January Support Email

Addition is a funny, quirky novel by Toni Jordan. Grace Lisa Vandenburg counts. The letters in her name (19). The steps she takes every morning to the local café (920); the number of poppy seeds on her slice of orange cake, which dictates the number of bites she’ll take to finish it. Grace counts everything, because numbers hold the world together. And she needs to keep an eye on how they’re doing.

Seamus Joseph O’Reilly (also 19, with the sexiest hands Grace has ever seen) thinks she might be better off without the counting. If she could hold down a job, say. Or open her kitchen cupboards without conducting an inventory, or make a sandwich containing an unknown number of sprouts. Grace’s problem is that Seamus doesn’t count.

The first thing I would like to say about this book is that after reading, I automatically assumed that the author suffered from OCD – she explains it so well, the utterly nonsensical thought processes, the importance that the rituals hold and the way that it affects those around the sufferer. Not only did she choose a less well known aspect of OCD, but she manages to pull it off with humour, without belittling or mocking the illness.

Grace has had OCD since she was a child – it appeared after a traumatic event (which is revealed to us later on in the book) and has gradually consumed her life, leaving her unable to work (she has a Maths degree and worked as a teacher). Her OCD is severe but very controlled – by keeping the rituals to the maximum she is able to avoid much of the anxiety.

Her family have learnt to work around the OCD, and I think that they are pretty despairing. She has a niece who accepts the OCD as part of her aunt is a great character, providing a nice juxtaposition to the rest of her family. They obviously love Grace, but are unsure how to handle her.

And then Seamus walks in and sweeps Grace of her feet – and as her OCD becomes more and more evident, she is forced to come clean about it. Seamus encourages her to have some treatment, and when Grace decides to accept help, she is offered a combination of group therapy that seems to be loosely based on CBT and medication. The element of competition between the members, swapping tips and questioning how ill the others really are is touching to say the least. The therapist is portrayed as a bit of a hippy – always going on about journeys and other metaphors that do tend to grate. I’m not sure that it’s the most accurate representation of CBT, but it made me laugh out loud at points!

Then there’s the medication issue – Grace describes how her head seems to split in two, a sort of angel and devil on each shoulder.  Grace finally decides that she doesn’t want to be cured – she comes off the medication and stops the therapy.

The main conclusion that can be drawn from this book is that we should accept people for who they are, and not expect them to change. Grace comes as a package – OCD and all, and Seamus decides that she’s worth it.  CBT is hard, but living with OCD is harder… What is an amusing quirk at the beginning of a relationship isn’t quite so sweet when it’s three o’clock in the morning a year later…

You can buy Toni's book here: Addition by Toni Jordan

We’ve all been there – the anxiety is a wave washing over us and we’re getting further and further from shore. What we really need is a life ring and this is where self-soothing boxes come into play. What is a self-soothing box I hear you ask? Well, it’s exactly what it says it does on the tin – a box, bag, or just a pile of things on the floor of your bedroom.

You can fill your box with whatever calms you when panic takes over. We have some ideas for you, but a self-soothing box is unique and personal. We’re going to give you some ideas using the five senses – touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing.

Touch – a snuggly piece of fleece, buttons, squishy stress balls, a hot water bottle or hand cream. Something to give a squeeze can help you to ground yourself. Remember, it’s fine to still have your favourite teddy bear in there for when you need a quick reassurance. 

Sight – one of the best things for a self-soothe box is photographs. Happy times, special people and celebrations can all help to remember the positive moments. If craft is your thing then keep pencils and a sketchbook in your box.

Smell – an obvious and useful idea is using essential oils to ground you. There are other options such as a little bag of ground coffee, a nice smelling candle or a lavender bag. There may be smells that remind you of happy times – tea could remind you of visiting your grandmother or vanilla makes you think about birthday cakes.

Taste – strong flavours can help to ground you. Mints (especially strong mints) and chewing gum work well. Lollipops can bring you into the present or your favourite sweets. If you have the chance, a slow hot chocolate, cup of tea or coffee can allow you to take a quick time out and give you time to use your therapy toolkit.

Hearing – one of the best ways of stopping the tornado of panic is music. Creating a playlist of calming songs can be very helpful but you might find that concentrating on a funny audiobook or podcast useful. Some people might find that listening to the outside world grounding. Can you hear the birds? The traffic? Your own footsteps?

As we said before, a self-soothe box is incredibly personal and no two people will have the same things. It’s also something that can be added to or refilled with new elements. Give it a try and let us know what you use!

After a series of traumatic events in the year 2020 and beginning of 2021 (violent and sudden death of a family member and verbal abuse), I started the process of EMDR with my licensed therapist.

The first sessions were intense, as you have to focus on a specific traumatic event and try to reconnect to how you felt physically and emotionally at that moment. I trust my therapist a lot and that is what helped the process.

During each session, I cry a lot and the body can sometimes start shaking, but after the eye movements are done, you get a sense of calmness. The hours following a session, I feel quite tired and emotionally fatigued, but the good part starts one or two days later !

I’m so glad to say that because of EMDR, I am able to remember these traumatic events as things that happened to me without them causing panic attacks or other PTSD symptoms.

It’s such a relief. It doesn’t erase the sadness or pain of them, but they are now being integrated as part of my life story, and they are in the past : they don’t impact my present anymore. I feel more free after every session. 


What does EMDR stand for?
EMDR is an acronym for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. Don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it sounds!

What is EMDR used for?
EMDR is almost exclusively used in people who have experienced trauma, especially those who have experienced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, research has shown that EMDR could be helpful for phobias, anxiety disorders or dissociative disorders.

What does a session actually look like?
Sessions last from between 60 and 90 minutes. Patients are asked to conjure up a traumatic memory with the aim of processing these traumas and their related effects (distress, intrusive thoughts etc.).  Then the therapist helps you by either getting you to follow their finger, tapping each side alternately or playing a tone.

How does it work?
We’re not entirely sure. EMDR is not hypnosis. The patient is in control of the process. It is suggested that concentrating on traumatic events can be thought of as prolonged exposure which is the backbone of CBT, the gold standard for PTSD treatment.

How long does therapy last?
On average, between 6 and 12 sessions but this can vary depending on the individual.

If you would like to read more stories of people's own experiences with anxiety, pop over to our page dedicated to this on The No Panic Website: Your Stories
Or perhaps you would like to share your own experience? Please get in touch.

Our recovery programs whether individual or in a group aim to harness an individuals own strengths and provide them with the tools to they need to improve their own mental wellness. By encouraging participants to take personal responsibility for their own mental health and to identify not only what triggers mental health difficulties but also crucially keeps them well.


We use the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy to develop participant’s understanding of the relationship between thoughts, feelings, actions and physiology. It also explores interventions that participants can make in relation to changing their way of thinking and behaviour towards fear by using desensitisation techniques. 


Our programs also focus on goal setting. We facilitate participants to look at all aspects of their life and to focus on the key goals that will improve their wellness. We coach on how through simple goal-setting and regular self-appraisal individuals can take personal responsibility and regain control.


We coach our participants on the principles of general mental well-being and the development of a wellness continuum that focuses on wellness strategies. Our programs aim to develop the participant’s understanding of the underlying principles of mindfulness and gratitude and how they can apply them in their own lives in simple and practical ways to enhance and maintain their mental wellness. Participants are encouraged to continue to develop their learned skills in order to maintain their own mental well-being on an ongoing basis.


No Panic believes that the best people to help anxiety sufferers recover are those that have lived through the same experiences, this is the reason why most of our volunteers have recovered using our services and feel that they want to go on to train and support others on the road to recovery.


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