Face Your Fears: A Proven Plan to Beat Anxiety, Panic, Phobias, and Obsessions

117 Pages·2012·1.66 MB·English

by  David F. Tolin

Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Part I: The Face Your Fears Program to Beat
Anxiety
Chapter 1: Faces of Fear
Fears of Specific Situations or Objects
Fears of Body Sensations
Social and Performance Fears
Obsessive Fears
Excessive Worries
Post-Traumatic Fears
What Are You Afraid Of?
Who Is This Book For?
What Can I Expect in This Book?
Will It Work?
Chapter 2: What Is Fear?
The Biological Perspective
The Cognitive Perspective
The Behavioral Perspective
Snowball Effects
Where Does Fear Come From?
Chapter 3: Why Face Fears?
How’s Your Motivation?
Anxiety Disorders
How Common Are Anxiety Disorders?
What Is the Impact of Anxiety Disorders?
How Effective Is Exposure Therapy?
Can a Self-Help Program Really Work for Me?
Chapter 4: The Principles of Exposure
All at Once or Baby Steps?
What Am I Exposing Myself To?
How Long Should Exposures Be?
How Many and How Much?
What Exactly Does Exposure Do?
The Effectiveness of Exposure
Chapter 5: Planning Exposures
The Exposure Hierarchy
Maximizing the Effectiveness of the
Exposure Hierarchy
Is It Safe?
Chapter 6: Conducting Exposures
What to Expect
Working Your Way up the Hierarchy
Beyond Normal
Stick with It
Chapter 7: Eliminating Safety Behaviors
What Are Safety Behaviors?
What’s Wrong with Safety Behaviors?
The Myths of Distraction and Relaxation
Acceptance as an Alternative
Chapter 8: Addressing Scary Thoughts, Examining the
Evidence
Probability Overestimation
Catastrophizing
Black-or-White Thinking
Intolerance of Uncertainty
The Need for Control
The Myth of Positive Thinking
Challenging Your Thoughts
Part II: Facing the Different Kinds of Fear
Chapter 9: Beating Fears of Specific Situations or
Objects
Variations of Fears of Specific Situations or Objects
Common Cognitive Distortions in Fears of Specific Situations
or Objects
Avoidance and Safety Behaviors in Fears of Specific Situations
or Objects
Exposure Tips for Fears of Specific Situations or Objects
Chapter 10: Beating Fears of Body Sensations
Variations of the Fear of Body Sensations
Common Cognitive Distortions in Fear of Body Sensations
Avoidance and Safety Behaviors in Fear of Body Sensations
Exposure Tips for Fear of Body Sensations
Chapter 11: Beating Social and Performance Fears
Variations of Social and Performance Fears
Common Cognitive Distortions in Social and Performance
Fears
Avoidance and Safety Behaviors in Social and Performance
Fears
Exposure Tips for Social and Performance Fears
Chapter 12: Beating Obsessive Fears
Variations of Obsessive Fears
Common Cognitive Distortions in Obsessive Fears
Avoidance and Safety Behaviors in Obsessive Fears
Exposure Tips for Obsessive Fears
Chapter 13: Beating Excessive Worries
Variations of Excessive Worries
Common Cognitive Distortions in Excessive Worries
Avoidance and Safety Behaviors in Excessive Worries
Exposure Tips for Excessive Worries
Chapter 14: Beating Post-Traumatic Fears
Variations of Post-Traumatic Fears
Common Cognitive Distortions in Post-Traumatic Fears
Avoidance and Safety Behaviors in Post-Traumatic Fears
Exposure Tips for Post-Traumatic Fears
Part III: Face Your Fears for Life
Chapter 15: Tracking Your Progress
Pacing and Calibration
Problem Solving and Fine-Tuning
Troubleshooting: Slow Progress, Inconsistent Progress, or No
Progress
Motivation Boost
Troubleshooting: Getting Discouraged
Chapter 16: The Long Run
Preventing a Return of Fear
Coping with Setbacks
Focus on Functioning
Chapter 17: Eliminating Safety Behaviors
Strategy 1: Try Again
Strategy 2: Clear a Path in Your Life
Strategy 3: Use Exposure Boosters
Strategy 4: Consider Disorder-Specific Self-Help Programs
Strategy 5: Seek Professional Therapy
Strategy 6: Consider Medications
Appendix
Notes
Resources
Suggested Reading
Online Resources
Finding Professional Help
Index

Copyright © 2012 by David F. Tolin, Ph.D. All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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