| I recently had my book on anxiety published. In collaboration with a wonderful group of people that make up a tremendous publishing company, we landed on the title: Anxiety Disorders Made Simple: Treatment Approaches To Overcome Fear and Build Resiliency. The book "Anxiety Disorders Made Simple" is inspired by many who courageously face their fears head on. I have three sisters who have inspired me in many different ways. Sadly, we all live so far away – two in Colorado and one in California. Each of them have amazing husbands and wonderful children! Each of my sisters are fearless and great mothers. And, each of them inspire me in their willingness to face their fears directly, to do whatever it takes for love, and to do it fearlessly. My book contains a number of vignettes and stories to inspire individuals wrestling with fears and anxieties. One of my favorite sayings that I quote from the Marriage Doctor in the Twin Cities – Dr. John Buri, is, “If you go against your reinforcement history, you are in for a fight.” It is not easy to go against one’s own programming. If you are used to withdrawing from others, making the phone call is anxiety producing. One of the keys to overcoming fear and anxiety is going against one’s own reinforcement history. You see this from veterans returning from combat who have to face the fireworks this 4th of July as their bodies experience visceral reactions and serve as sharp reminders of IED explosions. I just watched a movie that centers on young adults falling in love and learning to fight for love. In a key moment, the young woman yells to her boyfriend, “You’re a coward. You don’t fight for love. You are terrified of it.” Her exclamation was timely in that her boyfriend was tempted to withdraw after he heard the woman’s father proclaim “you are not good enough for my daughter.” After encouragement from his own father, the young man learned to overcome circumstances to fight for love. In the story, he had to overcome and go against his own reinforcement history. My book is written for counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurse practitioners, physicians, and psychiatrists who provide treatment for individuals struggling with anxiety. It is also an easy read for anybody interested in learning some of the key psychological (AND LIFE) principles in taking life head on fearlessly, courageously, with resilience, and to establish more freedom in life. Some of my favorite quotes come from Yoda in Star Wars. Yoda said, “Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.” One of the leading interventions for dealing with worries is learning how to LET GO. But, there is more to it than just the simple words. Taking it head on has to do with the feelings of being afraid of letting go. College counselors and marriage therapists know that one of their difficult tasks is helping people cope with their anxiety around LOVE. For some of us, love brings up past hurts. Another Yoda quote fits well here (a comment to Obi Wan Kenobi), “If into the security recordings you go, only pain will you find.” Sometimes looking back, pain is in our reinforcement history. But the security recordings of our history should not keep us where we are. The life of resilience and overcoming fear involves leaving our comfort zone and not letting the pain prevent us from loving again. | This video suggests that anybody can have access to the same info that therapists and experts have. ANXIETY DISORDERS MADE SIMPLE "A wealth of practicality and wisdom that makes it a 'must-read' for anyone interested in dealing with the challenges of anxiety and its complex manifestations." - Dr. Riggio |
