Books, etc. you should beg, buy, or borrow.

Books and other materials I have found helpful are listed here. Some material is recorded on tape and others are CD-based lesson plans that are very effective.

I try to read everything I can get my hands on - and so do most of my fellow sufferers. We discuss what we have read, we share ideas, trade tapes, and all that. The Public Library has some good materials, but they seem to always be checked out! I have listed some favorites here that have helped me along with some that have been highly recommended.

  • Today is Your Day to Win. This is a free book - yep, it's free - that deals with how you feel about yourself. Low self-esteem and feelings of low worth are two of our biggest enemies. The book walks you through that - I found it very powerful and uplifting (and FREE!)

  • Dr. Andrew Weil (we've all seen him on Oprah) gives specific and detailed information on diet, exercise, stress reduction, breathing techniques, vitamins, supplements, herbs, and all the other components in the eight-week program. He customizes programs for special groups of people: pregnant women, overweight people, recovering alcoholics and drug abusers, those dealing with or overcoming heart problems, former cancer sufferers, people over 65, and a dozen other categories.

  • I have to quote the author, Dennis Lewis about how the way we breathe shapes every aspect of our lives. Unfortunately, he says, "Few of us in today's stress-filled world breathe in a free, natural, and harmonious way," says Lewis. "Our mostly fast, constricted breathing undermines our physical, emotional, and spiritual health," and "reduces our capacity to sense, feel, think, and act in clear, sensitive, and effective ways."

  • Diagonally-Parked in a Parallel Universe provides systematic, proven methods for successfully coping. Written with humor by a psychologist and former social anxiety sufferer, it uses a life-strategy approach which can significantly alleviate sufferers' anxiety and help them achieve their goals and work toward their potential.

  • There's a great site that is totally devoted to happiness - what it is, types of happiness, where to find happiness, how to stay happy. It is a great boost if you can use some happy thoughts right about now. The site is definitely worth a look. More stress relief tips and techniques: thehappyguy.com

  • Don't Panic: Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks is a good guide offering help to those who suffer from panic anxiety...explains how panic attacks occur and offers a five-step strategy for controlling those attacks.

  • This is not a book, but it gives me more relief and quick relief than anything else I have tried. It is a breathing reminder called The BreathMinder and it was designed for panic and anxiety sufferers who don't want to attract attention as they try to stay focused.

    The BreathMinderClick thumbnail for larger image

  • An experienced professional counselor offers an understanding of common nervous disorders--from mild anxiety and stress to severe agorophobia--and shows how they can be controlled. It's 384 pages, and all good material.

  • Dr. Weil on Breathing!

    This is a complete course of eight breathing exercises that Dr. Andrew Weil uses in his own life, and has prescribed to hundreds of patients over the past two decades. In plain language, Dr. Weil explains the secret of breathwork’s power over our health, and its ability to influence – and even reprogram – the nervous system. Dr. Weil said "If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly."

  • Triumph Over Fear combines Jerilyn Ross's firsthand account of overcoming her own disabling phobia with inspiring case histories of recovery from other forms of anxiety, including panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. State-of-the-art information is combined with powerful self-help techniques, together with clear indications of when to seek additional professional help and/or medication. Also included is the latest research on anxiety disorders in children, plus advice for dealing with family members and employers.

  • I am fond of books on tape because they not only bring more life to the material, but also some sound effects, background, etc. Here's one from Alice D. Domar, Ph.D., who established the first Mind-Body Center for Women s Health. This tape includes a nature-based, guided relaxation experience in 5.1 surround sound, which envelopes you totally.

  • This is a new program that helps listeners activate their own "inner healing" resources to promote well-being. Includes a do-it-anywhere five-minute "quickie" visualization exercise that can be used at a moment's notice to relieve stress when relief is most needed. I just recently heard about this one and it has gotten good reviews.

  • Instead of pills, maybe you can "rewire" your brain! This is an interesting book that gives scientific evidence that your anxiety, depression, anger, obsessiveness, or impulsiveness could be related to how specific structures in your brain work. This doctor is saying that you're not stuck with the brain you're born with. Dr. Daniel Amen gives some rather surprising "brain prescriptions" that seem to have an effect (such as his "anti-anger" diet, how to stop obsessive worrying, and some simple breathing techniques to achieve immediate calm, etc.)

  • I got some help from this simple, straightforward guide and I recommend it as a "first book." It helps readers understand the overwhelming feelings associated with anxiety disorders, simple phobias, panic disorders, and agoraphobia.

  • Also, Claire Weekes has a great collection of eight radio lectures she copyrighted while working in Australia. The "book" contains two casette tapes and is the best source I know of on how to work through panic attacks.


  • Here's a terrific book that belongs in everyone's library and, since Publisher's Weekly says it best, I'll quote them here: "According to the ancient Chinese discipline of chi kung (pronounced chee gung), the body's energy is released by the air breathed into it. Zi, a classically trained American singer raised in China, has adapted that idea in an intriguing method she calls chi zi. (Chi means breath, breathing or air.) Her premise is that controlled breathing can create new sources of life-enhancing energy."

  • Before beginning any course of treatment and/or medications, you should read Dr. Shipko's latest book - subtitled "What You Need To Know." Dr. Shipko specializes in Psychiatry and Neurology in his clinic in Pasadena, California where he directs the Panic Disorder Institute. Having treated over 1,500 patients with panic disorder, he is clearly one of the foremost authorities currently available.

  • This is a treatment manual on GAD. It offers a scientifically sound cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol but it is presented in user-friendly language. Individuals with GAD can either work through it on their own or with a therapist.

  • A ten-step approach I recommend this book because it takes a sensible, clinically based approach. It teaches ten simple steps to overcoming the problem and maintaining an anxiety-free life. In the first chapter, for example, readers learn how to deal with physical symptoms by mastering three essential relaxation techniques. Each strategy provides something the reader can do right then to achieve immediate results.

  • I liked this book because the author examines the biological and emotional causes of anxiety, including stress, trauma, fear, and rigid parenting. He also discusses the physical consequences of anxiety such as ulcers, sleep disorders, and increased risk of other illnesses. He also explores the treatment of everyday anxiety and provides practical advice on stress management. This book is readable and well organized; its clear style, realistic examples, and practical advice helped me understand the processes he was describing.

  • I try to read everything I can on anxiety and found this doctor's concept very interesting.

    Recent research has been encouraging and is presented in his book by Dr. David V. Sheenan, formerly of the Harvard Medical School, who is now the Director of Research of the College of Medicine at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Dr. Sheenan explains that the more unexpected and unprovoked the attacks or the symptoms, the more likely that the victim is suffering from a biologically beset disease. What's more, medical science can now overcome this disease in virtually all cases through a combination of drugs and behavior therapy.

  • In Dr. Andrew Weil's self-healing series, proper breathing is considered the most important practice for healthy living. This is a 2 CD set in which Dr. Weil not only teaches eight fundamental breathing exercises, but also keeps listeners entertained with anecdotes from his own medical practice. The entire production has the warm quality of listening to an interview, so it helps you to be more receptive to the methods he shares.

  • Here's a great book from therapist Gay Hendricks, who has refined the most important breathing practices into a mainstream healing tool. Based on his 20 years experience, Hendricks says proper breathing can provide dramatic benefits, ranging from lowered blood pressure and pain reduction to elimination of depression and anxiety.

  • Support Group This is a great book that covers leadership skills for all kinds of small groups, including Bible study, fellowship, task, and support groups. It's designed to help you hit the ground running by giving you all the tools and information you need without making you wade through a lot of theory.

  • Support Group There's another great little book that covers all aspects of forming, organizing, publicizing, and leading a group; how to get started with discussion subjects, study materials, speakers; shares ten characteristics of an effective group, as well as a Twelve Step and other programs; using the telephone and on-line support; and a "trouble-shooters" guide.

  • Support Group This small book provides a great practical guide for anyone wanting to initate a support group of virtually any kind. I think it is more helpful than college texts that I found in the local Community College library.

  • Post-Traumatic Stress My husband and I were in Hurricane Andrew and we identify with this book. We became impressed with this book because it is sensitive and concise and focuses on the healing of the survivor. Aphrodite Matsakis is a great author who’s style is clear and firm.

  • Good book on OCD - some experts emphasize medication to treat the biological roots of OCD and others stress its psychological component. In his book, Dr. Johnathan Grayson's approach combines the best of both schools of thought with compassion.

  • Panic Disorder To learn more about Panic Disorder, this is written by a therapist (Ph.D.) who has specialized in treating anxiety disorders for more than 15 years. She teaches the physiology of panic attacks and provides tips on how to change thinking and to relax.

  • Workbook Here's a workbook that presents step-by-step guidelines, questionnaires, and exercises to help sufferers learn skills and make lifestyle changes to help them get relief from most symptoms. Expanded coverage of traditional and new medications, plus supplements and herbs such as kava, St. John's wort, and SAM-e, and an updated list of resources and Web sites make this a very useful and up-to-date workbook.

  • "Help, I Think I'm Dying! is an outstanding consumer guide in helping people understand panic attacks and phobias. It not only provides the lay public with a down-to-earth explanation of panic, anxiety and phobias, but it also furnishes them with sensible guidance on how to select professionals who will responsibly and effectively treat individuals with this disorder.

    When you click over to Barnes and Noble or Amazon.Com, they will suggest other reading on your topic. This is a very helpful feature they have. I found some new books that way and it has given me a helpful way to find similar reading on a particular topic. I have also been able to find other material that a particular author has out now. Check it out and browse around, you can enter their site by clicking on one of the books I talked about above.

    Like I said at the beginning of this page, beg them or borrow them or buy them, but get some good reading materials and some relaxation tapes. I find myself turning to them over and over to reinforce techniques and to stay centered.

    Page last updated April 5, 2009

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