Review of Phobia Relief

[Manapo Mohapi]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Phobia Relief" by Kalliope Barlis.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Phobia Relief by Kalliope Barlis is a self-help book that provides an alternative way of managing irrational fear and phobias. In the book, Barlis employs her knowledge of neurolinguistic programming(NLP), a practice that involves an understanding of how the brain works, the impact of language use on the brain, and the effect of all that on our emotions. As an established NLP practitioner, with documented success in her last two books, Phobia Relief is Barlis's 3rd self-published book under her company, Building Your Best Publications.

Barlis adopts a formal tone of writing throughout the book. In chapter 5, she lays out the rules and intention of the book. She highlights that Phobia Relief is not a substitute for therapy. She argues that phobia relief is accomplished by adjusting one's focus on positive thoughts. Focusing one's energy and thoughts on goals and positivity, lessens the magnitude of fear and makes it less vivid to a person. The included exercises and one-on-one sessions also help to understand how the practice is applied.

I should point out that Phobia Relief demands focus and time to read. The book provides a step-by-step guide, with each chapter elaborating on each step. This makes it easy to read each chapter at a time. But, the book is mostly factual and tedious. There is excessive information included, making the book seem longer than it is. Some of the chapters, like the first two chapters, can be compressed. However, I appreciate the inclusion of progress checks as they help to stay aligned with the purpose of the book.

The book is professionally edited and with no grammatical errors. I rate Phobia Relief a 3 out of 4 stars. It provides tools for empowerment and life improvement. The book is well written and easy to comprehend. I also rate it 4 out of 5 stars among the best books ever. I would have preferred the client session at the beginning of the book. It would have made the book more relatable.

Barlis provides an unconventional way of managing emotions. To read this book, I recommend the reader be open-minded. Although not popular, this book gives a different perspective on managing phobias that may appeal to someone.

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Phobia Relief
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[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

I like how the author emphasizes here that our mind is the foundation to shrink fears. Mind development is needed to overcome fear/phobia. I like this book. Thanks for your wonderful review!

[Manapo Mohapi]

I like how the author emphasizes here that our mind is the foundation to shrink fears. Mind development is needed to overcome fear/phobia. I like this book. Thanks for your wonderful review!

That is the reason I enjoyed the book. It empowered me by emphasizing my own control to not have fear overcome me.

[Amy Luman]

I don’t really enjoy self-help books. They tend to feel like the author’s perception is that the reader has all of the problems and the author has all of the answers.

[Manapo Mohapi]

I don’t really enjoy self-help books. They tend to feel like the author’s perception is that the reader has all of the problems and the author has all of the answers.

I understand your perspective and agree with you to some extend. I read self help books just to know other's thinking towards a certain topic. Some are more convincing than others