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When Panic Attacks: The New, Drug-Free Anxiety Therapy That Can Change Your Life
The truth is that you can defeat your fears. The author of the four-million-copy bestselling Feeling Good offers 40+ simple, effective CBT-based techniques to overcome every conceivable kind of anxiety—without medication. “Few truly great books on psychotherapy have been published, and this is one of them.”—Albert Ellis, Ph.D., founder of the Albert Ellis Institute and bestselling author of A Guide to Rational Living We all know what it’s like to feel anxious, worried, or panicky. What you may not realize is that these fears are almost never based on reality. When you’re anxious, you’re actually fooling yourself, telling yourself things that simply aren’t true. See if you can recognize yourself in any of these All-or-Nothing “My mind will go blank when I give my presentation at work, and everyone will think I’m an idiot.”Fortune “I just know I’ll freeze up and blow it when I take my test.”Mind Reading: “Everyone at this party can see how nervous I am.” “Flying is so dangerous. I think this plane is going to crash!”Should “I shouldn’t be so anxious and insecure. Other people don’t feel this way.” “What’s wrong with me? I’m such a loser!”Mental “Why can’t I get anything done? My life seems like one long procrastination.” Using techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on practical, solution-based methods for understanding and overcoming negative thoughts and emotions, When Panic Attacks gives you the ammunition to quickly defeat every conceivable kind of anxiety, such as chronic worrying, shyness, public speaking anxiety, test anxiety, and phobias, without lengthy therapy or prescription drugs. With forty fast-acting techniques that have been shown to be more effective than medications, When Panic Attacks is an indispensable handbook for anyone who’s worried sick and sick of worrying.
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2004
1281 people are currently reading
7150 people want to read
About the author
David D. Burns
24 books634 followersDavid D. Burns is an American psychiatrist and adjunct professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He is the author of bestselling books such as Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, The Feeling Good Handbook and Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety.
Burns popularized Albert Ellis's and Aaron T. Beck's cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) when his books became bestsellers during the 1980s. In a January 2021 interview, Burns attributed his rise in popularity and much of his success to an appearance in 1988 on The Phil Donahue Show, to which he was invited by the producer after helping her teenage son with depression.
Burns popularized Albert Ellis's and Aaron T. Beck's cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) when his books became bestsellers during the 1980s. In a January 2021 interview, Burns attributed his rise in popularity and much of his success to an appearance in 1988 on The Phil Donahue Show, to which he was invited by the producer after helping her teenage son with depression.
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September 5, 2016
I have always been an anxious person. I think I get it from my mother.
One time, we were in the car on our way to the supermarket when, for whatever reason, she asked if I had my license on me. “No,” I said. “Why do I need it? You’re driving.” “But what if we get into an accident?” she replied. At first, this response confused me. Then I realized that she was wondering how people would identify my body if we both died in a crash. “I think they’d figure it out,” I said finally, as scenes of bloody car crashes played in my mental theater.
This anxiety was part of my identity. It shaped how I interacted with strangers, my friends, my family, how I behaved in school, at work, and in my relationships. I thought it was a part of me. Sometimes I would have episodes when my worrying would flare up to the point that I was incapacitated; but for the most part it was manageable. Around last year, however, my panicking got decidedly worse. Terrible fantasies would flood my brain, making my chest tense up, my stomach tie itself into a knot, and adrenaline rush through my body. After another attack again this year, I decided that I didn’t want anxiety to be such a big part of my life anymore, and thus reached for this book.
Burns begins with his general views on anxiety. He doesn’t believe in anxiety disorders. The criteria for diagnosis are, he thinks, vague and arbitrary. There are people who tend to be more anxious than others; but anxiety-proneness falls onto a spectrum and does not map onto two neat categories, normal and pathological. Burns also has a negative opinion of anxiety medications. In his experience, they often don’t work and generally leave the underlying cause untouched. Thus he thinks it’s more effective when people don’t tell themselves that they’re “sick” and don’t treat anxiety like a disease to be cured. Rather, anxiety is a common state and it can be effectively managed through fairly simple techniques.
After explaining his general views, Burns launches into his techniques. These techniques occupy the bulk of the book, and are divided into three categories, Cognitive, Exposure, and Hidden-Emotion.
The Cognitive techniques were the most familiar to me, since this is the same approach used in his book on depression, Feeling Good. As the name implies, these techniques focus on your thoughts and beliefs. Anxiety, in this view, is the result of unrealistically negative thoughts which are traceable to certain deeply held beliefs. Burns calls these beliefs self-defeating, because they equate certain things with happiness, and yet inevitably lead to unhappiness. These self-defeating beliefs may be personal—such as perfectionism or achievement addiction—or interpersonal—such as entitlement or blame. The techniques thus focus on these beliefs and the thoughts they give rise to, with the goal of adopting a more realistic, forgiving, and easygoing attitude towards yourself and others.
Exposure techniques operate on a different principle. Instead of combating your anxiety, you seek it out and embrace it. For people with phobias, this means doing exactly the thing they’re afraid of. For people with traumatic memories, this means revisiting these experiences. For people who are shy, this means socializing. If you run away from what you fear, you only tell yourself that you ought to fear it; but if you confront it, you can find out that there’s nothing to be afraid of.
The Hidden-Emotion technique is based on still another principle. It holds that anxiety results from people sweeping negative emotions—like frustration, anger, or hatred—under the rug. This most often results from “niceness"—the fear of upsetting anyone or even admitting to yourself that you’re upset. It is not that the negative feelings are consciously shunned, but that they are not consciously registered at all. Thus the technique consists in examining your life—not your childhood, but right now—and looking for things that bother you that you’ve been ignoring.
By the end of the book, Burns has explained 40 techniques. He includes so many because nobody can be sure which technique will work for which person. His treatment plan consists of trying these techniques one after the other until you find one that’s effective. In his experience, it can be very difficult to predict which one will work in any given case, so he encourages you to experiment.
I can’t summarize each of his techniques here, but I want to include just a couple examples of cognitive techniques.
One technique is thinking in shades of grey—that is, avoid essentialism in your self-talk. This sounds simple enough, but I’ve found that most people tend not to do this. For example, if a guy is trying to quit smoking, but he only lasts three months, he might conclude “I’m a failure.” Yet it would be more realistic for him to say “I was successful for three months, and then I relapsed. Maybe I can be successful for longer next time.” That’s both more accurate and more encouraging.
Also useful is the double-standard technique. If you’re having a problem and beating yourself up, ask yourself how you’d treat a friend who was having this same problem. Often you’ll find that you're much more compassionate, understanding, and optimistic with your friend. Once you realize that, try talking to yourself the same way. If you do this, you can respect yourself in good times and bad, just like you respect your best friends, rather than beating yourself up for falling short, failing, being rejected, or getting criticized.
You may be thinking that these “techniques” are childishly simple. Indeed they are. And yet I was acting in the very opposite way, and without this book I don’t think I would have changed. Besides, simplicity is a good thing. The techniques don’t require you to believe anything untenable or subscribe to a new philosophy of life. They only require that you do some work with a pencil or paper, or try a new approach in conversation, or get over a fear that’s been holding you back. They allow you to understand and confront your emotions rather than be their victim.
That's all for my overview. I could stop here with the note that I've found the book extremely helpful, indeed emancipating. But it is hard to write reviews of self-help books without lapsing into autobiography—at least for me it is. Well, here it goes.
The biggest realization I had while reading this book is that much of my anxiety resulted from being out of touch with my emotions. I think Burns would say I had emotional perfectionism, and thus swept a lot of negative feelings under the rug. But lately some kind of interior barrier broke. I suddenly realized that I was sad, and I cried for the first time in many years. It was a huge relief! Now even children’s movies are enough to set me off. I watched Inside Out on the plane ride back from Spain and ended up in tears. My girlfriend was absolutely shocked.
My other main lesson from this book is that fears have to be faced, not shunned. Instead of trying to push away my anxiety—resulting in endless struggle—now I just let it do its work. And the strange thing is that as soon as I stop resisting, the anxiety loses its grip.
To reinforce this lesson, I decided to confront one of my oldest fears: roller coasters. I went out to Coney Island and rode three of them.
When I was a kid, I went on a few roller coasters and hated it. Looking back, I think that’s because I mentally resisted the experience. I kept wishing to stop and get off, and simply wouldn’t accept the fact that I couldn’t do anything but sit there. This time around, I was scared; but instead of resisting I told myself that there’s no getting off so I might as well try to enjoy it. That made all the difference. The ride itself was actually fun, and not overwhelmingly frightening. The only difficult part was making myself get on.
And I realized that roller coasters provide a perfect metaphor for anxiety. If you resist the experience and try to wish it away, it’s only going to seem terrifying, pointless, and dangerous. But if you accept the experience and embrace it, you’ll find that it’s harmless fun.
So treat fear like a roller coaster that you can't get off. Accept the things that scare you, accept your fear, and accept the insecurities, limitations, and imperfections that make you afraid. You can’t wish them away, so you might as well have some fun.
One time, we were in the car on our way to the supermarket when, for whatever reason, she asked if I had my license on me. “No,” I said. “Why do I need it? You’re driving.” “But what if we get into an accident?” she replied. At first, this response confused me. Then I realized that she was wondering how people would identify my body if we both died in a crash. “I think they’d figure it out,” I said finally, as scenes of bloody car crashes played in my mental theater.
This anxiety was part of my identity. It shaped how I interacted with strangers, my friends, my family, how I behaved in school, at work, and in my relationships. I thought it was a part of me. Sometimes I would have episodes when my worrying would flare up to the point that I was incapacitated; but for the most part it was manageable. Around last year, however, my panicking got decidedly worse. Terrible fantasies would flood my brain, making my chest tense up, my stomach tie itself into a knot, and adrenaline rush through my body. After another attack again this year, I decided that I didn’t want anxiety to be such a big part of my life anymore, and thus reached for this book.
Burns begins with his general views on anxiety. He doesn’t believe in anxiety disorders. The criteria for diagnosis are, he thinks, vague and arbitrary. There are people who tend to be more anxious than others; but anxiety-proneness falls onto a spectrum and does not map onto two neat categories, normal and pathological. Burns also has a negative opinion of anxiety medications. In his experience, they often don’t work and generally leave the underlying cause untouched. Thus he thinks it’s more effective when people don’t tell themselves that they’re “sick” and don’t treat anxiety like a disease to be cured. Rather, anxiety is a common state and it can be effectively managed through fairly simple techniques.
After explaining his general views, Burns launches into his techniques. These techniques occupy the bulk of the book, and are divided into three categories, Cognitive, Exposure, and Hidden-Emotion.
The Cognitive techniques were the most familiar to me, since this is the same approach used in his book on depression, Feeling Good. As the name implies, these techniques focus on your thoughts and beliefs. Anxiety, in this view, is the result of unrealistically negative thoughts which are traceable to certain deeply held beliefs. Burns calls these beliefs self-defeating, because they equate certain things with happiness, and yet inevitably lead to unhappiness. These self-defeating beliefs may be personal—such as perfectionism or achievement addiction—or interpersonal—such as entitlement or blame. The techniques thus focus on these beliefs and the thoughts they give rise to, with the goal of adopting a more realistic, forgiving, and easygoing attitude towards yourself and others.
Exposure techniques operate on a different principle. Instead of combating your anxiety, you seek it out and embrace it. For people with phobias, this means doing exactly the thing they’re afraid of. For people with traumatic memories, this means revisiting these experiences. For people who are shy, this means socializing. If you run away from what you fear, you only tell yourself that you ought to fear it; but if you confront it, you can find out that there’s nothing to be afraid of.
The Hidden-Emotion technique is based on still another principle. It holds that anxiety results from people sweeping negative emotions—like frustration, anger, or hatred—under the rug. This most often results from “niceness"—the fear of upsetting anyone or even admitting to yourself that you’re upset. It is not that the negative feelings are consciously shunned, but that they are not consciously registered at all. Thus the technique consists in examining your life—not your childhood, but right now—and looking for things that bother you that you’ve been ignoring.
By the end of the book, Burns has explained 40 techniques. He includes so many because nobody can be sure which technique will work for which person. His treatment plan consists of trying these techniques one after the other until you find one that’s effective. In his experience, it can be very difficult to predict which one will work in any given case, so he encourages you to experiment.
I can’t summarize each of his techniques here, but I want to include just a couple examples of cognitive techniques.
One technique is thinking in shades of grey—that is, avoid essentialism in your self-talk. This sounds simple enough, but I’ve found that most people tend not to do this. For example, if a guy is trying to quit smoking, but he only lasts three months, he might conclude “I’m a failure.” Yet it would be more realistic for him to say “I was successful for three months, and then I relapsed. Maybe I can be successful for longer next time.” That’s both more accurate and more encouraging.
Also useful is the double-standard technique. If you’re having a problem and beating yourself up, ask yourself how you’d treat a friend who was having this same problem. Often you’ll find that you're much more compassionate, understanding, and optimistic with your friend. Once you realize that, try talking to yourself the same way. If you do this, you can respect yourself in good times and bad, just like you respect your best friends, rather than beating yourself up for falling short, failing, being rejected, or getting criticized.
You may be thinking that these “techniques” are childishly simple. Indeed they are. And yet I was acting in the very opposite way, and without this book I don’t think I would have changed. Besides, simplicity is a good thing. The techniques don’t require you to believe anything untenable or subscribe to a new philosophy of life. They only require that you do some work with a pencil or paper, or try a new approach in conversation, or get over a fear that’s been holding you back. They allow you to understand and confront your emotions rather than be their victim.
That's all for my overview. I could stop here with the note that I've found the book extremely helpful, indeed emancipating. But it is hard to write reviews of self-help books without lapsing into autobiography—at least for me it is. Well, here it goes.
The biggest realization I had while reading this book is that much of my anxiety resulted from being out of touch with my emotions. I think Burns would say I had emotional perfectionism, and thus swept a lot of negative feelings under the rug. But lately some kind of interior barrier broke. I suddenly realized that I was sad, and I cried for the first time in many years. It was a huge relief! Now even children’s movies are enough to set me off. I watched Inside Out on the plane ride back from Spain and ended up in tears. My girlfriend was absolutely shocked.
My other main lesson from this book is that fears have to be faced, not shunned. Instead of trying to push away my anxiety—resulting in endless struggle—now I just let it do its work. And the strange thing is that as soon as I stop resisting, the anxiety loses its grip.
To reinforce this lesson, I decided to confront one of my oldest fears: roller coasters. I went out to Coney Island and rode three of them.
When I was a kid, I went on a few roller coasters and hated it. Looking back, I think that’s because I mentally resisted the experience. I kept wishing to stop and get off, and simply wouldn’t accept the fact that I couldn’t do anything but sit there. This time around, I was scared; but instead of resisting I told myself that there’s no getting off so I might as well try to enjoy it. That made all the difference. The ride itself was actually fun, and not overwhelmingly frightening. The only difficult part was making myself get on.
And I realized that roller coasters provide a perfect metaphor for anxiety. If you resist the experience and try to wish it away, it’s only going to seem terrifying, pointless, and dangerous. But if you accept the experience and embrace it, you’ll find that it’s harmless fun.
So treat fear like a roller coaster that you can't get off. Accept the things that scare you, accept your fear, and accept the insecurities, limitations, and imperfections that make you afraid. You can’t wish them away, so you might as well have some fun.
February 22, 2011
I'm not much for self-help books, but a psychologist recommended it to me, and I finally moved past my biases and started it. The subtitle isn't kidding when it says it can change your life! The book is basically a bunch of cognitive therapy techniques that you can do by yourself or with a friend. I got so much out of it--and yet there's so much left to learn--that I'm planning to immediately start reading it again.
Oddly, while I think this book will do a lot to help a variety of problems I occasionally suffer from (social anxiety, depression, shyness, procrastination), I don't think it's going to help very much with my panic attacks. I do think it can help with some types of panic attacks, I just haven't found a way it can help mine yet. But this book definitely has improved my life and certainly deserves five stars.
Oddly, while I think this book will do a lot to help a variety of problems I occasionally suffer from (social anxiety, depression, shyness, procrastination), I don't think it's going to help very much with my panic attacks. I do think it can help with some types of panic attacks, I just haven't found a way it can help mine yet. But this book definitely has improved my life and certainly deserves five stars.
September 28, 2010
Bought this for someone close to me who suffers from panic attacks. Decided to read it first to make sure it was an appropriate gift, and found that it has useful information for anyone who wants to combat perfectionism (my problem) and any kind of self-defeating behaviors. Burns helps you get to the root of certain problems and combat them. You'll definitely feel more human and less alone in your worries/insecurities after reading this one. I decided to keep the copy I was planning to give as a gift and bought additional copies for loved ones.
February 25, 2024
Я обожнюю Девіда Бернса, книга про депресію минулого року була eye-opening, ця про тривожність не менш шокуюча (в хорошому сенсі) і ефективна. Якщо вас давно не покидає тривожність, почуття меншовартості, переживання - тут є ключик від страждань. Вірніше ціла звʼязка, бо всі ми різні і для нас діятимуть різні техніки. Хочу щоб більше людей читали, покращували своє життя. Більш корисної книги годі уявити.
February 12, 2024
This is a super helpful, amazing book. I would say one of the best self help books I’ve ever read. This was recommended to me by a mental health councillor who thought I might find it interesting in dealing with anxiety and panic attacks and maybe help me out in the long run.
I usually find books like this super dry but this was written very well and kept my attention. There were so many different techniques laid out with a story of many different patients and how each different exercise helped them. It wasn’t super cut and dry which I liked and gave multiple options to tackle different situations.
Lots of great exercises that you could fill out on your own along the way, which made it a much more interesting way to learn about the topic.
I really connected with this (probably because I’m going through this) and found I’ve done multiple things that were laid out in the book. It really made me think of things in a different way when it comes to anxiety.
If you know anyone that struggles with anxiety or panic or even being socially shy, I would recommend this in a heart beat.
I usually find books like this super dry but this was written very well and kept my attention. There were so many different techniques laid out with a story of many different patients and how each different exercise helped them. It wasn’t super cut and dry which I liked and gave multiple options to tackle different situations.
Lots of great exercises that you could fill out on your own along the way, which made it a much more interesting way to learn about the topic.
I really connected with this (probably because I’m going through this) and found I’ve done multiple things that were laid out in the book. It really made me think of things in a different way when it comes to anxiety.
If you know anyone that struggles with anxiety or panic or even being socially shy, I would recommend this in a heart beat.
November 7, 2012
دکتر برنز یکی از پایهگذاران روش شناختدرمانی است که اثربخشی سریع آن در درمان افسردگی، اضطراب، روابط انسانی و به طور کلی مشکلات روانی، زبانزد خاص و عام است. به کمک مهارتهای شناختدرمانی جایی برای ناامیدی و ناتوانی در خصوص حال بد، احساسات و هیجانات منفی از قبیل اضطراب، فشارهای روانی، خشم، کینه، افسردگی، احساس گناه ناسالم،خفت، خجالت و فقدان اعتماد به نفس و احترام به خود باقی نمیماند. با مطالعه این کتاب مهارتهای جدید در درمان اضطراب بدون مصرف دارو را فرا خواهیم گرفت
October 29, 2009
sucks. i get stressed out just thinking of wasting my money (even if it was half price)
he offers a lot of quick stories in which the afflicted seek his help and he cures then in 1-2 sessions. he must be a miracle worker. he is selling a load of crap. i need a couple sessions just to get over my anxiety about his quick fixin's
he offers a lot of quick stories in which the afflicted seek his help and he cures then in 1-2 sessions. he must be a miracle worker. he is selling a load of crap. i need a couple sessions just to get over my anxiety about his quick fixin's
February 16, 2011
This is a good book for people with specific phobias (eg, heights, elevators, snakes), fear of dying (not existential fear, but like, physical death from panic symptoms), post-traumatic stress anxiety, that sort of thing. I myself suffer from fear of loss of control, and found this book insightful to a point, just not something that could fix what I'm going through. I didn't really think it was going to solve all my problems; I read it because it's written by the author of "Feeling Good," the father of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, to see if there's something I haven't already over-analyzed or thought of yet in my path to working through my anxiety with my therapist. Turns out that there wasn't much new information, but that definitely doesn't mean there wouldn't be for someone else. I will say, though, that it was nice to read about all kinds of people with different (sometimes crazy, crazy) fears. These poor people were able to pull through the panic they'd suffered from, some of them for years or decades, so why wouldn't the reader be likely to do the same? Inspiration.
The very thorough, well-thought-out worksheets included in this book will help anxiety sufferers think through their fears and see whether they're logical. Obviously, the fears normally are extremely irrational, which takes some time for people to really, fully, understand. Once you do understand it, you may be able to change your thinking about fear and anxiety and move on. Likely, though, you'll have to take it a step further and confront the fear itself through exposure. You have to be careful with exposure, though, which is something the book doesn't really say. You can sometimes exacerbate your fear by re-traumatizing yourself, so exposure sometimes needs to be a slow, steady process. Careful!
Chapter 4 is a great, GREAT reading on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of anti-depressants. He cites plenty of solid studies showing what a lot of people don't realize -- that anti-depressants are no more effective than placebos. Really. You don't necessarily need drugs (even the anti-anxiety drugs, which do effectively calm the physiology) to get through this excrutiatingly difficult battle. Getting at the source of your fear is the only way to heal for good.
Good luck to anyone reading this who is dealing with the painful experience of anxiety and panic disorder. If you want to swap stories or need a listening ear, I'd be glad to talk about it with you.
The very thorough, well-thought-out worksheets included in this book will help anxiety sufferers think through their fears and see whether they're logical. Obviously, the fears normally are extremely irrational, which takes some time for people to really, fully, understand. Once you do understand it, you may be able to change your thinking about fear and anxiety and move on. Likely, though, you'll have to take it a step further and confront the fear itself through exposure. You have to be careful with exposure, though, which is something the book doesn't really say. You can sometimes exacerbate your fear by re-traumatizing yourself, so exposure sometimes needs to be a slow, steady process. Careful!
Chapter 4 is a great, GREAT reading on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of anti-depressants. He cites plenty of solid studies showing what a lot of people don't realize -- that anti-depressants are no more effective than placebos. Really. You don't necessarily need drugs (even the anti-anxiety drugs, which do effectively calm the physiology) to get through this excrutiatingly difficult battle. Getting at the source of your fear is the only way to heal for good.
Good luck to anyone reading this who is dealing with the painful experience of anxiety and panic disorder. If you want to swap stories or need a listening ear, I'd be glad to talk about it with you.
April 14, 2011
I used his cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques, outlined in this book, to combat the negative spirals I found myself caught in when my depression began to clear, but left me with frequent spells of mild (paralyzing, but not hospital worthy) panic attacks. They were a very useful tool in my arsenal and I saw dramatic changes in just a few weeks.
As someone very interested in psychology, and possibly considering counseling as a career, I found the book very useful in that, like a textbook, it details multiple schools of psychological thought and how each of them would approach the situation. It was so jam-packed with information, I'm going to have to read it a few more times.
As someone very interested in psychology, and possibly considering counseling as a career, I found the book very useful in that, like a textbook, it details multiple schools of psychological thought and how each of them would approach the situation. It was so jam-packed with information, I'm going to have to read it a few more times.
August 10, 2017
Anyone who's truly depressed and anxious will have a hard time with books like these. And I feel it would've been better to have more exercises to do, rather than read, read, read. I don't know, maybe I'm more messed up than the average person. Maybe would be more helpful with a therapist guiding me as I read through it. Gave up after Chapter 7.
January 2, 2021
Kitabı epey beğendim. Bilişsel çarpıtmalar ve onlara karşı geliştirilmiş teknikler ayrıntılı açıklanmış. Gerçek yaşamdan alınan örnekler de iyi hikayeleştirilmiş, kitabın okunabilirliğini artırmış. Kendi bakış açılarımda kitaptaki çarpıtmaları yakalamaya başladım. Faydalı oldu diyebiliriz :)
to-read-own
November 18, 201711/18/17 $1.99 for Kindle.
July 24, 2021
десятки лет в психиатрии, реальные примеры людей, которые считали себя безнадежными, а потом набрались смелости, начали действовать и справились, множество вопросов, заданий и сорок разных методик, которые могут помочь каждому, кто решит, что пора что-то менять и чувствовать себя лучше.
December 30, 2021
When Panic Attacks was a great look into the subject.
The human psyche is a very complex machine, with many moving parts. Unfortunately, this results in many people struggling to overcome fear and anxiety.
Someone's mindset can often be the sole deciding factor in determining success or failure. This scales up, as well; from the outcome of a small challenge, to the trajectory of an individual's life, and even to the success or failure of large companies, military units, and other social organizations.
Author David D. Burns is an American psychiatrist and adjunct professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the author of bestselling books such as Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, The Feeling Good Handbook, and Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety.
David D. Burns:
Burns gets the writing here off on a good foot, with a well-written intro. He writes with an easy and engaging style that shouldn't have trouble holding the reader's attention. Burns mentions limitations of the book early on, and suggests that people who are experiencing severe problems seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The book is largely science-driven, and features proprietary research done by the author's lab, as well as case studies from his clinical practice.
Burns mentions the causes of anxiety early in the book, as well:
The book contains many tools to help the reader get control of their mindset. Among the tools laid out here by Burns includes:
• Common Self-Defeating Beliefs (SDBs)
• Brief Mood Survey
• Daily Mood Check
• Recovery Circle
• 40 Ways to Defeat Your Fears
• Five Secrets of Effective Communication (EAR)
• Cost-benefit analysis:
Interestingly enough, Burns mentions that his lab did work on the "chemical imbalance theory" of mental illness. He notes that there is little to no actual evidence to support this hypothesis. This is something I also read in James Davies's book, Cracked: The Unhappy Truth about Psychiatry.
Burns also talks about prescription anti-depression and anti-anxiety drugs, such as SSRIs, and benzodiazepines. These are often the medical go-to for patients with depression and/or anxiety disorders. However, these drugs come with some pretty nasty side-effects. As well; SSRI antidepressants, in particular, are barely more efffective (and often the same) as placebo:
************************
When Panic Attacks was a decent read, but the writing was a bit long-winded and repetitive, at times.
I think the book could have done well with more rigorous editing. It is quite a bit longer than it could have been. The audiobook version I have is almost 13.5 hours long, and the PDF; ~500 pages.
Burns covers quite a few case studies, and recounts the same treatments methods many times over; including numerous overly detailed back-and-forths.
It was still a good book, with much valuable and actionable advice, though.
I would recommend it to anyone interested.
4 stars.
The human psyche is a very complex machine, with many moving parts. Unfortunately, this results in many people struggling to overcome fear and anxiety.
Someone's mindset can often be the sole deciding factor in determining success or failure. This scales up, as well; from the outcome of a small challenge, to the trajectory of an individual's life, and even to the success or failure of large companies, military units, and other social organizations.
Author David D. Burns is an American psychiatrist and adjunct professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the author of bestselling books such as Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, The Feeling Good Handbook, and Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety.
David D. Burns:
Burns gets the writing here off on a good foot, with a well-written intro. He writes with an easy and engaging style that shouldn't have trouble holding the reader's attention. Burns mentions limitations of the book early on, and suggests that people who are experiencing severe problems seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The book is largely science-driven, and features proprietary research done by the author's lab, as well as case studies from his clinical practice.
Burns mentions the causes of anxiety early in the book, as well:
"There are many theories about the causes of anxiety, but we’ll focus on four of them:
The Cognitive Model is based on the idea that negative thoughts cause anxiety. “Cognition” is simply a fancy word for a thought. Every time you feel anxious or afraid, it’s because you’re telling yourself that something terrible is about to happen. For example, if you have a fear of flying and the plane runs into turbulence, you may panic because you think, “This plane is about to crash!” Then you imagine passengers screaming as the plane crashes toward the earth in a ball of
flames. Your fear does not result from the turbulence but from the negative messages you give yourself. When you change the way you think, you can change the way you feel.
The Exposure Model is based on the idea that avoidance is the cause of all anxiety. In other words, you feel anxious because you’re avoiding the thing you fear. If you’re afraid of heights, you probably avoid ladders, high mountain trails, or glass elevators. If you feel shy, you probably avoid people. According to this theory, the moment you stop running and confront the monster you fear the most, you’ll defeat your fears. It’s like telling a bully “Take your best shot. I’m not running away from you any longer!”
The Hidden Emotion Model is based on the idea that niceness is the cause of all anxiety. People who are prone to anxiety are nearly always people-pleasers who fear conict and negative feelings like anger. When you feel upset, you sweep your problems under the rug because you don’t want to upset anyone. You do this so quickly and automatically that you’re not even aware you’re doing it. Then your negative feelings resurface in disguised form, as anxiety, worries, fears, or
feelings of panic. When you expose the hidden feelings and solve the problem that’s bugging you, often your anxiety will disappear.
The Biological Model is based on the idea that anxiety and depression result from a chemical imbalance in the brain and that you’ll have to take a pill to correct it. Two types of medications are generally recommended: the minor tranquilizers, such as Xanax, Ativan, and Valium, and the antidepressants, such as Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft. Your doctor may tell you that these medications represent the only truly effective treatment for depression and anxiety and that you’ll need to keep taking them for the rest of your life, in much the same way that individuals suffering from diabetes will have to take insulin shots forever to regulate their blood sugar."
The book contains many tools to help the reader get control of their mindset. Among the tools laid out here by Burns includes:
• Common Self-Defeating Beliefs (SDBs)
• Brief Mood Survey
• Daily Mood Check
• Recovery Circle
• 40 Ways to Defeat Your Fears
• Five Secrets of Effective Communication (EAR)
• Cost-benefit analysis:
Interestingly enough, Burns mentions that his lab did work on the "chemical imbalance theory" of mental illness. He notes that there is little to no actual evidence to support this hypothesis. This is something I also read in James Davies's book, Cracked: The Unhappy Truth about Psychiatry.
Burns also talks about prescription anti-depression and anti-anxiety drugs, such as SSRIs, and benzodiazepines. These are often the medical go-to for patients with depression and/or anxiety disorders. However, these drugs come with some pretty nasty side-effects. As well; SSRI antidepressants, in particular, are barely more efffective (and often the same) as placebo:
************************
When Panic Attacks was a decent read, but the writing was a bit long-winded and repetitive, at times.
I think the book could have done well with more rigorous editing. It is quite a bit longer than it could have been. The audiobook version I have is almost 13.5 hours long, and the PDF; ~500 pages.
Burns covers quite a few case studies, and recounts the same treatments methods many times over; including numerous overly detailed back-and-forths.
It was still a good book, with much valuable and actionable advice, though.
I would recommend it to anyone interested.
4 stars.
October 14, 2020
DNF at 61%. I tried.. I was just too fed up.
This book is idiotic. The author has the tone of being very full of himself and what a brilliant therapist he is, all his patient examples have these instant “miracle cures” happen to them in basically a single session/exercise, he’s strongly anti-medication and traditional talk therapy, and he seems to look down on “more severe” issues like schizophrenia and bipolar and BPD etc, as compared to what, anxiety and depression are just all in your head? He’s very “well science hasn’t proven that it’s a chemical deficiency” so if you think positive and just do these exercises you can magically cure yourself with just this book! Yea, okay. Just because the human brain is an EXTREMELY complex thing and we don’t fully understand the causes of mental illnesses yet, doesn’t mean there isn’t a scientific explanation, we just haven’t advanced that far yet. The whole tone of this book comes off super dismissive and belittling, and none of his patient examples felt at all believable.
I’m disappointed I gave amazon and the author money for this. It’s going immediately in my donate pile.. maybe someone else will enjoy it and it will help them.. but honestly I highly doubt it.
This book is idiotic. The author has the tone of being very full of himself and what a brilliant therapist he is, all his patient examples have these instant “miracle cures” happen to them in basically a single session/exercise, he’s strongly anti-medication and traditional talk therapy, and he seems to look down on “more severe” issues like schizophrenia and bipolar and BPD etc, as compared to what, anxiety and depression are just all in your head? He’s very “well science hasn’t proven that it’s a chemical deficiency” so if you think positive and just do these exercises you can magically cure yourself with just this book! Yea, okay. Just because the human brain is an EXTREMELY complex thing and we don’t fully understand the causes of mental illnesses yet, doesn’t mean there isn’t a scientific explanation, we just haven’t advanced that far yet. The whole tone of this book comes off super dismissive and belittling, and none of his patient examples felt at all believable.
I’m disappointed I gave amazon and the author money for this. It’s going immediately in my donate pile.. maybe someone else will enjoy it and it will help them.. but honestly I highly doubt it.
January 20, 2012
This book is a LIFE SAVIOR!! Im writing this review as a psychiatrist and as a person who has suffered from panic disorder. It has powerful tools that help you overcome all kind of anxiety starting from panic attacks to social anxiety, it touches you deeply and make you face the monster that been hiding inside of you and been eating your life away! I have used it with my patients and helped them ALOT!! Dr david burns is like the guru of CBT. I recommend this book to my patients and to anyone has been suffering from any type of anxiety or depresion or simply to those who wanna get to know theirselves better. DEFINITELY a useful book and might even save your life .
May 4, 2012
I was on page 80 and the author was still trying to persuade me to read and follow his methods. Written in text book form and was just too busy for me. Also, I don't think I have panic attacks... I am hormonal and anxious :(. Hopefully after I give birth and get back to normal, I will be better!
August 4, 2025
اگر به درمان شناختی رفتاریCBT علاقمندین این کتاب خیلی مفید هست و پر از مثال و تمرینه 😍👌🏼
October 14, 2021
Мегаґрунтовна праця по тривожності. Помічна в сучасному світі.
June 14, 2025
A great practical guide for managing, and even eliminating, anxiety and getting yourself to do what you need to do. It's been life-changing.
March 10, 2022
Книжка хорошая, в отличие от каких-нибудь других книг на похожую тему, основана на действительных техниках и экспериментах, что не может не заставить читателя поверить в полезность применяемых методах. По-моему, солидная четверка: автор не растекается мыслью по древу, в каждой главе что-то дельное да советует.
На последних страницах: голод - лучшая приправа.
На последних страницах: голод - лучшая приправа.
December 29, 2020
My therapist recommended this author to me, not this book but this one was available to listen to on Libby. I was totally into it at some parts and could not care less at others. I understand we can get ourselves over some fears, but I also realize I have a lot of work to do on myself before I would even attempt to do any of that kind of stuff.
February 28, 2018
I actually got this book for free to read for our university/ workplace mental health book club. While having the shared issues of other self-help books, this has actually been a very helpful book for both my professional and personal life.
My biggest issues are that Burns might be overstating his promises and that he’s a bit more anti-medication than preferable. While I’m a firm believer in CBT and think medication tends to be prescribed to people who might have another main cause, there’s a dangerous pervasiveness to the anti-medication attitude and it does work for some people.
Since I’m a year out from my degree, I found this book to be a nice review of a lot of the concepts I’ve learned about. There are scenarios and workpages that make this a fantastic resource to use whether you just want something to give to someone who wants to chart their mood or if you want to help a person see the negative feedback loops they put themselves though. While there’s significantly more fluff than a textbook, there’s also a lot of knowledge.
I think this book really helped me realize just how much more my anxiety has affected my life and has opened the floodgates of emotion in regards to these inherent thoughts. I have a perfectionist attitude driven by a lot of insecurity. I worry about having to constantly be interesting in conversation and not being boring. I feel a bit behind because other people my age are more advanced in their careers, have traveled more, and have more interesting lives than me. And I realize this is somewhat retrograde, but the negativity still plagues me. A lot of the exercises in this book are helpful in learning how to deal with these (pretty exaggerated) feelings. These thoughts are the monsters which lurk inside of me; showing themselves when I am at my darkest and most melancholic, but weakened with the light of knowledge. I’m coming to terms with my past and while facing these thoughts are difficult, I know that I am actively taking part in changing my future.
My biggest issues are that Burns might be overstating his promises and that he’s a bit more anti-medication than preferable. While I’m a firm believer in CBT and think medication tends to be prescribed to people who might have another main cause, there’s a dangerous pervasiveness to the anti-medication attitude and it does work for some people.
Since I’m a year out from my degree, I found this book to be a nice review of a lot of the concepts I’ve learned about. There are scenarios and workpages that make this a fantastic resource to use whether you just want something to give to someone who wants to chart their mood or if you want to help a person see the negative feedback loops they put themselves though. While there’s significantly more fluff than a textbook, there’s also a lot of knowledge.
I think this book really helped me realize just how much more my anxiety has affected my life and has opened the floodgates of emotion in regards to these inherent thoughts. I have a perfectionist attitude driven by a lot of insecurity. I worry about having to constantly be interesting in conversation and not being boring. I feel a bit behind because other people my age are more advanced in their careers, have traveled more, and have more interesting lives than me. And I realize this is somewhat retrograde, but the negativity still plagues me. A lot of the exercises in this book are helpful in learning how to deal with these (pretty exaggerated) feelings. These thoughts are the monsters which lurk inside of me; showing themselves when I am at my darkest and most melancholic, but weakened with the light of knowledge. I’m coming to terms with my past and while facing these thoughts are difficult, I know that I am actively taking part in changing my future.
May 14, 2013
Anyone with anxiety or who has ever suffered a panic attack can appreciate some of what this book has to offer. Whether your condition is mild or very bad, its still something that can be crippling at times and is very misunderstood. Many people do not seek help for this. There is help for this condition and people do not need to ashamed of it! Most people (especially women) will have a panic attack at some point in their lives (and they are lucky if it does not become a reaccuring problem (sorry spelled wrong). There are so many natural ways to have a better life and there is always medication if that is what helps you. I think this is a great book to read if this has ever been a concern in your life or anyone you know. I saw a therapist for a time who recommended this book to me and it made a lot of sense. I think it can certainly benefit anyone who goes into it with an open mind. I would have rated it higher but certain things did not pertain to me so I can't give it a higher rating. I am sure it would speak more to someone who can relate to some of the other issues it delves into. Anxiety and panic attacks are certainly not a one size fits all! Don't be ashamed. Be empowered and help yourself!
November 30, 2021
Раз в год мне на глаза попадается селф-хелп книжка, которую, несмотря на длинную и довольно бесплодную историю отношений с жанром, хочется прочитать. Обычно в аннотации и отзывах к этой книге написано, что это не какой-нибудь там очередной бессмысленный селф-хелп, а набор реально работающих техник, которые помогут вам справиться с депрессией, тревожностью, эпидемией СПИДа и войной. Особенно сильно бьют себя пяткой в грудь КБТ-авторы, искренне уверенные, что, стоит им только ткнуть пальцем в ваши когнитивные искажения, и они полопаются как мыльные пузырики, а жизнь сразу наладится. КБТ работает, это факт. Но не в формате книги и вряд ли так молниеносно, как хочется верить автору. Очень трудно всерьёз воспринимать когнитивные техники, когда книжка утыкана, как булочка изюмом, историями о людях, которые годами мучились от тревожного расстройства, а потом на сессии у уважаемого доктора Бернса на 45 минут все осознали, изменили свои убеждения, вдохнули полной грудью и вышли из кабинета в новую жизнь. КБТ - не волшебная палочка.
August 31, 2017
I started reading this book in February and working through it since. I've had anxiety since I was a kid, but never had panic attacks until January of this year. It was very scary and I knew I had to do something- learn some coping strategies in case it happens again. This book has helped me tremendously and I would highly recommend it to anyone with anxiety, phobias, panic disorders, etc.- especially if you don't want to or can't go the medication route. The only trick to it is that it does require some work, time and effort, but it's worth it. The strategies and worksheets are included in the book, as well as ways to deal with relapses. For me, this is a book I had to buy as I have a feeling I will need to reference it off and on for awhile. I feel better knowing it's on my shelf if I need it.
October 21, 2017
David Burns, I gather, is an engaging speaker and I am sorry I have never had the opportunity to hear him. However, he is inside my head on a daily basis when I am providing therapy for mood disorders. This book in particular is helpful whether you prefer to lean towards the cognitive or behavioral side of CBT. He brings some humour to the table, and I particularly found his information on the different approaches to exposure therapy helpful. Treating mood disorders always involves work; there are some good general books and workbooks out there on anxiety but I found this one particularly helpful and keep in in my office.
November 6, 2020
LIBRAZO.
¿Sirven los manuales de autoayuda? Este no se plantea como tal, pero bien que sí va a cumplir lo que promete: Que te despidas de la ansiedad.
No sólo te explica de qué va el fenómeno este, sino que te orienta a descubrir contextos e intensidades y te brinda mil y un técnicas (aprox) basadas en la evidencia tanto del modelo cognitivo como comportamental para que combatas a la ansiedad.
Si sos profesional de la psicología, tenes un maletín de herramientas que aplicar en tu práctica.
Para mí, este es el SEÑOR manual de intervención.
¿Sirven los manuales de autoayuda? Este no se plantea como tal, pero bien que sí va a cumplir lo que promete: Que te despidas de la ansiedad.
No sólo te explica de qué va el fenómeno este, sino que te orienta a descubrir contextos e intensidades y te brinda mil y un técnicas (aprox) basadas en la evidencia tanto del modelo cognitivo como comportamental para que combatas a la ansiedad.
Si sos profesional de la psicología, tenes un maletín de herramientas que aplicar en tu práctica.
Para mí, este es el SEÑOR manual de intervención.
August 19, 2023
Well written book about ways to deal with anxiety and depression. Full with really practical, useful and diverse exercises that are explained clearly.
I agree with the other reviews that the writer is a bit narcissistic. He "heals" people who are sick for decades in just a few sessions and makes it feel like a joke or that his (selfmade) exercises are groundbreaking.
It was nevertheless an interesting read. There are a lot of parts of this book that I can use in my profession.
I agree with the other reviews that the writer is a bit narcissistic. He "heals" people who are sick for decades in just a few sessions and makes it feel like a joke or that his (selfmade) exercises are groundbreaking.
It was nevertheless an interesting read. There are a lot of parts of this book that I can use in my profession.
May 13, 2020
Es un libro para leer en formato papel. En muchas ocasiones te redirige a páginas concretas... Es muy práctico: contiene "ejercicios" para mejorar nuestra forma de pensar y sentirnos. La actitud que te propone mientras lo lees es una actitud "activa" (pensar, escribir, practicar determinadas metodologías...)
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