Did you suffer with anxiety & panic attacks yourself?
More than you can imagine! I got hit with one of the worse cases of anxiety & panic you will ever hear about! I actually snowballed into an Agoraphobic state, & became unable to leave my house! This problem affected my life pretty hard for roughly 2 years, but now I can see all of the benefits I have gained from going through it. When you go through anxiety & panic (and naturally you don't realize this at the time) but it's actually (needed) so you can grow as an individual in life.
- I know that sounds crazy, but it's true!
- Once you overcome your anxiety & heal, it's like shedding a skin!
What do you feel you have gained from going through this yourself?
Tremendous personal growth! As I went through it, I found out so much about myself it was incredible! It was like getting rid of an old unhealthy emotional system & replacing it with a brand new one (a healthy one!). There are so many things to be gained from this experience. The only drawback is that you have to go through some painful experiences, but once you beat it, you become a much stronger person in life!
How long have you been helping people with anxiety & panic?
I have been successfully helping people (personally) ever since I overcame this adversity myself back in 1996. So all in all, I have been helping anyone who has requested my help with anxiety & panic attacks for over 14 years now.
What do you think of other anxiety programs?
Like with anything else, I'm sure some are better than others. But you seriously need to do a little research before you hand your money over to just anyone, alot of stuff I see "promises the world" to you, but it's more gimick than anything else just to get you to buy. Make sure the person behind the product has gone through this themself (and beaten it succesfully!). Look for testimonials, and make sure you're not over-paying for something you can get for a tenth of the price! For example, I have seen simple eBooks that probably don't even come close to covering everything I cover in my book selling for $80 and up! Be smart!
Do you really consider yourself an "expert" in this field?
Absolutely. As I have said many times before, I can only sum up my ability to help others with this adversity as a true gift. It's something that I now know, I am meant to do in this life. But it's not my opinion here that makes me feel like an expert, as much as it is, the opinions of all those I have already helped, & continue to help - plus I have my own success to go on, as I have not had a single panic attack in 14 years - which is a very solid result! I look at my own success with anxiety & panic as a very real possibility for anyone else who suffers with this, because I think it's pretty clear - my approach works!
How long does it take to actually overcome & beat this adversity?
I think it really depends on the person (how willing they are to beat this) along with finding the right person to help you. Also, I believe in order to truly beat this, you need to overcome it the right way, which is what I teach. You need to really find out what is going on with yourself if you want to truly heal. On the other hand, I do believe that panic attacks can be taken care of much quicker, which is really the first thing you need to address. With the right knowledge, & with the right person helping you, I believe you can make some major strides pretty quickly, but it's definitely not an overnight process, and anyone who declares that it is, is selling you a lie. Remember, you want to beat this the right way! There are no short-cuts here. It takes some time to get your full strength back.
What are these "five steps" that you always seem to mention?
When I was going through this myself, I used to have some major panic attacks. So I really needed to get a grip on the attacks themselves. This made me dive into the "anatomy" of a panic attack, and by doing so, I came up with five steps that I would say to myself every time I felt an attack coming on. Amazingly, these five steps worked absolute magic! They stopped my attacks, and eventually got rid of them for good! I teach these steps Live, and also, you can find them in my book. They will be featured in my new book as well. To put it simply, They Work!
How do you feel about taking medication for this problem?
If you're really suffering with some tremendous attacks, then I don't feel it's a bad thing (if you need to) pop a prescribed pill to get the attacks under control. This is providing that you have no other answer at the time, and the attacks are just wrecking your life. BUT, it's very important to realize that medication will not cure this problem for you! Medication only alleviates your symptoms, and basically "masks" this problem. It's a short term answer if you are really suffering. But if you truly want to beat this, then you must start understanding the problem itself. In my opinion, it's ok to take short term, but it is Not a cure! It is a Mask!
- Believe Me, You Don't Need It to Beat It!
Is "Living Panic Free" an actual product itself?
No. "Living Panic Free" is my trademark. It's my "flag" so to speak.
It represents everything that I offer to help those who suffer from this.
What exactly do you offer to help people with this adversity?
Presently, I offer people the ability to work with me personally (Live Help). I also have a book on the market entitled: "Anxiety101: Answers for Anxiety."
Do you plan to put more products out to help people with anxiety?
Yes. This year I have plans for a new book that I believe will be both an eBook, and also it will be available on Amazon. I am also getting ready to release my second edition of 101, which will also be available on Amazon. I also have future plans to conduct online classes as well, but not just yet...
Is this "what you do" in life? Or do you do something else?
Aside from being a writer, I am also a filmmaker, & a musician.
Filmmaking has become a major part of my life, and ultimately, I believe it's what I truly came to this earth to do. It took me a long time to really discover this about myself, but because I have always believed in just following my heart & passions in life, this reality has finally opened up for me, and when you know it's right, you just know it's right!
As with my writing, my filmmaking just comes to me, & through me. This is also the case with my music as well. I consider my writing to be the "serious" side of my creativity, becasue it seems everything I write about (aside from film) is based on helping people in one way or another. Now on the other hand, my filmmaking & music can definitely be viewed as slighty more creative, abstract, dark, & sometimes even "off-the-wall." But that's the beauty of creating. I simply create whatever comes to me...
I have already filled you in on what I plan to achieve with my writing this year, so l'll just give you some update on my other creative avenues as well...
Filmmaking: I have very big plans this year with film. I am currently working on what will become my 3rd film (and it will certainly be an interesting one), with plans to make another feature this the fall. I will be entering my 3rd film in the Sundance Film Festival. Also, I am currently writing a Hollywood feature which will demand a multi-million dollar budget...
Music: Altogether I have 12 musical pieces that I created from 2001 - 2005. Music is literally all I created in those years. The pieces are very abstract, & I have a special place in my heart for them because I never dreamed I would ever create music! They are quite unique in the sense that they are very long, and almost storytelling. My plans are to start releasing these pieces one by one on itunes...
So in a nutshell, this is me. I'm a very real person, very down to earth, genuine, and by nature, extremely creative. I have a strong desire to get the most out of life, which is why when I got hit with (my) anxiety, it devastated me! But I credit my deep love for life as one of the major factors behind me overcoming this adversity, because I simply refused to allow it to take my life over & destroy it! And this is the mind-set that you need to have as well!
- And believe me, it is Very Beatable!!