Books by Nic Lucas

Anxious but Happy

Nic has written a highly readable book about anxiety disorders. In it he covers basic and accurate information about the current diagnosis of anxiety disorders, the symptoms, and who gets it. He also covers the basic neuroscience of anxiety and uses the internet as an analogy to help readers understand what is going on in their brains when they have anxiety or panic attacks.

Drawing on the most recent clinical trials and systematic reviews, Nic also presents the evidence for and against the various treatments available for anxiety disorders, including medication, psychological therapies, exercise, alternative therapies, and spiritual approaches.

The book is written with the dry humour and insights that only someone who has suffered from anxiety disorder could write. Written to educate those with anxiety disorder and to increase public awareness of anxiety disorders, Nic opens up about his own struggle with panic disorder and shares his inspirational story of recovery.

From Anxious to Happy

• 7 Steps
• 10 Strategies
• 1 Outcome – to overcome anxiety

After reviewing the evidence for the treatment of anxiety disorders, Nic realized that there was room for him to describe the techniques and strategies he had used to overcome and conquer panic disorder and generalized anxiety. Written as a 7-Step program to overcome anxiety disorder, Nic draws heavily on established behavioral medicine principles of change.

This program includes a 70 page manual and 10 audio (MP3) sessions, each describing one of the 10 strategies included in the manual.

Due for release in 2009

From Possibility to Actuality

Ever wondered how some people just keep on achieving and living rich, exciting and wonderful lives? There are lot’s of books on success and happiness; however, in this book Nic draws on his own experiences as a serial success artist to explain each of the steps necessary to take something from being a possibility to being an actuality. While it is useful to know the steps, it is even more useful to know how to progress through the steps, and this often involves recognising what’s stopping you from progressing.

In simple terms Nic draws on neuroscience, behavioural medicine, behavioural economics, and critical appraisal to help readers identify what it is that’s stopping them from taking action and seeing their idea become a reality.

From Possibility to Actuality: Real People, Real Strategies

Following on from his book, From Possibility to Actuality, Nic interviewed 6 fascinating and highly successful individuals about how they turned their ideas into actualities. Included in this series of interviews are an astrophysicist, a neuroscientist, an historian, a musician, an online business developer and the founder of schools for troubled youth.

The book is presented around the themes of actualization, drawing on stories and quotes from each individual’s journey and giving the reader a real insight into the steps and strategies used by this eclectic group of highly successful people, People whose lives are flourishing.

The steps described in these two books are also described in the manual ‘From Anxious to Happy’ and will be available to be read as a package.

The Pain Experience: Navigating the Network

Nic has spent the last 10 years trying to explain pain to himself and then to other people. With the mass of pain research growing by the minute, there is a need to recognise that knowledge is not power without application – and without understanding their is no application.

This short book is a collection of explanations that Nic uses to explain pain in simple terms in order to provide people with useable knowledge about their pain experiences.

So, what’s wrong with me? Uncertainty in Medical Diagnosis

Right now, the world over, on the phone, over coffee, over the dinner table, in cars, in hospitals (you get the picture), there are people having anxious conversations about their medical diagnosis and the reults of their ‘test’. Most people presume – and trust – that medical tests are 100% accurate. This false belief sets them up for confusion and anxiety when:

• the test result changes
• the test result is ambiguous
• a different doctor or other health professional disputes the diagnosis, or comes up with a different diagnosis.

In this book, Nic explains the uncertainty of medical diagnosis from the point of view of the patient. Using simple examples, he takes the reader through the basic principles underlying the classification of disease using diagnostic tests. He explains why diagnostic tests can be uncertain, and also explains why different health professionals and different health modalities often come up with completely different explanations for the persons symptoms.

The aim of the book is to help patients and their loved ones understand the background to their medical tests and to take some of the anxiety out of belng unwell or in pain.