Georg H. Eifert

Georg H. Eifert, Ph.D., is a clinical scientist, author, and speaker. He is an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of anxiety disorders. He is also a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Chapman University in California where he previously was department chair and associate dean. Based on his studies on how we tend get caught up in futile struggles with anxiety and other intense emotions, he helped to develop and grow Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)--an integrative approach balancing mindful acceptance, self-compassion, and change to help us let go of our internal struggles and reorient our lives toward what truly matters most to us. He has won numerous awards for his research, teaching, and writing contributions. Georg's talks and workshops around the world have consistently been described as inspiring and humorous, and are renowned for their sincerity and clarity.

Georg is a senior editor of the ACT book series with New Harbinger Publications in California. The best-selling Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety first appeared in 2008 and has been fully updated in 2016. It has been described as a kinder and gentler approach to anxiety that is extremely helpful for anyone encountering anxiety and a harsh mind as a barrier to leading a more fulfilling life. Georg is also coauthor of the highly praised practitioner's treatment guide Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders. He has also written several other ACT books for the public: Anxiety Happens, ACT on Life-Not on Anger, Your Life on Purpose, and The Anorexia Workbook: How to accept yourself, heal suffering, and reclaim your life.

Georg loves the Beatles and playing one of his guitars. After all, it was his ambition to understand the Beatles' lyrics that motivated him to learn English while still at middle school in his native Germany. Those language skills certainly also came in handy later when he was a professor in Australia at James Cook University, West Virginia University in Morgantown, and the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. The Beatles were also responsible for introducing him to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Transcendental Meditation, which he still practices today to experience inner peace and the "Great Silence Within".