Healing Fear: New Approaches to Overcoming Anxiety [Paperback]

Edmund, Ph.D. Bourne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998

In 1990, Edmund Bourne published "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook," a self-help guide that won the Benjamin Franklin Book Award for Excellence in Psychology and became the standard work in the field. What readers of that book didn't know was that Bourne had serious problems with anxiety himself -- an obsessive-compulsive disorder that became completely debilitating a few years earlier.

Product Details

• Paperback: 398 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Pubns Inc; 1st edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572241160
• ISBN-13: 978-1572241169
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,050,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Table of Contents, September 19, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Healing Fear: New Approaches to Overcoming Anxiety (Hardcover)

Chapter 1 -- The Author's Own Story
Chapter 2 -- Restoring Lost Connections (family, community, nature, self, God)
Chapter 3 -- Simplifying Your Life (reducing stress, doing what you want for a living, reducing exposure to television, increasing exposure to nature, delegating, learning to say "No")
Chapter 4 -- Caring for Your Body (relaxation, abdominal breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, pacing and downtime, exercise programs, overcoming excuses for not exercising, energy balance)

Chapter 5 -- Caring for Your Body (improving your nutrition, minimizing caffeine, reducing sugar, identifying allergic foods, reducing saturated fats, eating whole and unprocessed foods, organic foods, vegetables, fiber, daily fluid intake, protein-to-carbohydrate ratio, vitamins, amino acids, tryptophan, GABA, DLPA, herbs, glandulars, hormones, detoxification, fasting)
Chapter 6 -- Tools that Work: Help for Overcoming Panic and Phobias (The truth about panic attacks: [1] Panic attacks are unpleasant but not dangerous [2] A panic attack cannot cause heart failure or cardiac arrest [3] A panic attack will not cause you to stop breathing or suffocate [4] A panic attack cannot cause you to faint [5] A panic attack cannot cause you to lose your balance [6] You won't fall when you feel "weak in the knees" during a panic attack [7] You cannot "go crazy" during a panic attack [8] A panic attack cannot cause you to "lose control of yourself" [9] Don't fight panic. Coping strategies for managing panic: [1] Use the anxiety scale [2] Abdominal breathing [3] Coping statements [4] Other diversion techniques [5] Revising catastrophic thoughts that contribute to panic. Examples of how to change self-talk: [1] Fear of driving on a freeway [2] Fear of flying [3] Fear of contracting a serious illness. How to face what you fear: [1] Taking manageable steps [2] Relying upon a support person [3] Coping strategies [4] Avoid flooding [5] Practicing exposure to phobia 3 to 5 times each week [6] Maintaining the right attitude)
Chapter 7 -- Medication (Serotonin, tryptophan, St. John's wart, exercise, exposure to light. Types: SSRIs, benzodiazepines, cyclic antidepressants, MAO inhibitor antidepressants, beta-blockers, buspar. Should I take medication? For how long? When should I discontinue it?)
Chapter 8 -- Addressing Personality Issues (Fear of abandonment or isolation, fear of rejection or embarrassment, fear of losing control, fear of death or injury, fear of confinement)

Chapter 9 -- Developing Your Observing Self (Meditation)
Chapter 10 -- Finding Your Unique Purpose
Chapter 11 -- Enlarging Your View of Life (How spirituality can help overcome anxiety, your concept of God, deepening your relationship with God, viewing adversity and difficulties from a spiritual perspective)
Chapter 12 -- Letting Go (relaxation, humor, patience, creativity, doing for others, overcoming perfectionism, relying upon others, tolerating uncertainty, faith)
Chapter 13 -- Affirming Your Recovery
Chapter 14 -- Learning to Love (forgiveness, compassion, generosity, kindness)
Chapter 15 -- Conclusion: Acquiring Courage (Ten ways to heal fear daily)

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A complete and lasting recovery from Anxiety in one book, May 7, 2001

By 

nathan lane (selma, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Healing Fear: New Approaches to Overcoming Anxiety (Hardcover)

Although the title of my review may sound a little cliche and gaudy it is actually not far from the truth. Having read the excellent Anxiety and Phobia Workbooks and gaining immense insight from them, I was eager to read one more book from Edmund Bourne. This book is an excellent read/resource for a number of reasons. Bourne, himself has suffered from anxiety for over 30 years and in the first part of the book he shares his struggles with the reader which gives us a sense of connection with him. Healing Fear does have some similarities to his previous books but it has evolved and expanded. Bourne now believes that there are far more circumstances when medication may be appropriate and even necessary. Also, there is a section on herbs which are relatively new to western civilization in the treatmentment of anxiety. Something else that is different about this book is the second section which has some definite ties to spirituality. Developing Your Observing Self is one of the most powerful and meaningful chapters that I have ever read in any book. Additionally, the numerous forms of relaxation are discussed as well as finding meaning in life. There are undoubtable ties between these subjects and lasting recovery from anxiety. True recovery ofter requires a shift in the way we look at things and the pace at which we live our lives. Incorporating a certain amount of relaxation and thought calming in our everyday lives is in many cases very necessary to our complete and full recovery from anxiety. In the last chapter there is a list of things to do everyday to avoid an accumulation of stress and there is a complete appendix to the book filled with suggested readings that are inspiring. Healing Fear does just what the title says it does and you will not be disappointed with your purchase.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Empathy at its best, August 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Healing Fear: New Approaches to Overcoming Anxiety (Paperback)

Bourne attains one of the biggest challenges for a therapist - to be able to put himself in his client's (anxiety sufferer's) shoes. This wholelistic book traces causes for anxiety from your way of living, diet, how you experience or think about yourself, etc. The climax of the book takes you on a road of finding meaning, purpose and a deep relationship with your higher power. Very comprehensive and "wise." God send!