The Worry Cure: Seven Steps to Stop Worry from Stopping You

No other book has so radically challenged and CHANGED the way that I have perceived and reacted to situations as Robert Leahy's THE WORRY CURE.It is intensely practical,down-to-earth and so readable that it is not only a continued challenge to me,but a must for daily living.This is not a book that spouts platitudes,but rather a book of such common sense and wisdom that I find myself amazed at the silliness of my own thought processes and the joy of seeing myself undergoing a successful and daily change at the age of 52!This book is the most valuable resource that I have ever come upon in dealing in the realms of cognitive (behaviour-thought changing) therapy.Many of formally accepted and taught coping mechanisms that I had adopted,which never worked,have now been dispelled and new mechanisms to live have been grafted into my daily existence and,believe you me, they have been found positively to be 100% effective.Many people may not feel that they are worriers.I certainly never thought that worry was my root problem.Read this book.You just may find out that worry is that elusive "something" that has unknowingly been plagueing you ,your mind,your body and your soul all these years.I first borrowed this book from the library,but you will want to own your own copy as you will be underlining and highlighting and making many marginal notes and referring again and again to the practical therapeutic suggestions that Leahy postulates.

Dr. Robert Leahy is an emminent cognitive-behavioral therapist who has written a number of highly-acclaimed professional texts on the subject, to include a workbook on techniques for the practioner, a work on overcoming resistance, and dealing with "roadblocks" in therapy. That being said, The Worry Cure is a distillation of his works for mass-market publication, and in doing so, has performed a valuable public health service. While Dr. Leahy does not distinguish between "worry," which is not a clinical diagnosis, and "anxiety," which is, I came away from this book feeling strongly that it would greatly benefit those who, like me, suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Dr. Leahy begins the book by having the reader take a self-assessment. A number of questionnaires are designed to create your "worry profile, to include estimations of your, personal beliefs on self and relationships, and your ability to tolerate uncertainty. Dr. Leahy then lays out a seven-step worry-reduction plan, which begins with identifying productive and unproductive worry, progressing to improving skills for accepting reality, challenging worried thinking and learning to harness unpleasant emotions such as fear or anger. Leahy uses a number of case examples to cover the broad life anxieties that may spark dysfunctional thinking: relationships, health, money and work. Following Leahy's steps involves keeping emotion diaries, answering a battery of questions to monitor and challenge worries and maintaining regular vigilance over your thoughts. This is not a typical, frothy, feel-good, self-help book that you can run through and "tada" feel better. You will need discipline and commitment to your recovery to fllow Dr Leahy's perscriptions. Then, and only then can you expect relief to be on the way!

I was going through a difficult time in my life and someone recommended this book to me. I must confess I let it sit on my shelf for three months---I think because I was afraid I would find it too hard to use. But when I began reading the book--especially the first chapter-- I knew immediately that Dr. Leahy understood what I was going through. His style of writing made it easy for me to see myself in a new light. I also learned a lot about why I worry---and I am thankful that people have done research on this. Just as he says, I assume that if I don't know something for sure then it must be bad and I am constantly jumping to conclusions. Dr Leahy gave me a seven step program to handle my worries. The first step that I immediately found helpful was to realize that there is a difference between productive and unproductive worry. This was a relief because he wasn't telling me to stop worrying and be happy. And he gives a list of things to do when my worries start coming to me. I began to use the seven steps and I began feeling a little better in a few days. and then I began feeling a lot better. It wasn't perfect--which is another thing I realized was behind my worry. Dr. Leahy also discussed a fascinating area of research on worry---that people who worry are actually avoiding emotion. I began to recognize myself in that step, too. I was afraid of having bad feelings--I was afraid that I would get so depressed I couldn't stand it. I realized that I might have some good reasons to feel sad or anxious at times--but I didn't need to worry to get rid of those feelings. Another thing that was helpful is the chapter on how to handle failure. Being a perfectionist I always was afraid of failure. The author gives twenty things to say to yourself when you think of failure. I also enjoyed the direct and fun style of writing. I felt that he was sitting here talking to me and that he seems to have a sense of humor but also a sense of understanding how people struggle. There are so many helpful techniques and ideas in this book that I actually bought the paperback after I had the hardcover because I wanted to carry the book around with me. I keep reminding myself that worry is something I've been doing most of my life (I'm 43), but that I now have a lot of tools that I can use. Thanks for writing this book.

Bob Leahy has managed to write something unique and important in his newest book. "The Worry Cure" is grounded in the science of psychology, while written in a breezy style that will be accessible to professional and lay audiences alike. Dr. Leahy's book succeeds in being wise and at times very, very funny. His profile of how to make your worry worse, for example, is based on the most current research findings about worry, but with a presentation that made me laugh out loud at times. Dr. Leahy cuts through the maze of scholarly studies and teaches the public practical strategies for coping with life's difficulties, without the added misery brought on by out-of-control worry. It is rare for a scholar to write so well for the general public; it is even more rare for today's many popular psychologists to ground their work in good science. Bob Leahy does both, and an increasingly worried public will benefit from this very fine work.

Dr. Robert Leahy has written a book that will come as welcome tonic to the frazzled nerves of it's readers. This book not only outlines all of the reasons why people do worry, it highlights the methods that most people try to use to get rid of worry (try not to think about it, seek reassurance from others) and shows you how they backfire. This might be enough to warrant buying it, but it also provides a sane, realistic approach to dealing with worry that weaves acceptance with change. This approach is based on cutting edge research and theories that even your therapist may not have heard about. For instance, this is also the first book written for the non professional that I have seen that addresses the way that people worry about their worry and includes a clear rationale for why people worry about some things over others based on their history and personality. I highly recommend the book to others and I can't think of a better holiday present than the relief my worried friends will feel after they've read this. Enjoy!