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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
This book covers so much and lays it on simply, with a warm hug and a blast of encouragement. This approach is nothing like I’ve experienced before and that’s why it worked for me. I can say (and this is not an exaggeration) that it is incredibly life changing.
I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is suffering with anxiety.
I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is suffering with anxiety.
So far so good, I’ve been using the DARE approach and it’s really helped. It’s a day to day thing but I look forward to seeing how this changes my life. Highly recommended.
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Highly recommend for those navigating through anxiety. Helped a lot of approaches/topics from meditation and therapy “click” for me, and are already making a big difference!
I think that this book could be helpful to people, but the way I think Christians should deal with and understand anxiety is entirely different than what is described in this book, so this one wasn’t for me.
Let me start by saying I don't think this book's advice is not useful, but I think that it is lacking in a number of areas that are too blatant for me to (personally) overlook. Personal background (as this definitely puts this review into context): I have had C-PTSD since early childhood, and have also been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and depression (since recovered; C-PTSD is managed well).
My first red flag is that I am immediately skeptical of anyone who claims "this one simple trick is the cure!" I was immediately off-put by the author's simplistic attitude towards anxiety recovery and is a general gripe of mine with the self-help genre.
I sort of came back to it as he mentioned his response -- I can see why this would be helpful and don't necessarily disagree with his approach. A little simplistic, sure, but there's not much to criticize other than the fact that there was a lot of repetition and anecdotes I could have done without (but that's mostly personal preference; I can see why some would like this because of the nature of the book).
I also think he focused too much on the physical manifestations of anxiety, and I do worry about people with more severe disorders "running towards anxiety" without adequate individual support of a therapist, counselor, or community - I would worry this could be extremely triggering and potentially harmful to some individuals -- but maybe that's a larger issue with self-help books not being a substitute for therapy.
My real issues with this book came towards the end, particularly in the chapter about "crutches." There was definitely a classic western individualistic tone throughout the book (and a lot of it was fine), but this section REALLY bothered me.
From the book - "They may need the assistance of a crutch, such as a safe person or medication, to get them through it." First of all - What?? I understand where the author is coming from, but in what world is medication or community support a crutch? I was on medication for the better part of 4 years, and it allowed me to dampen my intense anxiety so I could work through it through therapy and other modalities. The shame-laden association of "crutch" really struck me the wrong way.
One other thing that bothered me was the lack of nuance around safety - throughout the book, the author says things like "If you think about it, needing a crutch is a sign that you still do not fully trust that you’re safe." - well, what if you aren't safe? This book seems targeted to a specific demographic, which I suppose is fine but...I don't know. This didn't sit right with me particularly as someone whose anxiety developed because of long-term abuse.
Overall, it isn't a bad book and I can't knock most of the substance, but I also think it's overly simplistic and lacks nuance where I think it was necessary.
The book ended after a pages-long rant about how sufficient water-drinking and attending stand-up comedy shows were (in part) the key to anxiety reduction, so I will end with the same line I used to comment on that second to last chapter - "???? Bye"
My first red flag is that I am immediately skeptical of anyone who claims "this one simple trick is the cure!" I was immediately off-put by the author's simplistic attitude towards anxiety recovery and is a general gripe of mine with the self-help genre.
I sort of came back to it as he mentioned his response -- I can see why this would be helpful and don't necessarily disagree with his approach. A little simplistic, sure, but there's not much to criticize other than the fact that there was a lot of repetition and anecdotes I could have done without (but that's mostly personal preference; I can see why some would like this because of the nature of the book).
I also think he focused too much on the physical manifestations of anxiety, and I do worry about people with more severe disorders "running towards anxiety" without adequate individual support of a therapist, counselor, or community - I would worry this could be extremely triggering and potentially harmful to some individuals -- but maybe that's a larger issue with self-help books not being a substitute for therapy.
My real issues with this book came towards the end, particularly in the chapter about "crutches." There was definitely a classic western individualistic tone throughout the book (and a lot of it was fine), but this section REALLY bothered me.
From the book - "They may need the assistance of a crutch, such as a safe person or medication, to get them through it." First of all - What?? I understand where the author is coming from, but in what world is medication or community support a crutch? I was on medication for the better part of 4 years, and it allowed me to dampen my intense anxiety so I could work through it through therapy and other modalities. The shame-laden association of "crutch" really struck me the wrong way.
One other thing that bothered me was the lack of nuance around safety - throughout the book, the author says things like "If you think about it, needing a crutch is a sign that you still do not fully trust that you’re safe." - well, what if you aren't safe? This book seems targeted to a specific demographic, which I suppose is fine but...I don't know. This didn't sit right with me particularly as someone whose anxiety developed because of long-term abuse.
Overall, it isn't a bad book and I can't knock most of the substance, but I also think it's overly simplistic and lacks nuance where I think it was necessary.
The book ended after a pages-long rant about how sufficient water-drinking and attending stand-up comedy shows were (in part) the key to anxiety reduction, so I will end with the same line I used to comment on that second to last chapter - "???? Bye"
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced