Panic, and its close cousins anxiety and claustrophobia, have long been a problem without a reliable solution. In most cases, the estimated six million Americans who suffer with a panic disorder receive only marginal relief from psychotherapy (usually Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), medication, or the two combined. While CBT has been found to stop panic in only one of seven patients, the medications often added on to CBT are addictive, needed in high doses to combat panic, and involved in thirty percent of prescription drug overdose deaths.
After years of working to help sufferers, author Tom Bunn found a better way that utilizes a part of the brain that is not flooded with the stress hormones that bombard a person experiencing panic. This “unconscious procedural memory” can be programmed to control panic by preventing the release of stress hormones and activating the parasympathetic nervous system. It sounds complicated but is not, requiring just ten days and no drugs or doctors.
Panic Free includes specific instructions for dealing with common panic triggers such as MRIs, bridges, airplane travel, and tunnels. Because panic is such a profoundly life-limiting problem, Bunn’s technique is a true life-changer.
About the Author
Tom Bunn is the author of SOAR: The Breakthrough Treatment for Fear of Flying which was the result of his years witnessing and addressing flight panic in his role as an airline pilot. A licensed therapist, Bunn is a regular contributor to Psychology Today. As a U.S. Air Force Pilot, Captain Bunn flew the Air Force’s first supersonic jet fighter, the F-100. He lives in Connecticut.
Industry Reviews
"Allows everyone to embrace their full potential with specific, focused, clearly explained, and practical steps to break free from panic attacks. Hurry, buy the book and transform your life."
-- Marla Friedman, PsyD, PC, licensed psychologist and Badge of Life board chairman
"Moving beyond traditional CBT approaches to panic and utilizing the latest in neuroscience, Tom Bunn offers a very creative solution to panic attacks."
-- Edward H. Plimpton, PhD, research associate, department of psychology, Smith College
"A superb resource for those suffering from panic and for therapists seeking a more effective way to treat panic, Panic Free delivers. This remarkable book combines usable examples, insights, and skills to allow the reader to control panic . . . in twenty minutes a day."
-- Joseph Indelicato, PhD, coordinator of undergraduate social sciences, Touro College School of Health Science
"Tom Bunn uses his decades of flying experience and advanced education in clinical social work to provide an all-encompassing approach to panic. Bunn's holistic approach precisely addresses the biological factors involved in the panic response and provides tools to regulate the intensity of feelings and overcome their effects. This is a must-read!"
-- Donald Arthur, MD, vice admiral, US Navy (retired), and 35th Navy surgeon general
"A treasured gift for sufferers of anxiety and panic, with detailed techniques supported by proven science, Panic Free takes readers by the hand to help them successfully triumph over feelings of anxiety and panic."
-- Athena Carr, school psychologist
"Tom Bunn's program is remarkably effective and liberates anyone suffering with panic and anxiety. His versatile ten-day program is anchored in physiological and psychological research and can be applied to any of life's panic- and anxiety-inducing events."
-- Walter A. Figiel, MBA, SOAR program graduate
"I am both a fearful flyer and a practicing psychotherapist, and I have found Panic Free to be extremely helpful in both arenas. As a psychotherapist, I recommend the book for my patients with anxiety of any kind, and we practice the techniques during therapy sessions with highly effective results. I especially appreciate that Panic Free is based on the latest brain research and understanding of how the human mind works. My patients and I both thank you, Tom Bunn!"
-- David Lundin, MA, LLP, LPC
"Thanks to Tom Bunn's teaching, I can control my panic anxiety without medication for the first time. Bunn's clear and vivid explanation of how our brains, hormones, and conditioning create panic and how we can use vagal braking to control panic provides clear steps for positive change."
-- Morra Aarons-Mele, author of Hiding in the Bathroom and founder of Women Online
"Provides a method for overcoming even extreme anxiety that works. I know from personal experience."
-- Carole, whose story about going through tunnels is included in Panic Free
"Captain Tom's unique capacity to use clinical examples and simple analogies allows him to render even the most complex neuroscientific information in a way that is both comprehensible and fun to read."
-- Judith Pearson, PhD, director, International Masterson Institute
"A reader-friendly guide to becoming anxiety free using an innovative, scientifically sound, and experience-tested method. Moreover, this approach is very simple to implement. I have used this technique both in my clinical practice and personally, and found it very useful and effective. Anyone who is suffering from anxiety should read this book."
-- Olga Savina, PhD, psychotherapist
"Through Captain Tom's fear-of-flying program, I was able to overcome my phobia of flying, which I had for forty-one years. Captain Tom's book Panic Free expands upon his proven technique to help others with a variety of anxiety-producing fears and panic."
-- Wanda Dougherty, SOAR program graduate
