Master Your Panic and Take Back Your Life: Twelve Treatment Sessions to Conquer Panic, Anxiety and Agoraphobia (Master Your Panic & Take Back Your Life) [Paperback]

Denise F. Beckfield (Author)

Book Description

Series: Master Your Panic & Take Back Your Life | Publication Date: November 1, 2003

This practical, self-empowering book on overcoming debilitating panic attacks is now in a completely revised, updated and expanded third edition, and includes the latest information and new research findings on agoraphobia, exposure therapy, medication, and other important topics.

MASTER YOUR PANIC parallels an actual treatment program in which you are guided, step-by-step, through twelve self-help treatment sessions. Proven, research-based methods are presented in easy-to-follow instructions, accompanied by numerous case examples. Includes guides for identifying triggers of panic attacks, challenging catastrophic thinking and for preventing relapse. Follow Dr. Beckfield's procedures to gain a thorough understanding of the disorder and you can actually resolve the panic in your life.

--Find out why you developed panic attacks in the first place and why they come back. --Learn the tried-and-true "SRB" method to STOP panic the moment it strikes. --Discover your personal triggers for panic and tackle them, one by one -- the thoughts, the physical habits, even the emotional traps. So panic goes away and stays away. --Find out the latest information on the best medications for panic. --Identify the personal stresses and family backgrounds that can lead to panic. --Learn to stop limiting yourself and get your life back -- for GOOD.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...Dr. Beckfield clearly understands this exquisitely uncomfortable disorder.... -- THE WILSON LIBRARY JOURNAL

...Dr. Beckfield has distilled the essence of effective treatment into the most readable book on the topic I have seen. -- John Greist, M.D., Author, ANXIETY AND ITS TREATMENT; Clinical Director of Psychiatry, University of Washington Medical School

...best book of its kind. -- Albert Ellis, Ph.D., President, Albert Ellis Institute, New York

Dr. Beckfield truly understands the agony and struggle that her clients and readers experience... excellent book. -- From a review in THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER

I recommend the book highly to anyone with panic and anxiety. It's a magnificent book. -- M.L., a reader in Clearwater Beach, FL

Of all the clinical self-help books on panic disorder, MASTER YOUR PANIC is the best. -- Tom Parsons, M.A., L.P.C., Co-founder: The SHYNESS Institute of Colorado

You have helped me tremendously... --A grateful reader, Memphis, TN

From the Back Cover

MASTER YOUR PANIC...AND TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE!

Revised, updated and improved to reflect the latest techniques, the Third Edition of MASTER YOUR PANIC AND TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE makes an old favorite even better!

--Find out why you developed panic attacks in the first place and why they come back. --Discover your personal triggers for panic and tackle them, one by one -- the thoughts, the physical habits, even the emotional traps. So panic goes away and stays away. --Learn to stop limiting yourself and get your life back -- for GOOD.

Includes: --Discussion of the family backgrounds and personal stresses that can lead to panic. --Updates on the best medications for panic, and the best ways to utilize them. --The latest diagnostic criteria for panic attacks, panic disorder and agoraphobia. --Step-by-step instructions for the two major types of "exposure therapy" -- the most powerful method available for eliminating panic attacks, agoraphobia and catastrophic thinking -- and the latest research comparing the two. --"Special helps" on major strategies and handy record-keeping forms, all easily reproducible by readers, therapists and group leaders.

"From her experience successfully treating hundreds of patients, and from her review of the voluminous literature in the area, Dr. Beckfield has distilled the essence of effective treatment into the most readable book on the topic I have seen... The information conveyed so skillfully in [the book] will also help families and friends understand the many bewildering effects of panic and agoraphobia... superb book." --John Greist, M.D. Author, ANXIETY AND ITS TREATMENT Clinical Director of Psychiatry University of Washington Medical School

"Especially noteworthy are chapters 2, 3, and 4, helping clients to trace both the lifetime origins as well as the daily antecedents of their panic episodes... I haven't seen this covered so well anywhere else." --Edmund Bourne, Ph.D. Author, THE ANXIETY & PHOBIA WORKBOOK

"As a therapist, I am delighted to have learned of a book which I can use with my anxiety and panic disorder patients... as a professor, I look forward to the opportunity to utilize your book as a text, or as recommended reading for some of my courses..." --Janice Kinter, Ph.D. Former Director of Clinical Placement, Psychology, California Graduate Institute

DENISE BECKFIELD, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who has specialized in the treatment of panic and anxiety her entire career, and who has written and spoken to both professionals and anxiety sufferers on topics including susceptibility to panic disorder, its emotional underpinnings and its treatment.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Impact Publishers, Inc.; 3 edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886230471
• ISBN-13: 978-1886230477
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Must" reading for anyone suffering from panic or anxiety., May 8, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master Your Panic and Take Back Your Life!: Twelve Treatment Sessions to Conquer Panic, Anxiety and Agoraphobia (Mental Health) (Paperback)

Psychologist Denise F. Beckfield specializes in treating panic and anxiety. She has maintained a clinical practice for more than fifteen years, as well as written and lectured extensively about panic and anxiety. The second edition of Master Your Panic And Take Back Your Life: Twelve Treatment Sessions To Overcome High Anxiety updates research used in the popular first edition. It includes new information on how family backgrounds can contribute to anxiety disorders, an update on medications, and easier-to-use forms.

Dr. Beckfield set up the book "in twelve step-by-step 'sessions' that parallel those of an in-person treatment program." Each session includes exercises that "will help you tailor the lessons to your own unique circumstances." Most chapters also include "Special Help" summaries that provide additional information for specific situations.

The first few chapters discuss exactly what panic and anxiety are, and how they develop in various individuals. Dr. Beckfield then explains why panic and anxiety attacks happen in some circumstances and not in others that may seem similar. She then describes the "triggers" and teaches readers how to stop a developing attack.

One chapter discusses the various medications available, and how each one works. Dr. Beckfield says that the decision as to whether or not to take medication is an individual one, but emphasizes that it's important to work on overcoming anxiety by other means even when taking medications. That's because most medications are effective only in the short term and can't be relied upon for long-term relief.

She includes appendices on relaxation and breathing techniques, what to do when nothing seems to be working, and record-keeping forms that can be duplicated.

Dr. Beckfield says that people who suffer from panic or anxiety have had "your freedom taken away; your freedom to go where you wish, when you wish with whom you wish; your freedom to make choices in life without always having to consider your panic." Master Your Panic And Take Back Your Life will help readers take back their lives and regain that lost freedom. It's a must for anyone whose joy in life has been curtailed by any form of panic or anxiety.

Sandra I. Smith Reviewer

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book saved me and empowered me - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT., October 25, 2001

By 

Shelly A. Raber "ShelBelle" (CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Master Your Panic and Take Back Your Life!: Twelve Treatment Sessions to Conquer Panic, Anxiety and Agoraphobia (Mental Health) (Paperback)

After being diagnosed with Panic Disorder and informing my psychotherapist that I DID NOT want medicine to deal with it, I set out to educate myself as much as I could. There are many books out there on the subject and I looked at so many that were filled with hard-to-understand language and information about the different medications used to treat Panic Disorder. Luckily, I happened upon this book! From the moment I began reading it, I knew I could deal with the anxiety attacks on my own. It offers valuable and simple techniques for both getting rid of the anxiety when it chooses to set in and for overcoming the agoraphobia that often accompanies panic disorder. Before I had this book, I was afraid to leave my house for fear I would die somewhere out in the street or in my car. While reading this book, I was empowered with techniques to live more confidently and not be so afraid of the uncomfortable feelings of anxiety. I am happy to say that I rarely, if ever, get panic attacks anymore and I credit this book 100% with helping me to overcome them.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book Works!, September 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Master Your Panic and Take Back Your Life!: Twelve Treatment Sessions to Conquer Panic, Anxiety and Agoraphobia (Mental Health) (Paperback)

The techniques in the book help me overcome panic attacks that had become overwhelming and kept me from doing many of the things I most enjoyed. If you have panic attacks and want to learn how to deal with them and overcome them, please read this book. I know it can work for you too.