Inspiration & Healing Conveyed 31 Ways
Review by Jennifer Hollowell

Panic and anxiety have been bearing their ugly head in one way or another my entire life.  I watched close family members endure bouts of agoraphobia.  I witnessed various methods of self-destruction in an attempt to battle social anxiety.  I see current family members struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder and agoraphobia.  And I, too, experienced panic attacks, generalized anxiety and agoraphobia to the point it was necessary to seek outside help.

"Adult anxiety can often be traced to untreated childhood anxiety . . ."
– (excerpt) Paul Foxman, Ph.D.

Sometimes, when wallowing in the pit with our peers, its difficult to imagine life being any other way.  Particularly when family members are those who are enduring the struggles.  Its all you know.  Its an endless cycle of symptom swapping . . . or . . . does it have to be?  Feelings of aloneness, solitude and freakishness or other definitions are also commonly floating through the minds of these sufferers.

". . . you are not alone in your struggle.  Believe me, you are not."
– (excerpt) Ellen M. Dubois

Reading and rereading the stories of thirty-one diverse individuals in Jenna Glatzer's Conquering Panic and Anxiety Disorders: Success Stories, Strategies, and Other Good News anthology was like breathing fresh air for the first time after spending several months trapped in a cave.  The bravery, triumphs and courage described in these passages shined new light and gave new meaning to what I thought could never change.  Its evident to me now that the ability to heal is within us all.

"The attitude that maintains my happiness is the attitude of gratitude."
– (excerpt) Corinna Fritz

Commentaries are provided by Paul Foxman, Ph.D. at the end of each story.  Not only does he pick apart what each individual went through, his explanations offer further page-turning appeal for those trying to jimmy the lock on the door to their personal freedom from these disorders.

Resources are available throughout the book in the way of book recommendations, support groups and therapy options just to name a few.  Glatzer also has a list compiled at the end of the book for quick reference.  Each story, commentary and resource featured in this book creates not only an uplifting piece of inspiration, but also a strong weapon to add to the arsenal against these disorders.

Review by Bob Rich, Australian psychologist and author of Anger and Anxiety:

This book is a must for everyone who has suffered from undue anxiety, or from a long list of physical symptoms that has had the doctors baffled-for not all doctors recognize the symptoms of anxiety. It is also a wonderful resource for psychologists.

I have been a psychologist for a long time, and have worked with many an anxiety sufferer, but I learned lots from Dr. Foxman's comments at the end of each chapter. For example, 'In order for PTSD victims to improve, they must give themselves permission to recover.' Many of the contributors taught me new insights too.   

The book contains thirty-one personal stories. They are indexed by the problem affecting the sufferer, and by the helpful techniques described within the stories.    From the Foreword by Professor David Barlow, who is a leader in the field of research on the treatment of anxiety disorders: 'Not everyone benefits from the same treatment. Among those who do benefit from one or another treatment, not everyone is "cured." That is why the book you are about to read is so important. It is increasingly easy to find descriptions of one treatment or another in a magazine or on a website. But seldom do we find how individuals-real people-incorporate these treatments into their lives along with many other techniques, remedies, and suggestions that have enabled each of the thirty-two individuals portrayed in this book to fight the good fight and overcome, for the most part, their anxiety disorders.'   

Jenna Glatzer's Prologue: 'While editing this book, I also got a few notes from people who wrote to tell me that this was a futile effort, because no one really "recovers" from an anxiety disorder; they just learn to deal with it better. I didn't come this far in my life to learn how to "deal." I came here to conquer. I told these naysayers, with all due respect, that the entire purpose of my book was to prove them wrong.'   

Dr Foxman reports in his Introduction that anxiety disorders are the most common sources of distress, outranking even depression. He states that 25% of Americans will suffer from severe anxiety at some point in their lifetime. A recovered sufferer himself, he writes: 'My treatment philosophy is based on the belief that anxiety is largely a learned reaction to stress, and that with practice it can be replaced by more productive responses.'   

The first chapter is Jenna's own story, and it had me in tears: wonderful evocative writing worthy of a great novelist--and every word ringing true. I have worked with agoraphobics, and this was it.    I

 was rather saddened that many of the contributors could only climb out of their terrible situation through the extended use of drugs. Dr. Foxman's comments on this issue are valid and wise.   

Renee Decter's story shows that even the worst cases of anxiety disorder can be beaten through therapy alone, without drugs.   

In my experience, drugs may be necessary in the initial stages of fighting back, so that the sufferer can mask the symptoms enough to have the energy to fight back. Beyond that, it is actually helpful to be able to feel the anxiety, so that it can be weakened with cognitive-behavioural tools. You can only work on the problem when you feel it.   

I could lift many wonderful quotes from the many contributors, but a few will do: in Chapter 6, Kim Phelan wrote: 'Anxiety is a gift in that it forces us to change if we can face the challenge of dealing with it.' Gene Gillam in Chapter 13 made me want to hug him as he wrote: 'So what if you fall down? That's why they invented getting up.' Jacqueline Hampton in Chapter 22: 'Sometimes the best way to conquer fear is to give yourself permission to be afraid of something and then to do it anyway.'   

Jenna writes at the end: 'I want you to close this book with three thoughts in mind: You are not crazy, you are not alone, and there is hope.' This is spot on.    The Resources section at the end of the book is a valuable list of tools for fighting anxiety.   

As an editor, I often get annoyed with published books that are poorly written, full of typos and poor in grammar. This book was wonderfully produced. I found only one minor typo, and it is clear that Jenna is as meticulous in the writing part of her work as in the healing.