Complete Self Help for Your Nerves

by Claire Weekes

Book by Weekes, Claire

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology

183 pages, Hardcover

First published March 26, 1997

About the author

Dr Hazel Claire Weekes MBE was an Australian general practitioner and health writer. She also had an early career as a research scientist working in the field of comparative reproduction. She is considered by some as the pioneer of modern anxiety treatment via Cognitive Therapy. She continues to be noted for her books on dealing with anxiety disorders. Many of today's anxiety self-help books continue to cite her work.

Reviews

[Jo Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I have ever read for those who suffer with the dreaded NERVES! My dad gave it to me when I was going through what I now know was a nervous breakdown. It's an old book but I thought I'd give it a try and I couldn't believe how anyone could describe so accuratley what I was going through. I cried alot whilst reading it, but at the end of the book I definatley felt ALOT better!I don't know whether Claire Weekes herself is a sufferer but she certainly knows the subject inside out.I would recommend this book highly to anyone who is feeling confused and desperate with this illness. Apart from it helping me with coping strategies, it made me realise that I was by no means alone, and certainly not going mad! Thankyou Claire Weekes and God Bless.

[Ivana Oltovska · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

[Alex Peace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is an essiential read for any sufferers of anxiety, especially complicated by health worries and a constant fear of panic. Really never found an author to put into words the awful feelings of nervous illness and anxiety. The heart worry and the feeling of tension is all explained and in my mind, it has calmed me to know I am just one of many sufferers of a difficult feeling that can indeed be put to rest. I really hope many read this as it is far beyond modern knowledge and gives a perfect calming insight into both the struggle and the remedy in facing these feelings and floating past them as if they are just part of the process of recovery. I hope one day I can be truly free of these feelings but for now, it is good to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

My only gripes about this book is the elaboration of floating and the idea of practicing this. I love this concept, however I would love to find more on this theory and how it can be done even in gradual ways. Despite this, I am glad this is my first read in 2019 and again would recommend it in helping shut down the tons and tons of misinformation going around google and other sites.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read At Last A Life, it totally changed my life with its unorthodox (or so I thought) approach to anxiety that actually worked. It didn’t contain the usual exhortations that I just needed to eat right, meditate and be mindful and then my anxiety would be ‘managed’. Instead it just had some very simple advice: stop trying to get better, let the suffering wash over you, stop fearing your own fear, and let your body heal itself.

Little did I know that Dr. Claire Weekes had actually figured all of this out back in the 60s! If I had have read this book first, it would have blown my mind and put my whole world to rights, in much the way that David’s book did, because it contains all the same principles. But this book is actually better, and is what I’d recommend to people from now on, because she is actually a doctor, and it appears she was the pioneer of the ideas that David’s book (and perhaps many others) subsequently built upon.

I had no idea that she is considered a pioneer of anxiety treatment and that her books have actually been runaway bestsellers. How is it that I had never heard of them, and that none of her work ever found me when I was madly casting around for help with anxiety? It’s a real shame. But no matter – I was put onto it by a review of the recently released title The Woman Who Cracked the Anxiety Code: the extraordinary life of Dr Claire Weekes, which I also plan to read. And even though I am doing fine these days, I still enjoyed reading this book.

So: if you have anxiety, read this book! It will change your life.

[Winston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful, encouraging one to face, accept, float or enter into and allow time to pass when dealing with fears, anxieties, nervous disorders and depressions. It seeks to change stinking thinking not by fighting or avoiding but recognizing and facing then dealing with how we perceive what is happening to us. It affirms anxieties and depressions as real yet also recognizes that we can get through them. We can make choices how to think, act and do through nervous and mental disorder often with outside help and support including medication. Though she seems quick to want to get people off meds in some cases meds are needed for long term support to provide or assist the body in utilizing the good chemicals it produces effectively.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chance find that I read with caution - you're vulnerable and you want sound and good advice. Dr Weekes earned trust by understanding and accurately describing what it's like, then offers her advice in a kind but no nonsense tone: face, accept, float, give it time.

Her modality weaves in nicely and is compatible with other, more recent, approaches - most salient for me, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

This theme of acceptance is so wonderful, and has a rich history that reaches back thousands of years in the faith traditions, giving it a depth dimension that makes it all the more efficacious.

[Kate Booth · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you’re reading this book in the 21st century, approach with caution. I read this book after encountering the work of Dr Elaine Aron and should have paid more attention to the context in which Dr Weekes was writing: the 1960s. However, once I got my head around the context and overlooked the gendered assumptions scattered through the book, it was a helpful read with a few gems on how to tackle nervous systems that have been fundamentally disrupted. Dr Weekes clearly empathises with the specific struggles of her patients, which comes through in her writing.

[zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a huge driving force in my recovery from intense anxiety, the advice was clear and i loved hearing stories and experiences from the perspective of clients. I really appreciate that i am able to look back on certain sections whenever i need to, if i have a particularly troubling symptom. The only problem i have with the book is that about halfway through it starts getting repetitive with the advice, so i feel like it could have been cut down a bit, but other then that i really enjoyed it and it was very helpful.

[Rhonda Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical, accessible and written in plain English.

As someone who has had a burnout in the past, I wish I had this book at the time to help take away the fear of what I was going through.

But now I know better, and thanks to this book I have a better understanding of how I can deal with anxiety and fear better in the future.

A few people have told me about this booking saying it literally ‘saved their life’.

[Helen Cummings · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the biography about Dr Claire Weekes by Judith Hoare I was interested to read one of Dr Weekes books. Though it was written in the 1960s I felt her advice was sensible and would still apply today. Dr Weekes recommended strategy of facing, accepting, floating and letting time pass seems like very good advice and a good way of dealing with life’s problems.

[Millie Trinh]

Was recommended this book after expressing anxiety at medical issues and I’m so happy I read it! It perfectly describes some of the things that I’ve been feeling and gave ideas on how to deal with them!

[Flurry Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

หนังสือเล่มนี้น่าจะเป็น How to ที่บอกวิธีการรักษาอาการวิตกกังวลที่เป็นรูปธรรมมากที่สุดเล่มหนึ่งเลยล่ะ เป็นรูปธรรมแบบที่อ่านจบแต่บะบทแล้วลองทำตามได้เลย สิ่งที่ชอบคือน้ำเสียงของผู้เขียนทั้งเห็นใจและให้กำลังใจกับผู้ป่วยตลอด ฉบับแปลภาษาไทยที่อ่านอยู่คนแปลเก่ง แปลออกมาได้ดีจริงๆ

[Marie Jeffery · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books I have ever read. It has not aged well. The way of thinking in it is so dated, it’s sexist, condescending, contradictory, and probably the worst of all is that it’s set out really poorly, terribly edited. Would not recommend to anyone.

[Rob Markley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is repetitive and specialist but this is amazing healing support for those who are prone to panic attacks and paranoid worry. That is the point!

[Amanda Wakelam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical advice for dealing with anxiety. Although this book was written years ago, the advice is still as current as ever. So helpful!

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful book for those suffering from anxiety or related illnesses. Found many easy to follow suggestions

[Fai C. - · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very comforting

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on anxiety I've read. Simple and practical

[RoryTheNorthernLight · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s calming

[Erin Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

2008 edition with a new chapter and 264 pages.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claire Weekes was so ahead of her time in explaining and understanding the complexities and nuances of anxiety and OCD.

The title is very "ye olde worlde" terminology, but dont let that put you off.

This and her other books explain so perfectly how the anxious, tired brain can get caught thinking a certain way, leading to fears, or "frights" as she refers to them.

Such a useful book for anyone trying to understand why they think the way they do.

I would especially recommend it to anyone dealing with OCD, Pure O and generalised anxiety. Its not overwhelming, but rather gives you everything you need to know and some ideas of how you can begin to tackle and confront your thoughts and behaviours in a gentle but effective way.

A must read, in my opinion.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although written for readers some 40 years ago, it still has a lot of relevance. If you suffer from anxiety and/or panic or know someone who does, it is certainly worth a read.