The Anxiety Cure

by Archibald D. Hart

Panic Anxiety is the number one mental health problem for women and second only to drug abuse among men. Synthetic tranquilizers can alleviate the symptoms of anxiety illnesses. However, in order to achieve lasting emotional tranquility, a significant lifestyle change must be made. The Anxiety Cure provides proven, natural strategies for overcoming panic disorder and finding an emotional balance in today's fast-paced world.

Genres: Counselling, Psychology, Health, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Self Help, Christian

263 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 1999

Reviews

[Trina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do have anxiety and suspect I've had one or two panic attacks before. A friend who went through an extreme trauma was given this book by her counselor and she in turn recommended it to me and another friend. Both of my friends rated this book highly and got useful information from it, so I'm not saying this is a bad book. I just personally didn't gain much from it. A boring read without much payoff.

Why I didn't like it:
Non-fiction. I'm not a big reader of non-fiction, but usually I enjoy the NF books I do read much more than this. This very much read like a text book and covered too broad of a range and I often felt like it was just a text infomercial promoting other books by the author.
Too technical. I really did not need to know all of the information given about psychology and receptors in the brain. I appreciate that he wants people to understand what's going on, but I really wanted more information on how to reduce anxiety instead of what anxiety is and what your brain is doing. (I already studied Psych for 4 years, cut to the chase!)
Repetitive. Ohhhhh, was it repetitive. Half of the book could have easily been cut out. I bet there were about 100 pages with new information. So many times this would happen: 'Sleep affects your level of anxiety. I will touch more in depth on sleep in a later chapter, but first let me tell you everything that later chapter will say.' And then there were a few paragraphs of actually useful information valid to the current chapter.
Few solutions. Lots was said about the importance of laughter, sleep, and most of all seeing a counselor, but sadly there was only one chapter that I actually found useful. It did provide real ways that a person can begin to tackle anxiety and panic on their own. However, it is a very time intensive method that includes writing down every thought you have during the day (practically) and I know for myself, when I am at work it is not possible to stop what I am doing to write down thoughts immediately or even every hour on the hour.

The thing I liked most about this book, which is ironic because it didn't provide any actual help at all, was learning the statistics of how many people experience panic, and what the symptoms represent as. I also enjoyed learning about the different kinds of anxiety and worry, which helped me understand what I have. The book did convince me to be happy with a slower lifestyle, but that is something I already wanted.

Overall I just don't believe that I learned anything that I haven't already read or couldn't have easily found on the internet, and unfortunately the methods offered up in this book for dealing with anxiety aren't very practical for me.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, I think this book can be very useful for an individual whose anxiety has spiraled out of control (as opposed to frequent worrying that doesn't lead to physical symptoms of panic). Most of the techniques for dealing with anxiety deal with panic attacks, and seem like they would be very helpful (I haven't had any panic attacks lately, so I couldn't test this hypothesis.) The information on medication is fine as far as it goes, but is out of date--newer antidepressants and other medication is available--so check with your doctor.

[Julie Verner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource for those of you who may struggle with anxiety. Upon reading this book, a reader will have a better understanding of what contributes to anxiety, how to manage anxiety, and when to seek professional help. He writes from a Christian perspective.

[Jacob Horner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually got a decent amount out of this book, and i do respect what the author was going for and even his perspective on a lot of things. That being said, i have two major complaints about this book.

1. This is a VERY Christian book, and the cover and beginning of the book do nothing to convey that. Every chapter starts with a Bible verse, and includes chapters like "Mastering Christian Meditation". A lot of the explanations go into stuff like "anxiety is a sin, so don't do have it if you can help it". Just really not what I was looking for, but again there was some decent information.

2. A lot of peddling his other work. His relaxation tape (which is also very outdated) is mentioned like 20 times, and he constantly reminds the reader to buy his tape and other books. Appendix A of the book is "How to Order Dr. Hart's Relaxation Training Tape".

This was a lesson to me to scrutinize a bit more before getting a random book at a bookstore, but i don't regret reading it. It went on too long and a lot of it felt kind of undirected and like rambling, but not awful. If you're a traditional, devout Christian dealing specifically with panic attacks, this book will probably be a 5/5 for you. If you're anyone else, expect a 3/5 or lower.

[Keri · Rating 5 out of 5]

By the same author as Sleep: It Does the Body Good, this book was tremendously helpful in explaining the physiology behind anxiety. I've struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember, but I never knew what chemical and physiological forces were behind it. By gaining this understanding, I was able to make some changes in my habits and start making different choices in my life that have led to an overall decreased level of anxiety, as well as better sleep. Again, I highly recommend this book as I highly recommended the author's book on sleep.

[Mario Russo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book related to anxiety, it could be much better if the author didn't keep pushing and pushing towards Christianity. It bugged me specially the part where it comes to "Christianism meditation"

"For the Christian, meditation takes on a very special meaning. It is not the same as yoga or Zen Buddhism, and it should never be reduced to just this level of experience."

Really, Dr. Hart?

[Michael Locklear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though dated, this book is insightful and encouraging. Dr. Hart gives sound advise to those suffering from anxiety in regards to their thinking and sleep habits.

[Jeremy Manuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was actually a pleasant surprise to me. I was expecting a book that I wasn't going to like and actually found this book to be fairly enjoyable. Most of the shortcomings I mention will come from simply not being up to date regarding some of the medications and things since the book is 24 years old.

Christianity and psychology often have a fraught relationship with many Christians looking down on the whole enterprise, only accepting certain Christian approaches to psychology, or at least being very suspicious of taking medication for psychological issues like anxiety. This book does none of these and even acknowledges some of these views within the book.

I'm not sure whether this is a positive or a negative of the book, but the book spends a fair amount of time mentioning some of the typically Christian views on the need for psychological treatment, particularly those involved with anxiety. Overall, I'd say it is a good thing, but if you're not one who has experienced or holds those views it probably won't be super helpful.

I did tend to enjoy the way he explained about anxiety, stress, and panic attacks. I felt he did a good job of trying to make people realize that they're not alone in having to deal with these issues and that there is treatment available. Even more important is that this treatment doesn't mean there is something wrong with you or that you aren't trusting in God enough or whatever.

As I said earlier the biggest issue with the book is that it is simply a bit outdated. I know at least one of the medications mentioned is now a controlled substance now, so I imagine there could be other things that are out of date like other medications having issues or new medications that have been developed since then. It's kind of hard to fault the book for this, but at the same time it's something that makes books like these not be accurate after time. That's the danger of writing in subject areas that change fairly rapidly. It's also quite possible that some of his treatments may not be standard anymore, but I don't know enough to say one way or another.

A negative that would be present regardless of the time period is that the author references other works a bit too much. I don't mind him talking about other books so much, but when he was advertising an audio tape to help with relaxation, that was a little too far for me. If he only mentioned it once, that's fine, but he mentioned it a few times which just didn't quite feel right to me. Not to mention that this is also outdated by now.

Another slight annoyance was that when talking about Christian meditation he spent too much time trying to say that this wasn't New Age or based out of Eastern religions or stuff. It's one thing to say that these groups don't have a claim to all meditation out there, but I think it would have worked better to focus on what Christian meditation was without as much comparison.

This book was definitely better than I expected it to be. It's not bad if you are looking for a book to assure you that getting help for anxiety is not unchristian or something, and some general understanding of anxiety and what causes it. If it wasn't out of date I'd give it a bit of a higher rating, but since it is, it does limit how much I would probably recommend you getting the book. I'm sure there are more current resources available, but for what it is I did think the book a helpful resource, especially for Christians who may have heard that getting help for mental health issues like anxiety is some sort of taboo thing.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

To anyone who deals with even a very low level of anxiety on a semi-consistent basis: this may be one of the most helpful books you could ever read.

Some disclaimers: This is a very practical, very technical book that gives lots of steps and actionable advice. If you don't deal with anxiety at all and/or don't have the interest or attention span to deal with anything that's not an entertaining story, don't expect to get much out of this.

That said, this is an incredible tool for anyone who wants to overcome anxiety, restlessness, fears, or panic attacks. He breaks down the neurological/psychological/biological mechanisms at work and offers easy to digest solutions that anyone can put into practice immediately.

The author writes from a Biblical worldview but also with academic expertise. I can see how readers with other religious convictions might find occasional reason to roll their eyes as they read; but they would be foolish to reject the absolute BOUNTY of evidence-based suggestions and advice held within this book. And for those who share Archibald's own convictions - all the more reason to get on board.

Where many modern spiritual gurus have tried and failed to write effective and theologically congruent books on rest, sabbath, meditative prayer, and anxiety - Archibald kills 4+ birds with one stone and strikes to the heart of all these issues.

I started reading this book around the same time that I began listening to the 'Fight Hustle, End Hurry' podcast. I only deal with what I'd call a "fair" amount of anxiety, yet these two resources have been nothing short of life-changing for me.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone living in a modern world like this - dominated by busyness and unrest.

[Bethany Ames · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book has some good medical information in it about anxiety in the first few chapters. Then it’s all downhill. There’s more Christianity in this book than I felt comfortable with as someone who isn’t a Christian. I thought the book would be just science and it brought in a lot of faith, to the point where I was skipping large sections because it didn’t pertain to me because of religion. If I was a Christian I’m sure it would be helpful, but I wish I’d known ahead of time so I could’ve picked something different.

Then there’s the half a chapter on humor. Defining what humor is and how you can get more of it in your life (the answer is to read the Sunday comics and tell dad jokes). HALF OF A CHAPTER. This book also comes with a section on how exercise can be great for your anxiety because it helps you sleep and helps your body get rid of excess Adrenalin. But then later on tells you not to start exercising without talking to your therapist/psychiatrist/psychologist. Seems a bit counterintuitive to me TBH. Don’t tell me one solution piece and then tell me “oh wait nevermind.”

Overall I gained some good knowledge but had to DNF this book at 84% because it just wasn’t what I was looking for.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foundational Book on Anxiety and Panic
This book took me awhile, as I read, and reread, highlighted and I'm still taking notes and forming a plan. It falls into the "Self-Help" category, but has a lot of information and suggestions on finding relief from anxiety and panic disorders. Arch is a licensed psychiatrist, renowned teacher, speaker, and author. He knows what he's talking about and has applied it in practice. If you've done any research or had any experience on trying to find comfort and relief, you quickly come to realize that he knows what he's talking about, and that he has your best interest in mind.
I struggle with anxiety. I've read quite a bit on the subject. I've had counseling. I've had medical help and medications. I've had natural supplements. These are all well and good and I've benefited from all of them in their own way. But do you know what I haven't done? I haven't stuck with any of them. I have the knowledge, I'm working on a plan, now all I need to do is... well, do it! Please Lord give me the strength and discipline to do what it takes, Amen

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely think this is worth a read if you or someone you know is walking through daily-life-affecting anxiety. I picked it up at the beginning and height of anxiety attacks, and the information was essential when I knew little about what was happening. The author is straightforward and no-nonsense — this is a strength on one hand, and on the other, there wasn’t much noting of the nuances and “story” surrounding a life with anxiety. It seemed to see through the lens in only a few colors, when anxiety can take and hold the whole spectrum of color. Not everything struck a chord, but it’s undeniable that I learned a lot. It’s through and through a practical book — best accompanied with other resources and support.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much from this book and would recommend to anyone who has someone in their life who struggles with anxiety. He goes over anti-anxiety medication and their importance. He goes over different kinda of anxiety disorders and the different meanings behind the word anxiety and how to determine if your anxiety/worry is good or bad. He gives practical tips and guidelines of how to deal with anxiety and worry and when you need professional help. He even has a chapter on childhood anxiety. I feel like I now have the tools to talk about anxiety and to go deeper to understand it.

[Mbrookes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!

This was recommended by a friend, and I found it to be very helpful in understanding both the causes and possible cures for anxiety. I was able to pick up some great direction in dealing with anxiety in myself and others.

[LindaK · Rating 5 out of 5]

From both a professional and personal perspective, this book is an invaluable resource for people who want to understand what is going on physiologically when a panic attack occurs. The book also provides strategies to manage, and “ overcome panic disorder.”

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think it cures your anxiety but it gives advice on how to cure it - therapy.

[Dawn Shanks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Research is a bit dated, but still lots of practical strategies and tools to utilize for anxiety.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have PTSD and an Anxiety disorder. I started reading this book because i'm desperate for some kind of relief. At first i was a bit put off, and still am by his heavy push for medication. I'm already on medication, but I was hoping his ''cure'' would include something other than tranquilizing one's self.
His other ''cure'' was becoming a Vegan. It seems my options are not promising. Shooting myself with a tranquilizer dart is starting to become more tempting.
I gave this 5 stars for his relaxation techniques. Anyone with an anxiety disorder knows how hard it is to relax, we have to work at it, and work hard. I was a little apprehensive when i got to the chapter where he explained how to relax yourself in a panic attack or when your having anxiety, but they were surprisingly very simple and easy to do. Best of all, it actually worked.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by someone knowledgable in the mental health field, and I found it incredibly helpful. The one thing I didn't like is the Christian perspective that the author writes from. However, if you ignore the 5% of the book that is about Christianity, there's a lot of helpful info in there. Lots of people have trouble dealing with stress, anxiety, and even panic attacks, and this is the first book I've read that not only was enlightening as to how stress and anxiety work, but also how to healthily deal with them. Very useful and practical.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in graduate school, and I still refer to this often, and also refer this to friends who are having symptoms of anxiety and depression. The author demistifies the negative stigma of antidepressant's and helps to explain exactly what they do as SSRI's. It also explains which drugs are addictive and when drugs should be used for long term and short term use. However, it's not just about drugs. Not everyone needs drugs. Sometimes, just reducing caffine or getting more sleep can improve symptoms.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

After being diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, I needed some place to turn for more information. I hated the internet because that only made me more anxious. A friend recommended this book, and I am so thankful she did. It has sooooo much useful information on medications, counseling and other great relaxation techniques. The best part of the book is that it makes you feel like you are not alone and you are not going crazy.

[Terry Cave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I found it very helpful.

It is probably a little out of date now, but the underlying information will not have changed.

A must read for anyone suffering from Depression or Anxiety.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource book for myself and family for the past decade. Appreciate the explanation of the design of our minds and how we can get stuck in anxious patters and then... best of all... how to overcome!

[Briánna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely helpful. It got me thinking, that's for sure.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for people struggling with panic anxiety. It is super informative and helpful to any who want more knowledge on their condition

[Jeffrey Pardine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technical, yet Biblical.

[Tari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful not only with anxiety but also with how to deal with stress and learning how to wind down and relax. So grateful to my friend for sharing it with me!

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Likely useful for individuals who are struggling with anxiety. There is a good chance I may recommend this book to future clients, or assign it as homework for anxious individuals.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been very helpful to me, and it's one I'll continue to use for a long time.

[Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for dealing anxiety.