This is a weird mix of an academic text and too many personal anecdotes, and it could use another edit.
The author clearly wants to insert themselves and their personal experiences into the story, while maintaining academic professionalism. That just doesn't work for me. For example, while exploring what anxiety may look like, they jump immediately into how they feel at airports. It's meant to display catastrophizing, and while it may work for some people it just feels discordant to me.
The very first analogy used, of the brain being compared to a theater presented three parts of the theater: the upper level, the lower level, and the orchestra pit. Thing is it dropped that analogy before ever getting to explain the orchestra pit. One analogy not fully examined isn't the end of the world, but being so early in the book leaves me skeptical of the rest of the contents.
While I've been a bit harsh in this first impression, I do think the book still has promise. And more importantly, if it is able to help someone deal with their own anxiety it will be a valuable resource.
The author clearly wants to insert themselves and their personal experiences into the story, while maintaining academic professionalism. That just doesn't work for me. For example, while exploring what anxiety may look like, they jump immediately into how they feel at airports. It's meant to display catastrophizing, and while it may work for some people it just feels discordant to me.
The very first analogy used, of the brain being compared to a theater presented three parts of the theater: the upper level, the lower level, and the orchestra pit. Thing is it dropped that analogy before ever getting to explain the orchestra pit. One analogy not fully examined isn't the end of the world, but being so early in the book leaves me skeptical of the rest of the contents.
While I've been a bit harsh in this first impression, I do think the book still has promise. And more importantly, if it is able to help someone deal with their own anxiety it will be a valuable resource.