This Week’s Book = Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic and Worry (by C.M. Pittman & E.M. Karle)
One of my favourite psychology topics to read about is anxiety. I find anxiety to be such a curious beast…it can be so different for each person who struggles with it. I also really love to read about the science behind anxiety – science plays a big role in anxiety and, as I mentioned in a previous post, neuroplasticity is one of my favourite topics to discuss with clients. So, it makes sense that I’d pick up a book that tells me in the title that it will talk about anxiety and neuroscience!
Rewire Your Anxious Brain really gets into the science of anxiety. It describes the roles of the brain and nervous system in anxiety. Primarily, the two different brain pathways that can lead to anxiety, the amygdala and the cortex, are discussed. Each pathway is described in detail and the differences are made very clear. This book also discusses different strategies that can and cannot be used to target each pathway. There are a lot of ‘exercises’ throughout the book as well. I use the term ‘exercise’ loosely though, as they are mostly just checklists to see if something applies to your specific experience of anxiety (i.e. obsessions, perfectionism, etc.).
The scientific concepts in this book are conveyed in a very straightforward and uncomplicated manner. I’ve read some online reviews indicating that other people have found it to be too much science and it overwhelmed them. Personally, I think that this is one of the best descriptions of the science behind anxiety that I’ve read in mass produced book. As a counsellor, I find that super beneficial as it helps me to find new ways to describe somewhat complicated processes to clients in session. This book is meant for anyone who wants to learn more about the mechanisms of anxiety – whether it’s to discuss it with or teach it to other people, discover why you’ve been feeling the way you have, or to learn some strategies to start the rewiring process.
Interested in this book? Click here!
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