Anxiety, Phobias, and Panic

January 31, 2005
Decades ago, when Peurifoy, a researcher and therapist, became interested in studying agoraphobia, not much information was available about the painful, self-imprisoning, psychological affliction. Victims of irrational fears avoid leaving their homes, driving alone, shopping and opening the door to the postman. Their families' finances and wellbeing suffer as well. Now, thanks in part to Peurifoy's immersion in the subject, anxiety related avoidance behavior such as social phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder can be managed, if not completely eradicated in some cases. What makes this revised edition of his 1988 guide better than others on the topic is its range and accessibility. Explaining the complicated dynamics of the nervous system, including the brain, Peurifoy presents a practical, thoroughly informative manual in which he persistently encourages the reader to perform the recommended activities for the best results. Disabling panic attacks, the reader learns, arise from the crossed wires of a complex biological system. Panic symptoms experienced during one frightening event become linked with exaggerated thoughts and feelings, which themselves attach to other events. Using Peurifoy's guiding principles, the victim learns to sidestep conditioned behavioral and cognitive responses. Performing the appropriate lessons, the reader can improve lost self-esteem and assertiveness, manage anger and negativity, reduce perfectionism and regain the ability to move freely in the world. Peurifoy, it seems, has put his whole life's knowledge and work into this book, so that it benefits people with even simple anxiety. And he has given victims of acute anxiety, phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder real reason to hope.