At Last a Life

This book has helped me immensely with my symptoms of a mental breakdown and DP. If you are struggling, just know that you aren’t alone. Give this book a shot.

Great I usually don’t write reviews but it put me on the right track to free myself from anxiety disorder

I was struggling with severe anxiety and depersonalization a few years ago and didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to take meds for fear of the side effects. I found this book through some searching and it changed my life. I was able to not only accept my situation but get completely better without meds. A year later, my husband started struggling with debilitating panic attacks and anxiety and I used this book to help him. He was also able to get better without meds. I am not advocating to not take any meds. Go with your gut and doctors advice but always be your own advocate. I wanted to know when I got better I did it on my own and wasn’t reliant on anything else but each person has their own path. I highly recommend this book. Paul David had truly walked the path and so I trusted him versus listening to doctors who speak from theory but haven’t actually been through anxiety and panic.

This book gave me the guidance and motivation to move through anxiety. I am still in the process of recovery, but just being able to say that I am in that process is enough for me!

I've got a few points to make about this book so please bear with me as I get my thoughts in order.Firstly, all these ideas are in Claire Weekes' "Hope and Help For Your Nerves" and in more detail. However, still props to Paul David for trying to give people some common sense, which is so lacking these days, about mental health.Secondly, as others have pointed out there are a lot of grammar and editing issues in this book. This may or may not annoy you.Disclaimer before I go on: the method Paul David presents is a good one and will help you feel better. I have no qualms about his method and would recommend it myself.Right, so thirdly. My only sort of criticism is that he too easily dismisses the need to look in your past for causes of anxiety or factors that may be preventing you from doing what he says and accepting it. While I don't suggest you trawl through your childhood finding every negative memory and doing a Freudian analysis on it, I think it is important to look at patterns from your past.If you were a happy, satisfied, productive person before you got anxious, then that's great. Paul's method will work wonders for you. If you were unhappy before you became anxious or were already dealing with issues, then stopping panic attacks and feelings of anxiety may not give you the joy and zest for life you were looking for. Of course you will be happy that you no longer suffer and your life will be incredibly better and easier.But if you know that there's something more to your feelings OR you find it very hard to just accept anxiety then I strongly suggest you read "Trauma Release Exercises" by David Berceli and do the exercises. Even if you've recovered I still highly recommend this book as a regular stress relief exercise.The other book that will help you accept yourself and anxiety is "Self-Compassion" by Kristin Neff.

There is a lot of information out there about depersonalization that offers random methods to overcome it. Paul's technique helps you work through DP instead of trying to control every aspect of it. His approach is simple: let the DP be and practice that every time it comes up. It takes some time to get the hang of it, but it has been the most effective method yet.As grateful I am to have read this book, I still had a few issues with it. It was extremely difficult to figure out how to simplify the very loud and controlling voices/sensations/habits going on inside me. He says repeatedly how you need to stop caring about the uncomfortable feelings and change your attitude towards them. But he pretty much stops there, which is why it was so difficult. I had to use what he suggested and test out different ways that worked for me. I wish he went into further detail about how to exactly stop caring about DP.Another issue I had was the writing. There were so many grammatical errors, it was really distracting. It disrupted the flow of the book. Also, how the book progressed seemed disorganized. It wasn't helpful reading success stories close to halfway through. That really triggered me. I still hadn't grasped the information yet and couldn't help but feel frustrated that I wasn't where everyone was. I wish he had mentioned how you need to be patient prior to success stories.Despite the couple of issues, I would still highly recommend the book, especially if you suffer from depersonalization. I haven't read anything else like this, and it has been incredibly helpful. Paul even dedicated a whole chapter to DP.Although I haven't overcome DP yet, this book helped me lighten the load and given me a path to follow for real recovery.

I was going through all the anxiety problems, including depersonalization (my mind was exhausted) thanks to the book i am already recovering, i am not 100% yet, but i know that i can live beside my symptoms and that recovery is a matter of time, thanks Paul!

Decent book. Largely based on ACT principles which are an effective tool to combat anxiety.

Da ich selber lange Zeit von Depressionen Angst und Panik gelitten habe. Diese Buch hatt mir mein Leben gerettet es wird alles genau erklärt warum man unter DP leidet und wie man damit umzugehen hat. Kann es jeden nur empfehlen super Buch 👍

Todos que sofrem de ansiedade ou síndrome do panico deveriam ler este livro. Ajudou-me muito a superar a minha condição.

Paul David has detailed clear and concisely the symptoms, reasons for the symptoms and method for curing anxiety in this book. I have read so many books on Anxiety that I have lost count but I would put this one up in the top three.