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Product Description
Tһіѕ guide tο coping wіtһ аחԁ surviving panic syndrome іѕ bу someone wһο һаѕ done tһе same. Approximately five percent οf tһе population faces tһе ԁrеаԁ οf panic attacks. Wіtһ tһе aid οf һеr cartoons, Bev Aisbett tells readers һοw panic disorders develop, аחԁ covers topics such аѕ “Changing unenthusiastic view” аחԁ “Seeking professional һеƖр″. Tһе book provides reassurance аחԁ comfort fοr sufferers οf tһіѕ condition, аחԁ іѕ аח alternative tο tһе more clinical, matter-… More >>
Living Wіtһ ‘It’: A Survivor’s Guide tο Panic Attacks
October 16, 2010 at 3:38 am
Living with it
This book has expected widespread praise but I feel that a rebuttal of sorts is in order. While I agree that the book should be read by sufferers and that it does have creditable content, I take exception to 2 sentences which represent a honest chunk of the book’s philosophy – the first being “It was your view that made you worried” and the second is “Believe it or not, one day you will be doing something and you’ll realise you’ve forgotten to be frightened”.
These sentiments are common in anxiety-help books and they sound evenhanded, but in my opinion are inaccurate, patronising and essentially garbage. The implication that if you can control your view then you control the condition is incorrect. The view are a symptom of a problem, the view are not THE problem. When a sufferer has their first panic hit, it is not CAUSED by worried view or avoidance behaviour. Something else caused it. And quite often a sufferer will go owing to their regular sequence of worried view and it doesn’t develop into whatever thing. Numerous times I have said to my partner, “Gee I was convinced I was going to freak out in there, but nothing happened”.
And it’s not my view making me worried when I jump awake in fright in the middle of the night, to me it’s obvious that a chemical imbalance is occuring, I don’t know why the anxiety-help industry keeps pushing the “reflect pleased view” routine – at best it’s a temporary reprieve, at worst it’s fooling people into fake hope of a non-medical solution. Perhaps it’s because a book can’t be a best peddler if you just write “Chapter One – Take your medication. If it doesn’t work, take different medication. The End.”
While the book’s representation of the condition as a monster following you around may be a helpful visualisation for relatives and friends of sufferers, ultimately I found it less than helpful. A sequence of cartoons are shown where a woman is pursued by her anxiety monster around a supermarket, the lesson being that if you ignore the monster or at least defy its power, you will beat a panic hit. This has a grain of truth, but only a grain. I have had thousands of panic attacks and it is still extremely hard to say “This is a panic hit”. I can identify agitation, nervousness, mild anxiety, major anxiety, heart palpitations, sweaty palms, disorientation, feeling faint, hyperventilation, feeling dread, and the excellent ancient feeling that I’m going to die but when you are freaking out and melting down, identifying feelings is not your first instinct. Your instincts are to GET OUT and GET HELP. I am too overwhelmed to see the monster as a separate entity. And I’m speaking as someone who has done a lot of sports training and is honestly accustomed to blocking out discomfort and pain. Actual panic is nearly by definition a state of not thinking straight, so to encourage clear thinking and emotion-spotting in a state of PANIC is a bit optimistic.
Notwithstanding any of the above, even on the rare occasions that I can see, identify and despise my panic monster, it doesn’t make any difference. Naming a condition doesn’t make it go away, just like diagnosing a broken arm doesn’t fix it. If someone believes that naming a condition makes it go away, then they apparently don’t believe that the condition is “real”. I often wish that my panic disoder had some outward sign that would make it appreciable, visible and respectable, like the flu or baldness. People don’t seem to grasp that brain chemicals are like ocean tides – too much or too small is a huge problem, but because serotonin can’t be seen with an x-ray machine, it is assumed that the sufferer is either faking it or just has a lack of character. Telling readers to trash-talk or ignore their panic monster implies that we are too dim to have thought of that already. If we could ignore panic we would have done it already and would NOT need to be export books on the subject.
Suggestions such as breathing slowly and distracting yourself are valid, but are just band-aids that do nothing to prevent your next hit.
The bottom line is that you are better off export medication than export a book.
Rating: 2 / 5
October 16, 2010 at 5:11 am
Simple to know, clear, instructive and amusing. The book is very quick to read, with small text, lots of amusing cartoons and very straightforward instructions about how to help yourself to get relief from panic attacks.
My GP lent me a copy of this book 11 years ago as I was distress from prolonged and severe panic attacks. The book helped me recover myself back to sanity and I have lent my own copy to 2 other mothers who have in turn thanked me profusely. One, a teacher said she had lent it to 3 friends who had all bought their own copies as they found them so useful. Another friend, who was considering a psychiatrist, could not thank me enough for the loan of the book and how much it had eased her distress.
This not being enough of a recommendation, I found myself 2 weeks before Christmas with another lady who had recently suffered a bereavement, telling me she was distress from panic attacks, I lent her my copy with my usual stipulation…. ‘you may not find it useful but I did’. The next day she was sunny, saying how wonderful it was, it was exactly what she needed…..
So I would say this book is like a saviour of relief to some of us, so thank you Bev Aisbett.
On a personal, final note, I have found that the simple powerful techniques outlined in this book have stood me in excellent stead for all types of fears and anxiety, not just panic attacks. So for me this book did exchange my life for the better and continues to impact it positively now.
Rating: 5 / 5
October 16, 2010 at 7:16 am
I am a psychoanalyst and have recently recommended this book to numerous patients. One older client had had anxiety for 50 years, and has now reduced her medication to virtually zero and keeps the book around in case she needs to refer to it. All my clients who have anxiety or Panic attacks have found it really helpful.
Rating: 5 / 5
October 16, 2010 at 9:03 am
I do not have PD but I do endure panick attacks…and only panick hit sufferers can know how ‘IT’ feels like. This is a MUST BUY!!!…my school lent this book to me…and after reading it…I had to own one.
This book is very simple(light, relaxing)to read, it uses humour to help you know your situation…eg: it compares the anxiety to a monster called ‘IT’….. with a excellent uses of humour and simple cartoons…I understood my situation…when I was reading it…it felt as if the book was a mirror…i felt understood and felt like I was part of the book because ‘the book understood me so much’…have you ever wished that your loved ones can read your mind?…th book does that… after reading the book…I had to get one for myself to keep…but I went to many book stores and they were all sold out…and i had to wait 2 weeks…which i couldn’t…so i had to try getting it from the net(i never shopped from the net before) this book provides understanding, a lot of help, a break from stress(humour) and is just wonderful ^_^
you may feel that you are surely alone…but I can assure that you are definately not alone
Rating: 5 / 5
October 16, 2010 at 11:34 am
Anyone living with anxiety/panic attacks knows how terrifying life can be converted into. I have read many books on panic and to tell you the truth some of them have frightened me so much, I’ve nearly had a panic hit! This book is very simple to read and it’s fun, the cartoon characters are fantastic. Bev Aisbett certainly knows what she is talking about, she’s been there. This book gives you an understanding of panic and steps to be free from “IT”, quite frankly it covers everything. The authors lighthearted deal with to something that is very honest is soothing to the reader. I would recommend this book to anyone who suffers with panic and wants to reclaim their life, it would be the first step towards recovery.
Rating: 5 / 5