Customer Reviews

The Anxiety Cure

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is a wealth of excellent information about anxiety and panic disorders. The first few chapters cover the workings of the brain and how these chemicals work together or against each other creating anxiety or peace. Later, the chapters talk about how to balance those chemicals, effectively overcoming anxiety and panic. His thorough coverage of medication is also very informative. I recommend it highly!

I suffer from depression and anxiety. Like most Christians, I kept this problem to myself and acted as if everything was OK. That was until I crashed and became so full of anxiety and fear that I could no longer function in normal daily life. I could not sleep, could barely eat and could no longer take care of my kids or go to work. Thank God that my pastor counselled me and told me that it was OK to take medication. We went through some intense counseling to get at the root of my fear. It turns out that I have a lot of abandonment issues from childhood that I had never dealt with. However, I could not have gone through that painful self-analysis and healing of past hurts if I had not been on medication. Plus, I needed to get back to work and get my kids back. Even on medication, I am still dealing with daily anxiety. When I picked up Dr. Hart's book, I could hardly put it down. He is right when he says that Christians suffer needlessly from anxiety disorders because "worry" is viewed as a sin. However, he goes through scripture and shows how the bible is talking about normal worry and "what if's". When the bible was written, people didn't suffer from anxiety disorders. Life was about the pace of a camel and today people are living at the speed of a jet plane. Anxiety disorders are a recent phenomenom that has resulted from the great stress that has been placed on our lives. We need to get rid of a lot of this stress and this book tells you how. Dr. Hart believes that counseling and medication work together. A person can't make difficult life changes if they're always on the verge of a panic attack and can barely function. Medication is a temporary solution to get your "happy hormones" back in balance while you make changes in your life. I no longer feel guilty for taking Xanax. He even has a whole chapter on how to get off Xanax without going through major anxiety. God Bless Dr. Hart! I finally have hope that I can be healed of this anxiety.

Dr. Hart's assessment of panic anxiety disorders hits the nail on the head!! The book gave me the necessary information to get on the right track. The book is very well thought out and Dr. Hart expresses his Christian perspective on these disorders. The book is a must for anyone suffering from panic anxiety!

I read Adrenaline and Stress first and I liked that book too. This book is different although it does reference Adrenaline and Stress several times. I would suggest reading both books for a more complete view of the issues of Anxiety, Stress, etc.

As for this book, I have taken away several suggestions (many are common sense) and am putting them into practice. What makes this book so good is Arch Hart's descriptions of why certain suggestions will work and how they affect the brain, body.

Thank you Arch for another great book.

If you or someone you love is suffering from panic attacks or severe anxiety that makes them anxious enough to get ill, GET THIS BOOK!! It is excellent!! Very informative from a medical standpoint. It is also very easy reading and will relieve the severity of symptoms as you read it. It offers so much help and hope. I can't say enough good things about it!

Hart presents a thorough and comprehensive book addressing the causes and effects of anxiety and panic disorders, stating that "anxiety is now the number one emotional problem of our day" (p. v). Hart approaches the subject from a physiological perspective, as well as from emotional and spiritual. He offers clear explanations for the causes of anxiety, as well as an array of treatment options.
Due to the fact that Hart believes that anxiety is partly caused my chemical imbalance in the brain, he supports the use of medication; He promotes the use of tranquilizers as well as anti-depressants. Although Hart spends a considerable amount of time describing the necessity of anti-anxiety medication and the various types, he also informs the reader about how and when to stop tranquilizers. Due to the highly addictiveness of tranquilizers, he stresses the importance of gradually stopping in order to prevent major withdrawal systems.
Hart places a major emphasis on ways to promote the brains production of natural tranquilizers. Many behaviors, mostly connected to the flight or fight response, will either reduce or enhance the natural tranquilizers in ones brain. He writes about how such things as stress, conflict, and insufficient sleep all have a negative effect on natural tranquilizers. Therefore, in order to enhance natural tranquilizers, Hart points out the importance of rest and relaxation, stating that "If anything, we need rest more today than ever before in history" (p. 123). He recommends doing deep relaxation techniques as well as maintaining the principles of Sabbath rest (p. 124), in order to rejuvenate the body and mind.
In addition to medication, Hart recommends Cognitive-behavioral therapy to help clients with the emotional aspect of panic disorder. He believes that people with anxiety "have distortions in their thinking...(which) give rise to a cycle of fear...and triggers the panic attack" (p. 61). Therefore, Hart stresses the importance of changing ones thinking habits, going so far as to say that, if this strategy is not included in the treatment, then healing will not move forward. "Every anxiety sufferer must learn new ways of thinking and develop methods for changing their former thinking patterns" (p. 111); Hart writes that if a sufferer of anxiety does not do this, they will depend on medication the rest of their lives (p. 111).
Overall, Hart offers a wealth of excellent information about anxiety and panic disorders. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for some real answers to their many questions about this so common modern day problem.

I've studied and read a lot about worrying/anxiety, but had never before thought of some of the ideas in this book.....they were very, very helpful to me in my battle against anxiety.

Excellent. I would recommend it for others like me who have had anxiety problems. I especiallly liked the idea of listing worries and then determining whether they were "concerns" or "worries".

This book is amazing... I feel like it was written for me. I highly recommend it, whether you have anxiety or are trying to understand someone who does. I even gave it to several people as gifts. A friend suggested that I read it, and said it is the best book on the subject. I agree!

This is an excellent book written from a Christian perspective in helping people to deal with anxiety, especially panic attacks.