Don't Panic Revised Edition: Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks (Paperback)

~ Reid Wilson (Author) "It is as though the symptoms jump you from behind..." (more)
Key Phrases: hopeless observer, facing panic, worried observer, Supportive Observer, Calming Response, Worried Observer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This excellent guide offers help to those who suffer from panic anxiety. Part 1 discusses panic-like symptoms and their relation to both physiological and psychological disorders, while Part 2 recommends ways to eliminate or reduce those symptoms. As the book explains, psychological panic disorder is the body's emergency response, inappropriately triggered by a faulty belief system, to a situation perceived as threatening. Sufferers are given the tools to restore calm, including the means to develop an internal "supportive observer" that can assess the situation more accurately, provide alternative courses of action, and draw attention away from negative, self-defeating thoughts. For therapists as well as their clients. Bonnie Hoffman, C.S.W., North Fork Counseling Service, Mattituck, N.Y.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Panic. Almost everyone has experienced it at one time or another, but in the form of a panic attack, it can be incapacitating. In Don't Panic, a leading expert offers an accessible and practical self-help program for reducing and eliminating these attacks. With insight and compassion, he explains how attacks occur, provides a detailed 5-step strategy for controlling the moment of panic and shows how to use breathing exercises, focused thinking and mental imagery to elicit the body's natural "Calming Response." Packed with useful information that can begin reducing the power of these attacks immediately, this perennial seller is an invaluable tool for the millions of Americans coping with this crippling condition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Revised edition (July 19, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060951605
• ISBN-13: 978-0060951603
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #178,483 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

130 of 133 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book helped me regain control of my life !!, July 13, 1999

By A Customer

This is a wonderful book for anyone who wants clear informitave answers of what this disorder is all about. It helped me in many ways learn to deal with my panic disorder. One of my biggest fears was that my life was becoming very restricted by this disorder. I thought I was going to have to take medication for the rest of my life. With this book I was able to get my life back together without medication. There is a section in the book about the connection between premenstrual syndrome and anxiety. I had a great deal of stress in my life and I found myself very anxious during PMS. He shows in this section that diet has a strong impact on reducing symptoms of anxiety and panic. The book teaches how to refocus our thoughts. This was very helpful for me dealing with my panic disorder because in the past I was very quick to scare myself. If there was even a slight feeling of fear I would take that fearful thought and run with it causing myself great anxiety and at times panic attacks. By refocusing my thoughts like this book teaches, helped me to control the unrealistic array of scary thoughts from pouring into my head and replacing them with soothing, comforting and believable words. He speaks of breathing techniques and how they help the sufferer gain control of body symptoms in any given situation, from sitting in a dental chair to being locked in a traffic jam. He teaches by maintaing control of your breathing it sends a message to the brain that all is all is well and there is no need for panic. I would reccomend this book to anyone who wants to put an end to this disableing disorder.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading this book was really a turning point for me, June 29, 2000

By A Customer

This book has helped me more than anything else in my struggle to deal with panic. I've had panic attacks for the last 9 years or so -- since I was 17 -- although I didn't know/wouldn't admit what they were for a long time. I was really on a slippery slope and things were getting so much worse more recently; after reading positive reviews here on amazon, I read this book and it really has changed my life. There is so much material here that it can be a little overwhelming -- but now I am rereading different parts that I now see are relevant, and it's such a tremendous resource. Some readers have said that Dr. Wilson's listing of symptoms made them more anxious; but for me, it was a huge relief to realize that other people suffer from these problems too, and to know that there are symptoms I don't have. I now realize that in struggling with panic I was feeding it, and that I have to learn to relax and not be frightened of having another attack. This is obviously very difficult, but Dr. Wilson's recommended techniques have been very effective for me. I've also realized how much they can benefit my life overall in a very positive way, not just in dealing with the negative aspects of panic attacks, but in helping me enrich my life overall. I feel like I am gaining control of my life again, and it's such a relief! If you are struggling with panic -- or if you are trying to support someone who is -- I can't imagine a better resource than this book .

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get yourself this book and feel better!, October 30, 2003

By	Kelly A. fuller "certified book nut" (Pennsville, New Jersey) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I used to be embarrassed of my panic and anxiety disorder. I tried to hide it, and deal with it all on my own. I was even embarrassed to buy this book! Thank goodness for the privacy of Amazon.com, or I might never had read this fantastic book! The biggest thing that I got out of this book is the fact that I am not alone! And neither are you! The amount of people suffering with anxiety and panic disorders is astonishing! With the knowledge that you are not a "freak", you will keep reading and learn new techniques to keep panic at bay at how to deal with it when it strikes unexpectedly. Don't wait any longer, help yourself gain your life back.