Thank you for purchasing this Simon & Schuster eBook. Sign up for our newsletter and receive special offers, access to bonus content, and info on the latest new releases and other great eBooks from Free Press. or visit us online to sign up at eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com Praise for Learning to Breathe “Warner deftly describes her various treatments. She delves into painful family memories and recounts her panic attacks in detail. For those readers who have experienced this debilitating condition, or who have family members who have . . . insightful.” —Publishers Weekly “Wise, searching, fearless, and bighearted, Priscilla Warner’s search for inner peace will resonate with anyone who has ever been anxious or at sea—in other words, all of us. She is a comforting and stabilizing guide through her own life— and ours. This book is a gift.” —Dani Shapiro, author of Devotion: A Memoir “The words leap off the page. Priscilla Warner’s courageous story from panic to peace brims with insights that light the path to simply living a better life.” —Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D., author of The Now Effect “A fascinating tale of courage, perseverance, and resolve. In lucid and entertaining prose—with several laugh-out-loud moments—Warner is a travel guide for the anxious and the wounded, leading us from a life of fear and burden to a perspective of freedom and wonder. Her story is a gift to anyone determined to find peace.” —Therese Borchard, author of Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes Also by Priscilla Warner The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 www.SimonandSchuster.com Copyright © 2011 by Priscilla Warner All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Free Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020 First Free Press hardcover edition September 2011 FREE PRESS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. Manufactured in the United States of America 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Warner, Priscilla. Learning to breathe: my yearlong quest to bring calm to my life/ Priscilla Warner. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. 1. Warner, Priscilla—Health. 2. Panic attacks—Alternative treatment. 3. Anxiety disorders—Treatment. 4. Meditation. I. Title. RC535.W37 2011 616.85'223—dc22 2011008429 ISBN 978-1-4391-8107-2 ISBN 978-1-4391-8109-6 (ebook) NOTE TO READER This book is an account of experiences I shared with many wonderful people. It’s based on my recollections, as well as tape recordings I made of conversations and therapy sessions and careful notes I took during teaching sessions. In a few instances, the names and/or identifying characteristics of some people have been changed.