed title. It introduces Burns's core framework for identifying cognitive distortions and replacing them with more balanced thinking, and it's structured so that readers can work through exercises at their own pace without prior knowledge of psychiatry or therapy. Its 4.5/5 Amazon reader rating across nearly 9,000 ratings reflects how consistently it delivers on that promise.
- What's their writing style?
- Burns writes in a direct, clinical-but-accessible voice that prioritizes practical utility over literary style. He uses concrete case studies drawn from his psychiatric practice to illustrate how specific cognitive distortions — such as all-or-nothing thinking or catastrophizing — play out in real situations, then walks readers through structured exercises to counter them. The tone is encouraging without being sentimental, and he is notably candid about the limits of positive thinking as a strategy, which gives his work a credibility that sets it apart from much of the self-help genre.
- Books we've reviewed
- LuvemBooks has reviewed one book by David D. Burns: Feeling Good: Overcome Depression and Anxiety with Proven Techniques, a hands-on guide to applying cognitive behavioral therapy techniques for managing depression and anxiety, rated 4.5/5 by Amazon readers across nearly 9,000 ratings.
- Why is Feeling Good trending?
- Feeling Good: Overcome Depression and Anxiety with Proven Techniques is currently experiencing a resurgence in readership, a pattern that has repeated for this title several times since its original publication. Books grounded in CBT techniques tend to see renewed interest during periods of heightened public conversation around mental health, and Feeling Good consistently benefits from therapist recommendations and word-of-mouth from readers who find it genuinely useful rather than merely motivational. Its longevity is a testament to the durability of its underlying method.
- What genre do they write?
- Burns writes in the Health & Wellness genre, with a specific focus on mental health and applied psychology. His work is more accurately described as evidence-based self-help than general wellness writing — he draws directly on clinical cognitive behavioral therapy and presents its methods in a structured, workbook-style format intended for readers to use actively rather than passively. If you're drawn to books that treat mental health practically and rigorously, his work fits squarely in that space.
- What should I read after Feeling Good?
- After Feeling Good, the most natural next step within Burns's own catalog is The Feeling Good Handbook, which expands the framework to cover anxiety and relationship issues more explicitly and includes additional exercises. If you want to explore CBT more broadly, Aaron Beck's foundational texts or Robert Leahy's The Worry Cure build directly on the same theoretical tradition. For a complementary but distinct approach, Russ Harris's The Happiness Trap applies Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to similar problems.
Who is David D. Burns?
Where should I start?
What's their writing style?
Books we've reviewed
Why is Feeling Good trending?
What genre do they write?
What should I read after Feeling Good?
Who is David D. Burns?
David D. Burns is an American psychiatrist and adjunct professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is best known for popularizing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for general audiences, most notably through Feeling Good, which has sold millions of copies and is frequently recommended by therapists as bibliotherapy. His work sits at the intersection of clinical psychiatry and practical self-help, grounded in evidence-based techniques rather than motivational platitudes.
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