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183 of 210 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I WAS AT A BREAKING POINT! This 25 Cent Book SAVED My Life!, February 21, 2005
This review is from: Hope and Help for Your Nerves (Signet) (Paperback)
I was in my early 20's and experiencing severe anxiety that consumed me. I had a medical education but was never taught about panic attacks or severe anxiety states. As a matter of fact, the medical school that I attended seemed to cover just about everything there was to know about psychiatry (at least at the level that I was currently at) with the exception of the sort of anxiety that can consume you and destroy your life.
I was having these attacks of severe anxiety, odd thoughts would race around my mind, my heart would race at rates as high as 200 beats per minute, I'd sweat profusely, my arms and legs would go numb, at times I would fall to the ground and pass out, and I felt as though I was coming out of my own skin. And the people around me couldn't usually tell that anything was going on. I became an expert at hiding this illness that I had no definition for. I would have done anything to find a cure for this "illness" I had. There were numerous times that I was convinced that I was having a heart attack. I'd run to the clinic at the school I was going to and be seen by a resident who would assure me that my heart was fine. Perhaps I had a flutter in my heart or something wrong with my thyroid gland or my adrenals. Tests showed I was fine. One after another, test after test, I'd be told that everything checked out just fine.
But I was dying inside. I felt crippled in a horrible way. It became so bad that I feared some public places. Mys favorite pizza place where I'd visit about 3 times per week, at the local mall in Des Moines, was always a place of joy and respit for me. The food was great and it was so enjoyable to be around fellow Italians. All was fine at the pizza parlor until the day I had a panic attack while waiting in line for my order. I fell to the floor and begged my friends to take me out of the mall. I just had to get outside to get some air. I thought I was losing my mind.
After a very long battle and after many visits to therapists, psychiatrists and other healtcare providers, I went to a meeting that was listed in the paper for people with anxiety. I could barely make it to the door, but was assisted by a friend who was trying to help me. The meeting was no very enjoyable, however on the way out of the meeting place I saw a book that was on the table. It was on sale for just 25 cents! I read the back of the book, entitled "Hope and Help for Your Nerves", by Dr. Claire Weekes, and found enough information to grab my attention. I was at the end of my rope. I had no idea that this 25 cent investment would change my life forever.
I've never read a book so fast in my life. I started to read it on the way home from the meeting I attended for people with anxiety. I was happy to get home as home was my "safe place" and the breeding grounds for my agoraphobia. By the end of that night I had read the book 2 times. I connected with absolutely everything in the book. Medicine hadn't worked. Psychotherapy didn't help me. Religion wasn't paying off. Meditation couldn't touch my severe panic states.
Claire Weekes is to be commended for many things. I wish, deep down in my heart, that there was a way for me to contact her to let her know that she saved my sanity and probably my life too. The book was filled with information that made total sense to me. She described what was causing the anxiety states and precisely what was happening in my body. She also repeated that I'd never die from a panic attack. Actually, not a soul has ever died from a panic attack. It sure feels like you're about to die or lose your mind. But have faith as help is around the corner.
I would never suggest a book to help cure an illness unless I knew 100% that the information was true and helpful. I'm telling you that this book saved my life, saved my relationships and kept me from even thinking I was crazy. Less than one week after reading the book, I realized I had not had any panic attacks. I feared that they would sort of pop out of the blue and grab me when I wasn't watching out. But Claire Weekes even described this type of pre-panic anxiety states. Months later I had mastered how to deal with anxious situations and how to breathe through and accept my panic-should it happen again.
It doesn't matter how long you've been suffering from your anxiety disorder or panic state. It's not a situation where the length of time you've spent with the illness will determine the length of your recovery time. This is one of those special freebies in life. Everyone wins by reading Hope and Help for Your Nerves. I still find time to read it and I'm reminded each time that I'm going to be fine and that I will never die from one of these panic attacks and my fear of having an attack in public isn't realistic now that I've read the book.
I suggest this book for anyone who is suffering. Suffer no longer and purchase this book or check out a copy at the library. If money is a real issue, please email me and I will see if I can find a used copy for you. And for those people out there who have loved ones with anxiety problems or panic attacks-this book is perfect for you. There is plenty of information that will explain what your loved one is experiencing. It will also help you take care of yourself and allow you to not feel responsible.
Clearly, this is one of the best books I've ever read. It is the best of true non-fiction and has saved the sanity of more lives than I can imagine. I would never pitch anything I didn't believe in. And this small book has added more to my life than I could ever have dreamed of. I went from being agoraphobic and locked in my home, to hosting telethons in front of thousands of people. It really works and I wish you all the luck in the world. No matter what your situation, you will find peace in reading this book.
Please feel free to email me or start a discussion through Amazon.com. I know what you are going through. I, too, was where you are today. Take a deep breathe and know that this will pass, what is happening is natural and can be controlled and healed forever.
My warm wishes to all. And if anyone knows of a way for me to meet Dr. Claire Weekes, the author who saved my life, please let me know.
I sure hope this review helped in some way.
Peter V. Cannice
Scottsdale, Arizona
Email: Horsepete@aol.com
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33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There is hope!, January 11, 2010
This review is from: Hope and Help for Your Nerves (Signet) (Paperback)
Having had anxiety for too many years, I came across this book and didn't immediately buy it. I, for some reason, did not think it was written for panic attack sufferers, maybe because of the title. However, it is. She calls it nervous suffering and explains in such a simple, effective way, how to overcome it. I was, literally, dumbfounded, and found almost immediate relief. My suggestion is this: If you suffer from panic attacks, get this book!!! It will help you in immeasuarble ways!!! Another one that really helped me and I'd suggest, as well, is What if.? My Story of Panic Attacks.
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exceptional & Timeless, April 30, 2008
This review is from: Hope and Help for Your Nerves (Signet) (Paperback)
Dr. Claire Weekes had an understanding not only of medicine and the human body, but people as well. In particular, she understood those who suffered with nervous symptoms and illness. She promised no magic secret or elusive cure known only to her, but set out in a sensible, realistic way to explain just how nervous symptoms 'trick' the body.
So many people are pushed to the brink because they don't understand what the body can do under prolonged stress, or as Dr. Weekes calls it, 'sensitization.' The heart skips a beat, you can't catch your breath, the pulse races, the stomach churns, you feel constantly off-balance, your hands tremble and on and on. Until you think you are some sort of mental case. Not so.
Because of the different personalities of individuals, (we all see and feel things differently), our thoughts and emotions can greatly enhance our lives and conversely they can make us miserable. It is interesting to note that most people who suffer from nervous disorders are quite feeling, kind, sensitive people. Those who suffer the tortures of an overloaded mind and nervous system often suffer quietly and believe that no one ever has suffered as they have.
Not true. You can get through it and this easy to use and practical book shows you how in great detail. The answer is simple though often not easy. It takes committment and practice on a daily basis to 'retrain' the brain and muscles that the terrifying feelings are just that, feelings. Depression, anxiety, phobias, and fears of all sorts are the product of a heightened sensitivity that can be overcome with understanding, patience with yourself, and a willingness to change.
When I first read this book, I was convinced that the symptoms I was experiencing were mine and mine alone. No one would or could ever understand, and to a large degree that is true. We are all different. It can be a living nightmare to go through prolonged symptoms and at the same time try and get those close to you to understand them. But the honest truth is that the way out of suffering is through it.
Of course, medication can help greatly. Some people may need it a short while, and others for a long time. It doesn't matter. You wouldn't tell a diabetic to just 'straighten up' and throw their insulin away unless of course, they no longer needed it. If it sounds as if I am a fan of medication prescribed under the right conditions by a competent doctor, I am. No one should feel guilty for trying to tackle nervous symptoms in whatever way they feel comfortable.
But you may also find that with the tools you will learn about in this book, the need of medication dramatically decreases. The key point is not to let the opinions of those without experience in what you are going through to dictate how you 'should' be. Be kind to yourself. You are a human being and deserve the right to live a life free of the agony of nervous symptoms. This book will show you how in a remarkable way. Yes, it really works.
Dr. Weekes was far ahead of her time in so many ways. But she also stands on a solid and timeless foundation of understanding and common sense that sets her apart from others in the field who claim that cures can be effected in strange and bizarre ways. Get this book, do what it says, and practice, practice, practice. Then endorse yourself for the effort win, lose, or draw. There is a way out and with Dr. Weekes' methods, you will learn how.
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