Sorry to all you folks who have heard all this before but we have to remember new people are joining all the time and this will be new to them.
A long time ago there was an Australian woman called Claire Weekes who was studying to be a doctor. She began to experience anxiety disorder, panic attacks and all the other bad feelings we know about. I'm sure many medical students suffer from anxiety but Weekes wasn't just any medical student: she developed a method that allowed her to recover from anxiety disorder. Then she wrote a book about her method so others could benefit and she devoted her medical career to help people recover using her method.
Since she wrote that book untold thousands have used her method to recover and if you check out the reader reviews on Amazon you'll see several hundred people have left reviews and 90% of them rate it excellent or very good. The book by the way is called 'Self help for your nerves' in the U.K. and 'Hope and help for your nerves' in the U.S. She wrote many other books but that first one is the one to go for. You will recognise yourself in its pages, its like she knows you and has written it for you personally. It explains why you are experiencing anxiety, its limitations and a road to recovery.
If you experience stress and worry for a long period your nervous system eventually becomes over sensitised and makes this known to you by sending you a variety of symptoms, many of which mimic real organic illness. These include stomach complaints, panic attacks, exaggerated fear of dying, palpitations, shimmering visual disturbances, body paind including chest pain and breathlessness to name but a few. We wonder what's hit us and rush to consult Doctor Google who suggests all sorts of terminal illnesses and so kore fear is generated which causes more anxiety which causes more feat and so on in a vicious circle. Even when doctors reassure us after medical tests that we are in good physical health we don't believe them and demand more tests. Sensitised nerves also exaggerate our normal fears ten-fold so the normal concern about dying becomes an obsession that death is imminent.
Claire Weekes tells us the first thing to do is to stop worrying about illnesses we don't have and concentrate on the illness we do have: Anxiety Disorder. So her first impetitive is to FACE what the problem and instead of fighting it to accept it for the time being instead. Fighting it only causes more fear and stress whereas if we can learn to Accept the symptoms with a minimum of fear we stop bombarding our nerves with anxiety and give them a chance to desensitise and recover. So ACCEPTANCE is her second imperitive for recovery. She explains that although anxiety can frighten us half to death it can't kill us, disable us or send us insane. Anxiety is just a bully pretending it can do those things so it is a fraud, a fake and a confidence trickster. So why fear something that is fake, far better to accept it and get on with your life knowing that by accepting it without further fear you are hastening your recovery.
I will not explain the two further imperitives which are explained fully in her book. But I commend her book to you even though it was written before some of you were born and Claire Weekes passed to life beyond some years ago, it has stood the test of time.
Claire Weekes was a wizard when it comes to guiding people to recovery through self help and her teachings continue their good work far beyond the boundaries of her native Australia. She was indeed the true Wizard of Oz and her method will surely help you along the Yellow Brick Road to Recovery.
Written by
Jeff1943
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Jeff1943 so good of you to remind us all about Dr Claire weeks as lots of new people and her books would really help anyone going through anxiety/panic attacks.she truly has helped thousands of people.
Thanks Jeff. I recently bought her audio book available at Audible.com. There is a free listening sample of 3 of her books. They are read by Claire Weeks herself.
Also, there's a psycho therapy around now called "acceptance and commitment therapy" or ACT. Although Claire weeks is not credited with founding ACT it is obvious that she was ahead of her time and pioneered the concept. I'm getting into that also Lots of free stuff online.
Are you aware of ACT ? Do you know how it differs from what Claire Weeks prescribes ?
Thanks for telling me that Meeasy, I hadn't looked into ACT, I'm afraid I don't wander far from Claire Weekes' teachings, they're the be all and end all as far as I'm concerned though I'm sure there are lots of more contemporary therapists who make valuable contributions and maybe even build on and develop the work of Claire Weekes. As they say, I really must get out more☺
these videos are brilliant I particularly like the struggle stitch one, as Jeff said Dr Weekes was a visioanry well ahead of her time and these show her work in its entirety, thank you so much for sharing them herexx
Thanks for this. I had heard about this book before and never got round to look for it. After reading your post, I have now ordered it and cannot wait to start reading.
After all this time, suffering all this horrible physical symptoms, having been checked by several medical practitioners assuring me my airways are clear and I am not going to choke or suffocate, I still struggle with the idea that 90% of it is Anxiety related. I simply cannot accept it and keep fighting it, just to cause myself more misery. Time has come for me to simply accept it.
Asianspirit, the book has been reprinted so many times with different covers so I can't say, go by the title: " Self help with your nerves" in the UK and 'Hope and help with your nerves' in the US. Claire Weekes wrote many other books but the one mentioned was first and foremost.
I just ordered "Self-help with your nerves" (UK). I hope to get it within the next 7-10 days. Btw, the US version - "Hope and help with your nerves", I'll try to get that one too. Thank you!
Asianspirit, it's exactly the same book it's just that it was given a different title for some reason in the U.S. I hope the book is as life-changing for you as it has been for me.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Sensitization/Claire Weekes
Bought a Claire Weekes book. 
Think I'm on the road to recovery 
Dr Claire weekes a must read!!
Essential Help For Your Nerves by Claire Weekes
