It reached a point where I knew I had to get help but being a typical Irish male, I resisted asking anybody for help or going to see the my doctor. I was afraid of what people might think and I was terrified of being diagnosed with some kind of mental illness.

I resolved I had to find a solution to this on my own so I began research the different treatment for anxiety. That period of research was incredibly frustrating and disappointing. All the advice I was getting was to either take medications or try a therapy that would help me cope and manage the panic attacks and anxiety. I didn’t want to just cope with this the rest of my life. I wanted to end it!

Every book seemed to have the exact same breathing exercises and coping strategies all designed to distract me in the moment of panic. Let me tell you something… anyone who has experienced a panic attack or high anxiety knows that deep breathing and distraction will not stop a real panic attack. That’s like closing the gate after the horses have bolted. IT JUST DOESN’T WORK but only people who have experienced anxiety, know this.

I think that is the main problem with all the literature out there. It is written from an academic point of view and not from the first hand experience of someone who has been there and done that (with the exception of Dr. Claire Weekes).

I was looking for someone to say, “look do this right, then do this and follow it up with this”. Something simple I could apply and stop feeling so out scared all the time, -all I got was jargon and coping tools.

I had a hunch that this was all wrong, that teaching people to cope and fight against the anxiety was the wrong approach.