Every fear trap has its triggers. Nancy Stella teaches her readers how to identify triggers and then moves on to solving the fear traps. In Fear Traps, Nancy shares her Courageous Brain Process (CBP) model. CBP allows those who struggle with a fear trap to create new neuropathways and overcome the vicious grip of the fear trap. Psychology can be a technical subject, but Nancy knows how to explain the topics that can be complicated. In addition, she has over twenty years of experience working with clients. As a result, this book is simple enough to help everyone who struggles with fear. Nancy’s compassion for those who suffer comes through in her writing. There are no condemnations in this book, only positive encouragements.
Testimonials & Reviews
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Daniel D Staats
https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/fear-traps
Jeremiah Rood
forewordreviews.com
Nancy Stella’s hopeful self-help book Fear Traps suggests a mindful approach to trauma and its effects.
Advances in neuroscience show that the human brain is more adaptable and malleable than previously understood, Stella says. Thus, her book suggests a new approach to trauma treatment. Here, chronic fear is indicted for keeping people trapped in their pasts, while new traumatic events are shown to trigger additional traps, locking people in cycles of fear and doubt: “the part of the brain that controls our fear is overstimulated.” Grounded in science, this weighty self-improvement manual shares suggestions for overcoming issues like rejection and failure. It also names meditation methods for reconditioning a person’s fear-based reactions to stimuli, challenging one’s ingrained responses.
Stella proposes a six-step process to addressing chronic fear. Dubbed the Courageous Brain Process, it is designed to awaken neural pathways to “sidestep old pathways … created by past traumatic experiences.” Each step is introduced in turn; then, the book zooms in on common fear traps, like being afraid of being alone or the unknown, that help to illustrate the steps. They represent a simple, beautiful set of recommendations that operate through intentional, repeated guided meditations, undoing the lingering effects of trauma.
Stella draws on her story as an example, too, covering periods as when she was working through her divorce, and the scent of her soon-to-be ex’s cologne became a trigger: “I sat next to my attorney feeling as if I were a little girl.” This vulnerability makes her testimonies about the Courageous Brain Process inspiring; Stella is convincing in asserting that it can change people’s lives for the better in part because of her confessional tone.
Though based in complex science, the book’s advice and commentary remains on the therapeutic level. It dips in and out of Stella’s therapy office, describing pivotal moments when her clients worked through their own fears, as in the case of a confrontation-avoidant person who had to have “the talk” with his partners about how their business was doing. Such examples move the book beyond the theoretical, making its proposals feel more practical and engaging. But the book’s approachable guided meditations are its true star. Each follows the same outline, with clear focus statements, entries for what to do in each moment, and notes for how to end each fifteen-minute session.
Incorporating both hard science and the wonders of mindfulness, Fear Traps is an insightful self-help book concerned with how meditation techniques can be used to address trauma.
Dianne Latimer
PsyD Licensed Psychologist
Dr. Stella takes away the stigma often associated with trauma responses. She focuses on strengthening individuals-reminding them that they do have the power and inner resources to create positive changes in their lives and relationships. This book takes approaches I already use and combines them in a powerful way that someone can use on their own or to more easily participate in their therapy process.
BookLife
by Publishers Weekly
Clinical psychologist Nancy Stella’s nonfiction debut lays out six steps to overcoming trauma and self-defeating behavior with the promise that it’s based on the “latest discoveries on the human brain.” Drawing on examples from her own life as well as her clinical practice, Stella establishes a clear framework for working through anxiety and provides straightforward, relatable examples for practical application of steps designed to help “Create a Courageous Brain” and face fears of failure, being alone, confrontation, and more. Readers will be challenged to explore their own “patterns of self-sabotage” through Stella’s detailed review of these same patterns evident in her shared anecdotes, and she demonstrates how to “imagine the worst-case scenario,” prompting readers to put their fears into a healthier perspective.
Stella addresses a common, limiting fear (fear of rejection; fear of the unknown) in each of the guide’s six chapters and illuminates each with anecdotes to help readers understand her first step toward facing it: “tell your story.” She emphasizes the importance of recognizing mental and emotional triggers, such as a person with abandonment issues experiencing anxiety when their partner forgets a date or a promised phone call. Once fear and its triggers have been thoroughly identified and described, she urges meditation to help readers move forward with courage and purpose, and includes meditation exercises tied to specific “fear traps.” Dr. Stella ends each chapter with a description of her anecdotal patients living their lives free from the anxieties that chained them before.
Readers who have experienced talk therapy or dived into much mental health-related literature will already be familiar with the basic steps of identifying and engaging with anxiety in order to move past it. Regardless of novelty, this is a solid primer, written with clarity in the voice of an encouraging coach, offering a good reminder of how to examine thoughts as objectively as possible to remove the power of past traumas and anxieties.
Richard Reckman
PhD Past President, Ohio Psychological Association
Dr. Stella integrates cutting-edge neuroscience, millennia-old meditation practices, and decades of clinical experience to provide hope and concrete guidance to anyone trapped in the revolving door of their own fears. Fear Traps provides breakthrough understandings and clear guidance for adolescents, adults, and seniors to systematically free themselves from what can feel like inescapable anxieties and fears.
Marian Rubin
LISW Licensed Independent Social Worker
Dr. Stella is a master of self-esteem. She makes even our most closely held fears feel approachable and surmountable. When we feel small and paralyzed, she reminds us that we are the adult in the room, and we are capable of so much more than we think.
Celia Oliver
PhD, PsyD President of the New Hampshire Psychological Association
A must-have resource for anyone stuck in a cycle of fear.
Ryan Schmidtz
MD Schmidtz Psychiatry LLC
In her book, Fear Traps, Dr. Stella captures the very foundation of common fears. Beyond that, she lays out a fantastic, detailed framework to attack it. This is an excellent resource for any therapist or patient wanting to improve their sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy.
David Forrester
Creator of the Matrix, The Art of Emotional Healing
Dr. Stella’s book is one of hope. It chronicles the lives of several of her clients as they use the Courageous Brain Process to identify, navigate, and overcome the patterns that are stifling them. I’ve used Doctor Stella’s process to remake my own emotional matrix. I can personally attest to its transformational power. I experience greater resilience, wellbeing, and deep swells of spontaneous happiness as a direct result of the practice. It’s been a lifesaver for me.
Lynda McConn
LPCC Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
You really can change the way your brain processes fear. Fear Traps shows you how.
