The Linden Method: The Anxiety Disorder, Panic Attacks & Phobias Elimination Solution [Paperback]

I have used this method. I went through a period of anxiety for about a year. I saw a real Psychologist, not one with a bogus `holistic' degree from a mail order school. He was highly recommended and is considered one of the best in the United States. It was effective to a point. The biggest thing was getting over that hump. I did not take drugs for this; I did not want to go that route. I stopped going to the doctor, thinking I was cured. But I wasn't.

Then I heard about the Linden Method. I was skeptical at first. When you have anxiety you read a lot of `possible' solutions. There is a lot of crap out there. But I told myself I had nothing to lose. I remember sitting in the park reading that book and crying. Finally, someone who understands! And then I heard his CDs and I felt more assured. Within a month all the terror, being scared all the time and not understanding what was happening to me stopped. That yearlong nightmare was over.

I know some people are saying that I only had anxiety for a year and I can't understand what they are going through.... CRAP! The length of the time you have had anxiety is no badge of honor, it just means you have not treated it effectively. I had EVERY symptom you can imagine. I went from happy go lucky to looney in one instant. I had 2 MRI/MRAs of my head, multiple CT Scans of my head and chest, X-rays of my lungs, heart, & back. Lyme disease, Glucose, STDs/, AIDS/HIV, liver and a million other blood tests. I went to 2 GPs, 3 Chiropractors, Psychologist, Neurologist, Pulmonary MD, holistic doctors and a couple of others I have forgotten. I don't even want to mention how many times I went to the emergency room, thinking I was having a stroke, heart attack, seizures, etc. The only thing I had in all those test was high blood pressure-caused by the anxiety! I had over $100,000 of test according to my insurance company. I stared at the walls all the time. Lost 40lbs just from not eating. I thought I had diabetes, Asthma, MS, Lupus, Parkinson's, AIDS, ALS, every cancer you can imagine and some diseases maybe 5 people in the whole world have gotten. I had and today continue to have NONE of those things.

Mr. Linden might not be a doctor, but he is still helpful. He is not diagnosing anyone. The people buying this I am sure have gone to doctors already. They know they have anxiety. Mr. Linden's method I find is very effective for most people.

Mr. Linden does not say to never see a doctor. He says stop seeing doctors after they told you all that is wrong with you is anxiety. Any legitimate psychologist would tell you the same thing. Many people with anxiety develop some form of hypochondria, because most people don't understand how anxiety causes physical symptoms. And medical and mental health doctors really don't explain it. Seeing a doctor over and over will just prolong and worsen the anxiety. If you have not seen a doctor, see one. If you have no underling medical issues (which most with anxiety don't) than why do you need to see a doctor every time you have a symptom?

Mr. Linden states to stop researching you condition. THAT IS GOOD ADVICE. Most people with anxiety have read a million things already. All these chat forums about anxiety are populated by scared people with anxiety. When you talk to them you get more scared because they are just pulling you down with their horror stories. Then you research your psychical symptoms at all these medical sites, and you think you have MS, AIDS, ALS or the Bubonic Plague! THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO IS RESEARCH ANXIETY OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

For a cheaper version of this program, go to his website and you can download the book, DVD and CDs.

Good luck to everyone! And I hope and pray you will be well soon. Trust yourself and you will. I did it. I am in the best physical and mental shape of my life. I enjoy life every day. It took me awhile to say it, but anxiety is the best thing that ever happened to me. I discovered more about myself and life than I could have ever had before. I know you will say it one day too.

"When thinking won't cure your fear, action will" -Plymouth Stone

The claims made in this programme are bullish. We are asked to believe that this is the one true way to rid yourself of panic attacks, anxiety disorders and phobias. At one point it says that it is the only cure for anxiety. But before looking at the evidence for such extraordinary claims, lets look at the process.

Firstly, one has to learn the "nine pillars", read the material, do the visualisation exercise twice each day, do Tai Chi exercises as often as possible and do exactly what the Method teaches you. Confusingly, there are then two "powerful" elements; diversion which apparently re-balances the sufferer's conscious logical thinking and subconscious habits. Secondly, the sufferer needs to breathe correctly and improve their posture.

So what are the nine pillars?
Stop visiting your doctor (and other doctors too)
Talk to your doctor about stopping the medication (confusingly as you are not supposed to visit them)
Stop looking for answers to your problems elsewhere
Only use the Linden method
Stop talking to other people about how you feel
Stop relying on other people for help with your feelings (which follows from not talking to them presumably)
Get rid of memories about your problem
Keep busy as a diversion (distraction)
Don't allow anxiety to change what you do.

You don't have to be a psychologist to see that 1-7 are all ways of saying "rely on the this method alone". That leaves two pillars which are about not giving in to anxiety. Good stuff, but not good enough.

Interestingly for someone who says that the way to getting better is not to dwell on the details of your past problems, Mr Linden offers the story of his own problems in great detail in the "Nine Pillars" booklet. The story comes to its culmination when he received Cognitive-behaviour Therapy. His cognitive therapist taught him all kinds of useful stuff, which Linden applied and added to. I found myself musing about this. Why is this person, who benefited from cognitive therapy (and added to it in ways any sensible CBT therapist would encourage one to do) now taking the position that other people should not seek help from anyone except himself? I'm keeping my answers to myself, I'm afraid.

The Nine Pillars book then offers a reasonable account of the physiology of anxiety (although some of it made me wince). Nothing unique here, and certainly not the best account available. For someone opposed to the use of medication Linden seems very fond of biological accounts of anxiety. Oddly, although he seems to have benefited from cognitive-behavioural therapy, the cognitive component does not come through directly. For example, this early section on Panic Disorder he neglects to mention catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations, choosing instead to suggest that the brain has been programmed to produce panic. Linden is also fond of diagnosis, and paraphrases the American diagnostic system as a way of describing anxiety disorders. This improves later as one listens to the CD based material, but the nuggets are well hidden.

The chapter on stopping anxiety has some good snippets, and Linden is fond of the idea of hyperventilation, resurrecting the old "brown paper bag" idea. Some other practical ideas are to be found in "diversion tactics"; these are good old fashioned distractions, varying from splashing water on the face to eating apples. Maybe he thinks an apple a day keeps the doctor away, so it fits with his first pillar? But there is another major problem here. He gives no consideration to safety seeking behaviour. This is a shame, because a lot of his "behavioural activation" stuff (meaning: don't let your behaviour be changed, reach for the things you want) fits with current views on and evidence about the role of safety seeking in anxiety disorders. However, in places he is implicitly encouraging safety seeking behaviours. This in my opinion is further evidence that Linden's science is, as best, muddled.

The supplementary materials are interesting. The introduction on the CD is a pleasant and slightly soporific lecture which re-iterates the positive message in the nine pillars book. In the interview which follows, we are treated to more of the same. The visualisation exercise is even more soporific. It follows the convention set by progressive muscular relaxation, and again is worth doing for its relaxation and distraction potential, if relaxation and distraction is what you need.

The "Panic Attack Eliminator" seemed more promising on the basis of its preamble. And I mean promising; the promise is there, right at the beginning; "this is the conclusive method for disarming panic attacks". Apparently it can work on the first occasion, but might take up to three times. In the rest of this seven minute wonder, the sufferer is told that they cause their own panic. "Place every square millimetre of your body in my trust" Linden intones. Go with it, let it do its worst. Discover that it can't do anything bad to you. At last, something resembling cognitive therapy! Not set up properly, but sensible. Fear of fear is emphasises, as are vicious circles. But they are not explained properly, and of course it is not fear of fear which is the problem in panic, but fear of the consequences of fear. Sadly, it is clear that this is not the conclusive method.

This is all a bit sad. One way of looking at it is that Charles Linden had cognitive behavioural therapy, found it helpful, embellished it and now markets it as his own one true way not just for the problem he had, but for all anxiety problems. It's not.

Now don't get me wrong, this is mostly sensible stuff for panic, and if it cost $5.99 at the bookshop, I'd be recommending it, suggesting that there might be useful snippets here and there.

My opinion is that it will be of no value to people whose anxiety is not fuelled by panic, and only limited value to most of those with severe and persistent panic. So would I recommend it in a limited way?

What makes any recommendation impossible is the cultic element. The explicit method is, use my method only (and pay my price for it). The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) anxiety guidelines are now available, summarising the best science. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is the treatment of choice. The Linden Method has no evidence underpinning it and therefore doesn't even make third choice for NICE, which is guided self help based on CBT principles. Charles Linden's method is not evidence based, the science is flawed and the price is ludicrous. In essence Linden claims this treatment is novel and effective; sadly, it seems likely that what is novel is not effective, and what is effective is not novel. My title for this review is that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence; there is no such evidence

OK, so I checked out the Linden Method to see what it had to offer for my anxiety and derealization disorder (7 yrs now) and was sadly dissapointed. I could completely relate to his story of being duped by the doctors and being prescribed all sorts of medicine with no warning of side effects (especially diazapam), but he offers no new information to help me with my problem, just recycled information that I already know. Basically his story is of his Valium withdrawal. The Valium was causing all sorts of extra anxiety on top of his pre-existing anxiety and when he decided to kick the Valium, most of his problems went away. There is a much better resource for people addicted to Valium on the Internet (just Google "Ashton manual Valium." He was simply addicted to benzos and when he kicked the habit, he was cured and convinced himself that he had found the Holy Grail to cure all anxiety. All he did was stop taking benzos. He claims that posture, diet, breathing, yoga, tai chi, etc.. are the keys to anxiety freedom, but this is no secret and simply commonsense. These things help calm people down, but they don't cure derealization or major anxiety. I feel like I was ripped off and will return this book and all the CDs as soon as possible. The one good thing in this book is he says that you have to cure yourself and guess what, he was right. I don't need this book. I'll do it myself.

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