Customer Reviews

The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, Fourth Edition

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A lot of self-help books are hit or miss because they give you one or two strategies for solving a problem. Not so with this book- that's because its a workbook. This means the book takes a problem, and gives you MANY different strategies and ways of solving it. I'm a big fan of workbooks, simply because there's something for everyone. If you don't like strategy "A", well, then just move on and try strategy "B" or "C". Here's a few more specifics about the book...

-you take a self diagnosis questionnaire to help you identify which anxiety disorder you may be dealing with

-you will learn about the causes of anxiety disorders, including triggers and maintaining causes

-the book proposes a multi-level comperehensive approach that addresses different levels of contributing causes (physical, emotional, behavioral, mental, interpersonal, whole-self, and spiritual

-you can use the weekly practice records to monitor your own program

-the bulk of the book is esentially a bunch of strategies that you can choose from, such as breathing exercises, desensitization, physical exercise (also recommend Exercise Beats Depression for more on that), self-talk, and visualization

As you can see, the book takes a very comprehensive approach to getting the reader better and most are bound to find at least find one or two techniques that will really hit the nail on the head. Five stars easy.

I bought this back in August, based on my family doctor's recommendation and many good reviews. The change-your-thoughts therapies described have come a long way since I was first exposed to them in the mid-1980s. The worksheets make writing (journaling) easier and more effective. I also appreciate the breadth of help offered; Dr. Bourne gives you a lot of different things to try, and see what helps.

For all that, I still keep returning to Claire Weekes ("Hope and Help for Your Nerves," ISBN 0451167228). What that dear woman managed to figure out back in the 1960s still amazes me. And her words convey a strong, sweet, compassion that Dr. Bourne's "Workbook" lacks. The two books complement and strengthen one another.

Be kind to yourself, and don't be too proud or too ashamed to give medication a try, too.

The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook addresses the whole range of anxiety disorders and symptoms and how to deal with them. Chapters focus on relaxation techniques, coping strategies, interfering thoughts, identifying feelings, assertiveness, and self-esteem. Types of medication and what to consider are also explained. Even areas that you wouldn't think would be related to anxiety, like nutrition, are explored.

I first bought this book when I was in graduate school and found it to be an incredibly helpful resource to use with clients. I have done exercises from the book with clients or even encouraged them to buy a copy for themselves. The text is written in a reader-friendly way; someone with anxiety who might not want to go see a counselor could use this book and gain some relief from their symptoms (of course, the actual exercises would have to be completed, not just read). The cognitive-behavioral approach that this book takes is the intervention of choice for most therapists for working with people with anxiety issues.

I think all of us that suffer from anxiety disorders are so happy to find someone who has an inkling of what we are going through that we are willing to give that person five stars, just for their understanding.

First the good: I won't go into detail, because other reviewers have done an excellent job of pointing out how comprehensively the author has listed and described the various modalities that can be used to reduce anxiety-he truly presents a holistic approach.

Next, the not-so-good: the author is a therapist at heart and by degree, and it shows in his writing. Some anxiety disorders, panic disorder for example, really respond much better to medication that therapy, despite the current craze over CBT. He also dislikes the Xanax (Klonopin, Ativan) family of drugs because they are "addictive" (he means "causes dependence"), that is, if you stop taking them the drug abruptly, you may well suffer a withdrawal, so you are advised to taper the withdrawal from the medication, which is a good idea with many meds. What he fails to mention is that the Xanax family (benzodiazepines) is far-and-away the most prescribed and effective psychoactive set of medications for anxiety disorders. You might want to check the Web site [...] or others for confirmation of that statement. Remarkably, he suggests taking medications like gabapentin instead, which are vastly more toxic than the Xanax family (but then, that's not hard, Xanax, et. al. are very, very non-toxic). There are other examples, but the medication section is a bit weak-and as to the objection that medication just masks "the cause"-the cause may be that you chose the wrong parents and inherited the wrong genes.

Another objection is that the author suggests taking mega doses of vitamins for anxiety. This is a well-studied idea, but it just doesn't work, unfortunately. You might look at what the Mayo Clinic or other reputable sites have to say about vitamin therapy, if in doubt. He also recommends a vegetarian diet and eating organic foods-which I am in agreement with from a general health and ethical point of view, but I've never read that organic eggs will bring you peace of mind.

The author also states that antidepressants are not "addictive"-which dates this volume: Effexor is notorious for causing "head-zaps" and other unpleasant sensations upon withdrawal. "Antidepressant withdrawal syndrome" is fairly recent as a concern, but it isn't included in this book. Other antidepressants that patients often have difficulty withdrawing from (after they have waited 6-8 weeks for the drug to do something for their anxiety) include Paxil (which the author mentions) and Cymbalta.

The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook may be of use to you if you know nothing about anxiety or if your anxiety is fairly mild-but the book is somewhat dated and contains some misinformation which is presented as fact.

This is by far the best book on anxiety I ever read. It is very easy to read and very complete. It helped me a lot and I warmly reccomend it to everyone suffering from anxiety.

This book provides comprehensive information and resources for someone suffering from an anxiety disorder or those workling with people who suffer from these horrible condition. I personally found great help in this book for myself and those I worked with. If you cant find apprpriate help in this book you havent looked hard enough. One thing to remember if you are suffering from any anxiety disorder, there is help and you dont have to continue to suffer for the rest of your life. I suffered from PTSD, generalized anxiety, extreme worry, panic attacks , among many other things. With the proper help Im able to live a peaceful life with little anxiety and worry. Also, recommned Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie. Keep your head up and continue to let yourself know that there is help. Highly recommended Book.

This is an actual "workbook". It doesn't just say that you should do certain things to overcome anxiety. It gives specific details about specific techniques you can use. There are pages that you fill out to assess your specific breed of anxiety, and it recommends certain techniques for each type of anxiety. This book is written in a way that the general public can understand. The beginning has an overview of the types of anxiety/phobias. A lot of information is repeated in different sections, but that just helps reinforce the knowledge. This is great in conjunction with Lucinda Bassett's book, From Panic to Power.

This is an amazing book.I myself found that it actually helped me learn to cope rather than fight anxiety.Very well written.If you have anxiety or phobias get this book!!!I never realized how much i was stressing myself out until the book helped me see what i was doing wrong.

I read this book about 6 years ago and it forever changed my life. I would highly recommend this wonderful book to anyone suffering anxiety or panic. It is a Godsend!

This book was a life saver!!! We had brought our son to several Doctors, tried some medications and were getting no where. What finally helped us and our son was the social worker at my sons' school, and this book. If you follow what this book tells you to do to get through full blown panic attacks and anxiety, it will work. I had bought several books before this one, that were absolutely worthless. This is the only book you need to learn helpful techniques to work through your anxiety. This book changed our sons life. He is a happy, healthy boy again. He feels empowered, because now when he feels a panic attack coming on he has coping strategies that work for him.