To the outside world, he was the picture of success: a pragmatic civil engineer accustomed to the logic of numbers, tight deadlines, and the solidity of concrete. But on an ordinary afternoon in 2007, the perfect structure of his life collapsed. Without warning, his breath failed, his body froze, and the certainty of imminent death took hold. It was the beginning of a silent war against panic disorder.
In this courageous, unfiltered autobiographical account, the author opens a box that had been sealed tight for nearly two decades to reveal the inner workings of a mind in collapse. From desperate drives against traffic to the hospital emergency room, to inexplicable outbursts of rage in daily life; from the constant fear of a heart attack to the humiliation of being held hostage by potent prescription medications. Panic knew no time or place: it struck amidst the chaos of a construction site and in the calm of a clothing store during a family vacation.
More than just a diary of secret suffering, Beyond Fear is a roadmap for rebuilding one's life. With brutal honesty, you will follow the journey of a man who had to swallow his pride, dismantle his own prejudices, and find?in the rhythm of a quiet breath?the key to taming his worst demons.
An essential read for those facing anxiety, for those living with it, and for anyone who needs to be reminded that, even in the midst of the worst storm, it is still possible to take back the reins of one's own story.