Customer Reviews

Anxiety, Phobias, & Panic: A Step-by-Step Program for Regaining Control of Your Life

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book avoids all the hype and moralizing and psychobabble, the useless anecdotes so often found in the "Quick Tips To Anxiety Relief" genre. It's a solid, step-by-step program of cognitive techniques which, when practiced and mastered SLOWLY over time, can change your life. I know from personal experience. After three years of therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, I decided I was getting worse, not better. I had the good fortune to find this book at the library, and was excited to see that it took the responsibility for "changing me" out of the hands of a therapist and put the responsibility squarely where it belonged: on me. Starting in 1992 I spent over a year mastering the skills, and still use the book once a month for reference and a bit of a "refresher course." What can I say? My symptoms have vanished! No more undiagnosable stomache and joint aches, no more pills, no more panic attacks. Even my ALLERGIES have disappeared! It's amazing how much of our poor health is stress-related, and even more amazing how a book like this can help one to unlearn a lifetime of bad thought habits (like perfectionism.) If you're motivated to change your life, the program works. That's the best review I can give it!

This is a bargain! I have used this book with many clients who suffer with PTSD, OCD, specific Phobias, and other severe anxiety disorders. For those suffering trauma symptoms but lack the memories of the events that likely generated these symptoms this book offers an approach that does not directly address the issue of trauma (as you know, PTSD is an anxiety disorder. Some have suggested it should be called "Chronic Fear Disorder.") Rather it teaches you how your body works when it gets overloaded by fear and anxiety. Several psychophysisiological theories are explained and diagrammed. The criteria for various kinds of anxiety disorders articulated and explained (so you can see which one or ones you suffer from). A pre-test is included that you can take and score yourself -- and retake as you progress through the program to chart specific changes you make along the way. The author walks you through the irrational thinking patterns that accompany anxiety symptoms that seem to "come out of nowhere" and tells you specific ways to counter these irrational thoughts. Further, it gives you practical information about the roots of the "high anxiety personality" and some of the possible causes being so endowed. The book teaches numerous exceptionally effective techniques for regaining a sense of control and self-efficacy. These include establishing a daily routine of decompressing, cognitive monitoring, desensitization, visualization, tips on overcoming perfectionism and the excessive need for approval and control. I have my patients "memorize" the chapter (I think it is Chapter 5) on the 10 most common cognitive distortions that accompany anxiety and depression. When they do this (it is easier to memorize than you think) they are able to immediately recognize when they are falling into a thought pattern that amplifies anxiety. A motivated person learns quickly how to self-correct and replace anxiety producing thoughts with calming ones that put life into perspective. It helps to know that your "crazy" thoughts are actually quite common and shared by others who suffer with various forms of anxiety.

I began experiencing discomfort and then panic attacks after some stressful periods in my life several years ago. The panic attacks got so bad that I had trouble going to and being at work, going out for entertainment, and at various other times including when I was at home.

For a while I couldn't figure out what was happening to me. After finally figuring out that I was having panic attacks I bought this book. Following the chapters in the book, it took about four weeks to have complete control over my anxiety. The methods for eliminating the episodes were fantastic and have really saved me in many areas of my life.

I would highly recommend this book. It addresses anxiety as well as OCD and various phobias. It's been several years since I got this book and went through it and I have not had a single panic attack since. While I still do experience everyday stress, and sometimes a lot of it - this book has made me better at recognizing and handling very stressful situations far better than I ever could prior to reading it. I wish I had read this book prior to ever having the panic attacks. It will help you change your perspective and turn stressful events into exciting and enjoyable ones.

I can't say enough good about this book - If you have panic attacks or experience anxiety or even just want to improve your ability to handle pressure, you should _definitely_ buy and read this book!!!

After 42 fairly anxiety-free years, I had a monster panic attack (my first!) last March. This book has been a tremendous help. Recommended by my therapist (I had never seen a mental health professional before, either), the book is clear, complete, simple, and helpful. When dealing with something like generalized anxiety and panic, a strong prescriptive approach seems like just the thing. I devoured the book faster than the author recommends, but I'm now going through it again. Like a good novel or film there is a lot more here than you will discover or be able to use on the first pass.

I especially recommend the breathing and relaxation exercises for quick anxiety first aid.

I stumbled across this book in the library at a point where I was beginning to think I was really losing my mind. This book was a big help to me because I don't feel so alone now and I have started to understand my condition better. This book is like a great novel, which one of the other reviews states. It certainly captivates me! And the author is right; you really should take your time reading it, because there is so much to learn here, and you don't want to miss anything. You'll refer to it again and again. The language is easy to understand and the tone is never condescending. I love it.

I don't like self-help books, I regard them (probably because of a very technical background) as snake oil sales tools. But I do have to say that Mr. Peurifoy's book lays a very real and clear image about anxiety, phobias and a method to deal with them.
The difference, and the only reason I took the time to read the book is that Mr. Peurifoy, besides counseling, is a teacher by training, so he lays out his book like an anxiety course (he uses footnotes, end of chapter exercises, additional recommended reading material, references to associations, etc)
The result is that I became interested in the subject and decided to help myself by understanding my situation, convincing myself about the possible routes to heal and then acting with conviction.
So... did I like the book? Yes, I do recommend it as a clearly written and practical method to deal with anxiety.

A year ago I had a 'panic attack'. I could not seem to get past it. My life seemed to have changed over night. Things got really scary. I've been extremely successful in my career and never before had I felt 'stressed' or even thought about anxiety. I feared that my panic attack was a sign of weakness and my life would crumble.
After reading through several books, I was blessed to have come across this one. Most of the other books I read lost me about half way through when they became corny and unrealistic.
This book is easy to follow and takes you step-by-step through explaining to you what's going on and what you can do about it. I can't tell you how much better I feel already. READ IT!!!

I cannot even begin to describe how this book has helped me. After being diagnosed with Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia I turned to it and here I am almost fully recovered! The lessons are so unbelievably helpful and practical. It's worth reading more than once. This book was my counselor, and I am thankful for having found it! There's no need to live in fear and this wonderful book can help you overcome those fears or at least learn to accept them and continue living a full and happy life.

This book is definitely worth a read. However, you'll find that the amount of information is a little overwhelming. If you plan to pick and choose what you can use, then it's a decent book. I've sufferred from panic/sociophobia for years and the information in this book is nothing new. Parts of it, if practiced, can be helpful, but none of it is a cure, a breakthrough, or even a novel approach to the problem. It is, however, comprehensive.

It's a very valuable tool for me to deal with my anxieties and panic disorder. It's very informative and easy to read as if the author is talking to you personally. It teaches us how to deal with stress,change our negative thinking pattern, techniques to reduce anxiety symptoms and a lot more.This book was recommended to me by Mary a reader and I want to thank her for it.