This was published over at nomorepanic, but I thought I would post it here too. I didn't link directly to the forum, because some forums are weird about people doing that. I'm not really sure if these forums are regularly moderated though? Anyway, the material below is from there.
Please check out the following website for excellent FREE ebooks on health Anxiety - I have copied and pasted the info and links from the actual website
http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/reso...cfm?Info_ID=53
You all know by now that reassurance doesn't work for long and that the best thing to do is fully understand Health Anxiety.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE at least download these modules and read them - you have nothing to lose and everything to gain
When you click on a link for the books I think it downloads the PDF straight to your computer - so you need to check your downloads folder
Helping Health Anxiety
Overcoming Health Anxiety: This InfoPax is designed to provide you with some information about health anxiety, including how it develops, how it is maintained, and how to decrease your health worries and concerns. It is organised into modules that are designed to be worked through in sequence. We recommend that you complete one module before going on to the next. Each module includes information, worksheets, and suggested exercises or activities. Modules:
- Module 1: Understanding Health Anxiety
This module provides an overview of what health anxiety is, how it can be a problem, and what kind of impact it can have on a person's life. PDF document: 272kb. Updated 15 September 2011.
- Module 2: How Health Anxiety Develops
This module explores, and provides a model of, how health anxiety may develop. PDF document: 247kb. Updated 15 September 2011.
- Module 3: What Keeps Health Anxiety Going?
This module explores, and provides a model, of how health anxiety might be triggered and then maintained. PDF document: 300kb. Updated 15 September 2011.
- Module 4: Reducing Your Focus on Health Symptoms and Worries
This module explores some attention training exercises aimed at reducing the amount of time you spend focussed on health symptoms and worries. PDF document: 291kb. Updated 15 September 2011.
- Module 5: Re-evaluating Unhelpful Health Related Thinking
This module explores how your thoughts can influence your feelings, physiological state, and behaviours. This module then discusses ways to evaluate and overcome unhelpful health related thinking. PDF document: 251kb. Updated 15 September 2011.
- Module 6: Reducing Checking and Reassurance Seeking
This module explores the different ways people check and seek reassurance regarding their health concerns, discusses the difference between helpful and unhelpful checking and reassurance seeking, and introduces strategies to reduce or eliminate these behaviours. PDF document: 309kb. Updated 15 September 2011.
- Module 7: Challenging Avoidance and Safety Behaviours
This module explores how avoidance and safety behaviours can keep health anxiety going, and introduces a strategy to gradually reduce and overcome these behaviours. PDF document: 259kb. Updated 15 September 2011.
- Module 8: Adjusting Health Rules and Assumptions
In this module we will focus on challenging the unhelpful rules and assumptions that can keep you caught in the vicious cycle of health anxiety. PDF document: 195kb. Updated 15 September 2011.- Module 9: Healthy Living and Self Management Planning
This final module brings all the concepts of this information package together, presents a new model for healthy living, and includes a self-management plan to help you to stay on track in the future. PDF document: 234kb. Updated 15 September 2011.
