Anxiety Free, Book Review Example

In the book “Anxiety Free: Unravel Your Fears Before They Unravel You,” author Robert L. Leahy addresses the issue of anxiety in the contemporary age, offering insight into the evolutionary mechanisms that underpin anxiety and describing ways in which those who suffer from it can take steps to overcome it. The information is presented in a clear, easily-understandable fashion; Leahy avoids overly-complicated explanations in favor of simple, direct imagery and descriptions of both the causes of and cures for a range of anxiety disorders.

The book begins with a quick overview of the major anxiety disorders: specific phobias, panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, generalized anxiety disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. While each of these disorders has different causes and symptoms, each is rooted, according to Leahy, in the wiring we have inherited from our primitive human ancestors. As Leahy puts it, anxiety is an “adaptation” that at one time helped humans in their fight for survival in a world full of constant danger. It is important to recognize how and why these adaptations function, argues Leahy, in order to overcome their effects in the modern age.

Leahy’s basic premise is that while primitive humans faced an array of dangers, and developed the anxiety-based mechanisms to recognize and avoid them, these mechanisms often work against us in the contemporary age, manifesting as anxiety disorders. As the author described in the beginning of the book, there are six major anxiety disorders; despite their differences, Leahy offers similar solutions to overcoming them. While the specifics are different, Leahy suggests various ways of systematically confronting and overcoming those factors or triggers that cause problems for sufferers of anxiety disorders.

Leahy’s book will not provide answers to everyone who suffers from anxiety; his solutions are somewhat generalized, and may be impractical or difficult for every reader to take on; he does note that some sufferers of anxiety disorders will need to seek professional help for their problems. Despite these misgivings that the book may be overly simplified for some readers with anxiety disorders, it may very well provide a sense of empowerment that, even if it does not provide complete solutions, might serve as a solid first step towards overcoming these crippling disorders.

Bibliography

Leahy, Robert. “Anxiety free: unravel your fears before they unravel you.” Hay House Publications. 2009.