HAS ANYONE looked into this website

[kyle1989]

http://www.thelindenmethod.co.uk/

this so called linden method.

i know there are scams out there, but this site doesnt seem to be such a scam, all his books and products have good ratings on amazon.

his work doesn't seem to be specific for one phobia. his method or cure, is based on the amygdala, and as i have read in sage's topic, the amygdala seems to be responsible for the fear and anxiety etc etc, for most if not all phobias.

so has anyone heard of this site, or tried it?

the reasons why i dont think its a scam (even if it doesnt 100% cure people) is because his method (if the following is true, and not false claims) is recognized by NHS (British health service) and other psychologists. apparently he is having his own tv show series broadcast in the uk on peoples phobias (i think i read it saying october this year, or early January next year).

he's apparently also been on bbc radio about his method (bbc is the uk's leading broadcasting service for television and radio i think)

here is the page with these claims, near the middle or bottom of the page.

http://www.thelindenmethod.co.uk/biography/

he also has clinics world wide (again, apparently)

his website has a few other sites backing him up too.

i would be surprised if a scam could pull all that off.

home page:

http://www.thelindenmethod.co.uk/

im gonna wait for his apparent tv series to start, if it seems good, i am considering his method.

[sage]

I was skeptical, but always like to keep an open mind. I did about an hour's research online just now, and as I suspected, this is yet another scam preying upon the desperation of anxious people. Here are three quotes I found on three different sites that sum it up:

1) From Dr. Paul Morgan
Paul Morgan is Deputy Director of SANE Australia, the mental health charity. A leading expert in promoting understanding of mental illness in the community, he is responsible for a range of popular publications, videos and software in this area, as well as research studies into the effectiveness of mental health services in Australia

Answer

Anxiety disorders are a serious matter. These conditions such as panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder and general anxiety disorder affect around one in 10 Australians and cause immense distress to those affected.
The Linden Method is a commercial product widely advertised on the Internet, purporting to help people with anxiety disorders. While not commenting directly on this, I do emphasise that anxiety disorders are serious medical conditions, and — as such — treatment should only be prescribed by a qualified health practitioner such as a GP. The most effective treatment for anxiety disorders is often psychotherapy, and GPs are able to provide a referral to a psychologist or other appropriate health professionals who can provide this (with support from Medicare). Ask your doctor about the Linden Method if you wish, and what the most effective treatment they would recommend for you. (Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.)


2) Canadian Psychologist Dr. David Baxter says on a help site, in answer to the question:

Never heard of it.

But I can tell you that all I have to see is something like this:

The Linden Method will permanently eliminate your anxiety, panic attacks, OCD and phobias - fast and without drugs or medications. END QUOTE

to be able to tell you that it's bogus.

They used to call people who made those kinds of claims "snake oil salesmen".

3) Finally, one of their own clients writes this on Yahoo answers:

The Linden Method is a mixture of distracting yourself with a hobby such as photography, using breathing techniques and using old fashioned cognitive behavioral techniques the same as are taught in any anxiety outpatient course such as trying to chnge your thinking from "what if i have a panic attack" to "so what if I have a panic attack". I do not believe it offers much - certainly nothing new - I wanted my money back but couldn't get it, despite the "money-back guarantee".

[sage]

Oh ya - and if you read closely, you'll see it is not recognized by the NHS. Rather, they've cleverly linked to a press release made by the NHS about teaching rats not to be anxious anymore when continually exposed to the stimulus (a buzzer) without the consequence (a shock). BIG DEAL!

Yes, if you threw up all day long every day you wouldn't fear it anymore. DUH!

[kyle1989]

i need hope, and how did u cure ur self?

[sage]

- sorry, that "DUH" and sarcasm wasn't aimed at you kyle! It was totally projected toward these "Linden" people who make me so mad exploiting the kind of people I try to help. (for free, I might add, as all true internet help is)

[sage]

Oh we posted at the same time! I didn't "cure myself", that's the thing. I just stuck with great dedication and commitment to the tried-and-true psychotherapy methods that work on all phobias. It's just that they're not a "quick fix" and so, unfortunately, therapy isn't cheap either. I did have the luxury of spending five grand. But then again, I spend 5 times that much on a stupid car. And my sanity is worth a heckavalot more!

Anyway, my story and other good info that will give you hope can be found on my website (nothing to sell there either - lol) at www.emetophobiahelp.blogspot.com

Good luck and never give up hope!

[kyle1989]

i hope i marry a woman who is a psychotherapist.

[overthere441]

I realize this is an old post, and my input may no longer be relevant. However, I have used the linden method. When I was about 18 y/o, around 5 years ago, I had been taking phenergan almost daily, and going to the ER for anti-emetic shots a one to two times each year to prevent vomiting (whether or not I was actually sick), and had many panic attacks. I was also vegan, largely due to ocd and the phobia of vomiting. I could not afford therapy, but needed help. I ordered the linden method, and within a few weeks stopped taking phenergan. I have only once gone to the ER due to nausea, but left after a few minutes because I didn't want to start that cycle again. The linden method was a huge help for me, and did not feel like a scam.

It is true that the linden method uses "old fashioned," breathing methods, and distraction as keys to anxiety reduction. This information is widely available online, and I can see some very motivated people being able to use different resources to design a program for themselves incorporating these techniques. For me, the linden method put these techniques together succinctly, and I was able to follow the program. My biggest problems with it: the author advocates stopping all medication, which, though possible for me, may not be possible, advisable, or safe for all people. The program claims it will work for all people, but I don't believe one way of doing things necessarily works for all people. Additionally, I did not find the phone support they provide to be particularly helpful or supportive. Throughout the written materials, the author seems to have disdain for MDs and PhDs, which I found distasteful.

About a year after I started the program, I stopped listening to the tapes and doing all the programs instructions due to my focus on school, and the phobia did come back. At this point, I was able to afford therapy, so I did that instead of trying the linden method again. Therapy was helpful. About 6 months after I completed my course of cbt, I had a stomach virus, vomited, and a resurgence of symptoms. I saw a different, more expensive therapist, with some success. After about 10 sessions my progress was stagnating and I could t continue to afford therapy. I began the linden method again about a month ago, and have made relatively more progress. I feel that the linden method has taught me to do cbt on my own. Given the low cost of the program relative to a typical 10 session cbt course of treatment with a phd or psyd, the linden method has been a great investment for me. I do not feel exploited by the linden method, and I don't see it as a quick fix - it required effort on my part. Without my effort, it would not have helped, and I feel that quick fixes usually claim to produce changes in a person without that person doing anything other than listening to a cd a few times, or something to that effect.

While on the hiatus from the linden method mentioned in the above paragraph, I did try the emetophobia eraser program before I began therapy. I found the linden method more effective for my emetophobia than the emetophobia eraser program, and it has helped with my other OCD issues. This is likely because the emetophobia eraser program seemed to require lifestyle changes that, although certainly healthy and desirable, I was not able to put into practice due to other time consuming commitments. I thought the email support for the emetophobia eraser program was better than the phone support for the linden method. If my success with the linden method isn't enough, or if I find the dedication to live a more healthy lifesytle, perhaps I will try the emetophobia eraser again.

[Opeinded123]

Good to keep an open mind indeed. CBT probably is not adequate to deal with emet.

[KaydeeJayde]

CBT helped me deal with my emet just fine, and it still does to this day. Just saying. Some therapies just don't work for some people, it doesn't mean they're inadequate, it just means that those people need to deal with things a different way. We're all on our own paths here and dealing with things the way we can.

[out_of_order]

No one thing is going to work for everybody so if this Linden Method makes sense to you, try it. That's the only way you'll find out if it's the answer for you. If it didn't work for a lot of people, I doubt they or any company would be around long, and they seem to have been around for a good time.

[asianeko]

This is a reaaaaaaallly old thread, so keep in mind that some posters probably aren't even active anymore :P