Protect Us from All Anxiety: Meditations for the Depressed (Solace for Survivors)

Rating:
Summary: Comfort and Rest for the Suffering
Review:
This book is for those who have been thrown into chaos, doubt, and darkness by depression. It would also be enlightening for someone who has never dealt with depression but would like to understand it better. These meditations are short and appear to be simple. But if you are struggling with depression, they will open the floodgates of emotion, and they will remind you that you are not alone.

Priest Burke describes candidly many of the lonely difficulties that I have had in depression. He confronts his demons in this book; and in doing so, he helps me to confront mine. He learns to accept himself in these journal entries, and he encourages me to accept myself as well. Even in the darkest moments of depression, this book shows that there is light. Even the sketches are beautiful and sad at the same time. There is no easy cure found here, but there is so much more than that. I feel peace when someone else has the courage to voice the terrifying thoughts that come with depression. I am encouraged when I hear a godly man calling depression what it is - an illness. I am strengthened when I see him taking the steps to be healthy and whole.

One thing that I love about this book is its order and organization. It takes the reader through the process of healing slowly. The reader is not bombarded with too much information at once (or forced to deal with their issues all at once time, or told to have hope when they have none). The setup of the book is perfect for reading a couple of pages a day and then praying about those pages (short prayers are included). The book was obviously written and organized with respect for each individual's personal pain and process. Sometimes a meditation will leave the reader to discern its importance and meaning. Thus, these meditations go beyond all of the simplistic self-help guides out there and take the reader to a deeper level, their own personal level.

I don't know how I stumbled across this book, but I am so glad that I did. I've read it once through and am now reading it again. It is challenging me not to give up on healing. It is challenging me not to give up on my God or myself. This is the best work I have read on depression yet.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down.
Review: A quick-paced, enlightening book, it gives hope to those suffering the ravages of depression.

Rating:
Summary: a powerful book
Review: Depression is, above all, terrifying, and only one who has been there can describe or have any understanding of it. William Burke has done a fantastic job here. His meditations are right on target for those who feel as if they are hanging on to a thin thread. This book will make that thread a lot thicker.

Rating:
Summary: A small book with a large impact.
Review: During a presentation on depression at the local university, I wondered if the treatment discussed will include spirituality. I then inquired. The response by the speaker was, "no, I don't know enough about it." I then was told of and just finished reading "Protect Us From All Anxiety." Author Father Burke has found a gentle, loving, and compassionate way of defining and informing those who suffer from depression and those who don't know enough about it by discussing his pain and journey to recovery. I applaud his honesty and courage in writing such a beautiful book. Whether dealing with depression with self or family members or friends, or if just curious, "Protect Us From All Anxiety" is the book for all to read.

Rating:
Summary: For All to Read
Review: During a presentation on depression at the local university, I wondered if the treatment discussed will include spirituality. I then inquired. The response by the speaker was, "no, I don't know enough about it." I then was told of and just finished reading "Protect Us From All Anxiety." Author Father Burke has found a gentle, loving, and compassionate way of defining and informing those who suffer from depression and those who don't know enough about it by discussing his pain and journey to recovery. I applaud his honesty and courage in writing such a beautiful book. Whether dealing with depression with self or family members or friends, or if just curious, "Protect Us From All Anxiety" is the book for all to read.

Rating:
Summary: A small book with a large impact.
Review: The first time I saw this book was in a local bookstore. It was the title that originally caught my interest. I pulled the small book off the shelf and begin to skim the information on the back. I was about to replace the book on the shelf--after all, how could a Catholic priest have any insight on depression relevant to a middle aged woman?--when something compelled me to open the book at random and start reading.
I felt as if the author had looked into my heart and soul. This was describing MY experience with depression.
This is the book I keep by my bed in case I need to read something inspirational to get to sleep. It makes me feel less alone knowing that someone else has experienced much of what I have. I would recommend this book to anyone who suffers from depression, or anyone who is just looking to understand what this terrible disease is like from someone who knows. Thank you, Father Burke, for sharing your experience with us and giving us the one thing so often lacking in depression--hope.