Rating: 
Summary: Really helps you master social anxiety
Review: I'm so glad Dr. Dayhoff wrote this book. It has everything I want to know. She is so helpful, kind, and understanding. There is one thing she does that others don't seem to do in their books. Once she has assisted you through the basics, she gets you involved in activities which will help you gain mastery in those specific areas and increase your self-confidence at the same time. She refers to it as "guided mastery." Then she keeps reminding you to notice the positive changes and reward yourself for them. The two things feed off one another and you really gain ground. I hope everyone who has ever felt shy, anxious, phobic or avoidant in social situations reads this wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: Offers Caring, Personal SP Help
Review: This book has more information, exercises, suggestions and resources than any other book I've found but what I really like about it is that it is warm, friendly and personal. It's like a teacher you feel close to and admire and know you can count on no matter what and who always comes through.
Rating:
Summary: Straightforward, effective learning approach
Review: How great to have a book by someone knowledgeable who has had the same terrible fears for years I have and recovered! I like lots of things about the book but especially how the book is laid out. To me it is a very natural way of learning. It gives you the concepts then it shows you how to work from the basic to the complex and keeps building on what you have learned.It starts with what you need to know about social anxiety then takes you through the steps of recovery. First it helps you set up your goals and make sure you are motivated and committed to doing it. Then it has you work on the most basic part of your fear, your arousal. The next step is working on the next level, your thoughts and behaviors which keep the fear going. Once you have the techniques down, you are encouraged to apply them in other related areas that are troubling you, like self-esteem, anger, procrastination etc. You decide which. Next it tells you about medication, alternative treatments, therapists and resources if you need further help. It finishes by helping you with all the other life problems you encounter in social anxiety. Because of this step by step method I can go back to a step where I need more work then step my way forward again. I think this book has everything needed for recovery and it is fun to read. I recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: lots of useful information...
Review: A great thing about this book is that it lets readers know we are not alone in dealing with social phobia, and that it's not our fault we are the way we are. Dr. Dayhoff lets us know this by speaking in the first person and occasionally bringing up examples of how her and others' social phobias led to some embarassing situations, and the misery it's caused many people. That she has dealt with her social phobia and is a successful PhD/author is inspiring. Dr. Dayhoff provides a huge amount of information on many aspects of this little-understood subject (including lots of lists). Though I appreciate all this information, I found that the amount of information sometimes overwhelming, especially the self-help section. To be honest, I didn't know where to begin, or how to prioritize steps toward recovery (i.e., should I start by working on self-esteem issues, relaxation techniques, etc.?). But the need to address all these issues is an unavoidable consequence of the many ways social phobia can affect one. Dr. Dayhoff provides information about techniques that are reliably effective (e.g., Beck's cognitive therapy), so I'm optimistic that working through the details of how I should go about my recovery, and finally applying these techniques should lead to long-term reduction of my symptoms of social phobia.
Rating:
Summary: Good even if you don't have social anxiety
Review: After seeing all those drug ads I was convinced I had social anxiety. This book showed me the differences between social anxiety and shyness and high sensitivity and introversion. I found out I don't really have social phobia after all. What a relief. I read the whole book anyway because it is so interesting and funny. The exercises are really good and they will help me in lots of ways like being more assertive and talking to people and looking for a job. Everyone can use this book. It is very good.
Rating:
Summary: Real helpful
Review: Seems like everyplace I went I saw this book or heard about it or read about it. I figured it was an omen telling me it was time to do something about my social phobia. The book said it wasn't going to make me a party animal if I already wasn't one under the social phobia. Who cares. All I wanted to do was feel better and meet people and have some fun. Well I am. Little by little. Its great. The books great.
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Summary: Emphasizes social phobics strengths too
Review: SPs have difficulty seeing their strengths. What I like about this book is the author shows SPs the positive qualities they have from living with SP. Since SPs endure so much unpleasantness and pain with their condition, they have the ability to endure almost anything. They are stronger than they know. They are survivors. Since they mostly listen instead of talk, they are the ones who make conversations possible and make talkers feel good. Listening is a valuable and necessary skill. Since they live with loneliness almost all the time, they can handle it better than most when they have to. Throughout the book the author emphasizes SPs "reframing" negative perceptions of themselves in positive ways so they can see that they really have alot to offer. I think it is important that SPs know they are okay people and have value and positive qualities even if they have SP. I want to thank Dr. Dayhoff for making this very important point.
Rating:
Summary: Expert assistance
Review: Innovative, insightful, engrossing and clear. Diagonally Parked offers a road map for negotiating the challenging terrain of working through social phobia. I hated my parents for giving me this disabling disorder. But when I read what Dr. Dayhoff says about why and how to forgive them, something clicked. I was tired of carrying around all that anger and it wasn't helping me get better. This book is loaded with useful information and humane guidance. I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Like having an expert & friend at your side
Review: I never told anyone about my fears. I couldn't. I pretended they didn't exist. The worst was when I had to talk to people. I couldn't look them in the eye. They seemed uncomfortable with me and didn't want me around. I hated them and I hated myself. That's where Diagonally Parked came in. It showed me I'm not alone. It teaches me how to be with people and talk to them. It says I'm OK but have a problem to solve and I can solve it. I love this book.
Rating:
Summary: A sure winner
Review: This is a hands on ready reference that gives explicit instructions on how to successfully recover from SA/SP. The author really understands what it's like to feel like the ball in a pinball machine constantly on "tilt". This book is a gift.
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