Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Agoraphobia Made Simple

"Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Agoraphobia Made Simple" is a treatment manual for these conditions. This means that it lays out a complete set of steps that enable an individual to overcome them. The author has gone to great lengths to explain these conditions and how to become free of them in everyday, conversational language that can be understood by anyone. Thus, the person suffering from these conditions can follow and apply it her- or himself. This manual is also intended for therapists who are treating such individuals. The therapist and patient can follow the program step by step over the course of treatment with the therapist adding her/his own knowledge and expertise as needed to smooth out any difficulties that arise.

The treatment program given in "Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Agoraphobia Made Simple" was first developed in the mid-1970's. At that time, a counseling intern in the author's mental health clinic approached him about creating a treatment program for these conditions. She explained that she had been an agoraphobic herself and had struggled with it for many years until she ultimately overcame it. She had received little help from the medical profession which, at the time, was largely unaware of the condition or how to treat it. Her experience left her with the desire to become a counselor herself and develop a treatment program specifically to help others who suffered with these conditions so that they would not have to go through the same arduous struggle that she had. She and several other therapists were in process of developing such a program and asked the author if he would be willing to provide the psychiatric expertise and backup for their efforts. The resulting innovative and highly successful program is recorded in this book. Hundreds of patients found relief from their sufferings through the program's combination of methods from many forms of therapy including Cognitive Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, Insight-oriented Psychotherapy, Family Therapy and meditation. Additionally, a crucial understanding of the psychological causes of these conditions was discovered and is given here.

The following excerpt provides further detail as to the contents of the book as well as a sense of the style in which it is written:

"As you can see, I have found that the program in this manual works. Some of it is mainstream Psychiatry and some is not. Where I depart the most from the treatment that is increasingly being offered by Psychiatrists nowadays is with regard to medication. There is a growing acceptance in Psychiatry of the idea that mental disorders are biologically caused and that they should be treated with medications. I don’t agree. I believe that many disorders, including Panic Disorder, have psychological reasons behind them. These reasons can be understood. By understanding them and taking psychological steps, people can grow. This not only results in overcoming the condition, but people also attain better, healthier and more fulfilling lives. And I have seen it happen over and over again. So that is the approach in this program – mainstream or not.

Finally, as I said in the Preface, this book is for your liberation. It points you to where many others have found freedom. You have all the resources you need to walk this path. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and your success is inevitable."