Praise for Anxiety Transformed

Anxiety Transformed is a book we desperately need. Anxiety is on the rise across all generations and alarmingly high among millennials and generation Z. At the same time, we in campus ministry are seeing real spiritual hunger among young people, paired with a skepticism about the Christian church due to public failures and polarization. The Church needs hope in the form of real, practical help with anxiety—and thanks be to God, that hope is rising. Historically Christian insights and prayer disciplines can open us to God’s gracious transforming work in our troubled souls. Nader Sahyouni draws from his life experience and from his work in counseling and spiritual direction to deliver relevant insights and practical help for those experiencing anxiety. The book draws from emerging neuroscience as well as spiritual formation and traditional therapy. Nader has practiced all the disciplines he suggests and has helped others practice them as well. May God use them to renew his healing, transforming work in our troubled world.

—Jason Jensen | Vice President, Spiritual Foundations | InterVarsity Christian Fellowship

Anxiety Transformed is a refreshing and compelling blend of spiritual wisdom from the author’s deep and broad experience as a spiritual director and psychological insight based on neuroscience, current research, and his experience as an effective therapist. Nader Sahyouni’s accessible and authentic personal stories demonstrate he has lived with these principles and tested them in his own life. His examples from those with whom he has worked also show they work for others as well! Anxiety Transformed tells the reader how to fight smart against unwanted anxiety, leveraging its effects into a deep, meaningful, and joyful connection to God.

—Charlotte E. Tsuyuki Lehman, M.Div. | Pastor, Reba Place Church, Evanston, Illinois

There are books about cognitive therapy for anxiety, others about exposure therapy for anxiety, books about spiritual direction for anxiety, or about relaxation techniques for anxiety, and there are books about healing trauma that can be the underlying source of anxiety. But other than this book by Nader Sahyouni, I am not aware of any book that talks about all these pieces and how they fit together. (Just the section on the recent discoveries regarding memory reconsolidation and how this new information supports trauma-healing work, is worth the price of the book.)

—Karl D. Lehman, M.D. Board certified psychiatrist with thirty-five years of clinical experience | Developer of the Immanuel Approach (along with Dr. Jim Wilder) | Author of Outsmarting Yourself and The Immanuel Approach: For Emotional Healing and for Life

Anyone who has experienced anxiety will find the book Anxiety Transformed by Nader Sahyouni to be a helpful resource. Filled with many personal life experiences, this book shows a deep understanding of the spiritual and emotional roots of anxiety from both a psychological and biblical perspective. It is filled with exercises that will enable the reader to comprehend the concepts and apply the practical suggestions to their life situation. A practical, balanced, and effective approach.

—Dr. David Sherbino | Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Spiritual Formation, Tyndale Seminary | Minister, The Presbyterian Church in Canada