Anyone tried this or heard of it?

[mila]

Hi,

I was wondering if there is anyone who has heard of Anna Gibson-Steel and her anxiety and panic banishing solution - "60 second panic solution". It sounds way too good to be true and like a scam but maybe I am wrong. She does appear to be a genuine therapist but that doesn't mean this solution is real. Has anyone had any experience with this?

Thanks
Millie

[PanchoGoz]

It's either:
A Scam, or
Someone utilizing perfectly good tools they learnt through rational thinking or CBT style approach and wrapping it up in an easy money making package, arguably a scam as well

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi,

I was wondering if there is anyone who has heard of Anna Gibson-Steel and her anxiety and panic banishing solution - "60 second panic solution". It sounds way too good to be true and like a scam but maybe I am wrong. She does appear to be a genuine therapist but that doesn't mean this solution is real. Has anyone had any experience with this?

Thanks
Millie

This stood out for me:

How long before I start feeling relief?

The techniques revealed in the Gibson Steel Method work immediately. In fact, once you learn these techniques, you’ll be able to stop your next attack in a matter of seconds. If you have high levels of anxiety right now, you’ll notice a significant level of relief straight away.

That exact statement can be seen in a highly controversial method by another "guru" ex sufferer. This guru has a very slick advertising operation yet has many detractors and opposes accepted modern science.

Another that stood out:

How does it compare to drugs, supplements, and therapy?

Drugs and supplements work to numb your emotions and can relieve your suffering temporarily. But when the affects wear off, your problem is still there. It hasn’t gone anywhere. Plus, in many cases, drugs and supplements can be highly addictive… and often cause a laundry list of nasty side-affects.

Therapy, on the other hand, helps change your perspective on panic and anxiety. It helps you view your problem differently, so that you can cope better than you are right now. But anybody who has tried therapy in the past will agree: It is not always a permanent cure. Plus, it requires a lot of effort… it takes weeks, months, and sometimes years of work… and… it costs quite a lot of money.

The Gibson Steel Method takes a radically different approach…
… It takes a more deeply psychological approach…

… Instead of temporarily numbing your emotions or helping you rationalize your problem, it simply eliminates the “triggers” from deep within your subconscious mind that are causing the attacks in the first place.

This again matches to my knowledge of the other guru product, the false statements about therapy. There is NO permanent cure, no matter what any guru ever claims, you are not bulletproof for life because you use their product. The same is said for CBT, you have to live a healthy way in how you think or mental health disorders can return and it's the same for these products, they don't remove something from your brain, they can't, you keep practicing them for life. This is often a claim made by dubious online "gurus".

And

The treatments you tried so far are designed only to temporarily relieve your symptoms. They do not relieve the true underlying cause of your suffering.

That's completely false. CBT can give recovery, it has worked for people. A statement like this is quite clearly in breach of the ASA's CAP Code.

And

Best part: The Gibson Steel Method is extremely affordable… it’s proven effective… you will feel the results almost immediately… and you are fully protected by a 60-day 100% no-questions-asked guarantee. This means you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

So why don’t you try it right now…

The usual hooks seen on guru sales sites.

And

Why should I buy the Gibson Steel Method and not another course?

There are at least 5 good reasons why…
1.The Gibson Steel Method is a 100% real solution that was developed in a real-world clinical environment!
2.It was tested by, and proven effective in treating, more than 2,014 long-term sufferers of panic attacks and high levels of general anxiety!
3.The Gibson Steel Method is prescribed, recommended, and endorsed by top doctors, therapists and councilors!
4.It has a 10-year proven track record in stopping panic attacks… ending anxiety… and helping people like you return to thinking, feeling, and living life like a normal healthy person again!
5.It’s more affordable than other courses… plus… it’s 100% risk-free!

The truth is: We looked hard and could not find another program out there today that is as credible… proven effective… or that has a longer track record than the Gibson Steel Method.

That’s why we believe you should buy the Gibson Steel Method and not another course. This treatment works. Fast, safe, and effective relief is guaranteed!

Well they couldn't have looked very far because the method I was talking about in this post has been running longer, has a larger number of quoted "cured" clients and is plastered all over the internet.

Anecdotal evidence is not proof and again this is a breach of the ASA's CAP Code.

So, basically it could help but it could also be a product that doesn't and it's a gamble. The advertising looks like the scams I have seen though and I can see how they could easily be told to remove some of their statements from their advertising if they were reported to the ASA.

I can see it for £61.48 via one of their high ranking market affiliates. That's not as much as some, including the one I'm talking about, but it's a gamble.

10 years and 2000 people helped. That's extremely low. The other one I won't mentioned states over ten times this number.

Plus I hate how these people operate market affiliate schemes as it encourages misleading advertisers to set up sites to sell them pretending to be unconnected to them to fool vulnerable people. Many of these affiliates pop into forums like this (we've had some now & again, and I report them) to dupe people into going to their sites by pretending to care. The truth is, they can call themselves ex sufferers but I know for a fact some of these people are actually businesses as there are ways to trace them, red flags, etc.

Be careful.

---------- Post added at 06:46 ---------- Previous post was at 06:43 ----------

It's either:
A Scam, or
Someone utilizing perfectly good tools they learnt through rational thinking or CBT style approach and wrapping it up in an easy money making package, arguably a scam as well

Pancho,

You may not realise it but the CBT4PANIC programme you are promoting in your signature is now a chargeable product. Since the author neither created CBT nor CCBT, we could question the fact you can access CCBT for free if you see your GP rather than pay for this product.

It also operates a market affiliate programme.

This makes CBT4PANIC fit your second statement. It's quick to access but there are free ones still out there so that's not a USP either. It does look a good programme but the author has now crossed over into the same territory as the product you are criticising.(obviously it's a given that medical professionals charge for their products, the market is saturated with them)

[PanchoGoz]

Terry: Thank you for drawing my attention to this, I didn't notice that link was still in my signature from about 4 years ago and didn't even know the program was still going. The situation was different back then regarding free resources and Robin Hall made this free for NMP, the content was very helpful and I hope Robin hasn't gone down the wrong track now? ...I'll remove it from my signature as I don't want to spend time researching it now. I don't know what ccbt is or market affiliate program or USP, that's an awful lot of long words and abbreviation for my poor brain.

Regarding "Gibson-Steele Method"maybe we could summarise the above post in three words: Scam scam scam!

[NoPoet]

Just buy a Claire Weekes book and listen to Paul McKenna's "Change Your Life in 7 Days" on Youtube, and see these as the starting blocks to eventual recovery.

Nobody who's suffered from anxiety for a long time will cure it in 60 seconds. That flies in the face of experience. Human emotions are complicated and we make associations that become wired into our brains. If you've suffered from GAD for 10 years, it could be very deeply rooted and may have spread out to become other things. It's in your memories, it's in your identity.

Of course you can defeat it, and permanently change for the better so that GAD never comes back. But if I figured out how to do it inside 60 seconds, and it was 100% guaranteed to work, I would be charging a lot more than sixty quid for it as I cured eight hundred people a day until anxiety didn't exist any more!

[robinhall]

So you guys think I should just keep giving CBT4PANIC away for free? What is it with this country? I spent 10s of thousands of pounds to train as a Cognitive Therapist. I spent many years creating CBT4PANIC and it came from personal experience as well as extensive training.

I gave the course away FREE to HUNDREDS of people on this site and BECAUSE of that I had no money to pay for advertising on the internet. A website doesn't just magically get visitors without a lot of work and advertising.

SO - yes I had to go down the affiliate marketing route which is obviously seen as some sort of crime on this site just because it is associated with some clearly untested 'products' out there.

Actually I am fed up with people on websites like this because they just keep complaining about having panic and they won't spend the absolutely justifiable tiny amount I am asking for an INCREDIBLE complete PROFESSIONAL treatment program because of all the people like Terry and Pancho who are putting people off from getting ACTUAL HELP!

Pancho - exactly how am I going down 'the wrong track'?? That's quite an accusation! By asking people to pay for my hard work or by using affiliates to try and promote the programme to a wider audience. Do YOU work for FREE for everyone? No one complains when they pay hundreds of pounds for a mobile phone or a TV or a new shirt or a £30 meal but PAY FOR expert mental health TREATMENT - SHOCK HORROR!!

I wonder do people actually WANT help?! I really despair

And remember - just because you can get CBT for free if you go to your GP doesn't necessarily mean you will get anywhere NEAR as much help as you would get from my programme - I HAD panic disorder - you wont find many CBT therapists who talk from experience.

[Mercime]

I've not been here long but this seems simple enough. Judging by what you have said, when you came here initially, you were giving the programme for free and admin recommended it. Are they aware that you are now charging? It's irrespective of the amount, even if it's a great product, if there is a no advertising rule for one, then it should apply across the board.

I honestly think your rant above does you no favours. If you are a professional, you don't complain that people don't come to you, that's just the way it is. And you certainly shouldn't accuse them of spending their money on less important things because it's not your business.
You may well be frustrated, but if you are a professional who has spent a fortune of training, then act like one. If the site annoys you, or rather the people on it, stay away and advertise somewhere else, like Facebook. Or go small scale, you can't be the only one that has started off with a small client base.

[MyNameIsTerry]

So you guys think I should just keep giving CBT4PANIC away for free? What is it with this country? I spent 10s of thousands of pounds to train as a Cognitive Therapist. I spent many years creating CBT4PANIC and it came from personal experience as well as extensive training.

I gave the course away FREE to HUNDREDS of people on this site and BECAUSE of that I had no money to pay for advertising on the internet. A website doesn't just magically get visitors without a lot of work and advertising.

Where has anyone said you shouldn't charge? Professionals charge, it's a given. YOU chose to offer it for free for a certain time so the financial impacts onto YOUR business are purely of YOUR choice.

It could also be argued that your use of NMP was your advertising since they a) recommended it to their members and b) they gave you rights to use their name in your advertising.

SO - yes I had to go down the affiliate marketing route which is obviously seen as some sort of crime on this site just because it is associated with some clearly untested 'products' out there.

Yes, in my opinion, which I am allowed to give as long as I do so within the law, not based on what you believe peoples opinions should be restricted to, market affiliation is morally wrong in a sector promoting to vulnerable people.

From my point of view how do I know you don't open the flood gates to unscrupulous affiliate marketers? I have no issue with Nic doing this because she does so to support the forum but I have a big problem with any market affiliation agent doing purely to make a profit. Why? Because these people are not always scrupulous in how they try to make that profit. They come onto forums like this to redirect people to their fake websites that may also have fake blogs about their anxiety disorders that are cured. I wonder how many of these people even had an anxiety disorder in the first place? Anyone could set these sites up, many seem to look quite similar.

In my time here I have reported many such sellers because they are vultures. They are not coming here to help anyone, they are coming her to mislead vulnerable people into going to their site and making a purchase. If you don't believe me, then I'm sure examples can be provided. For a start there was the member on here who a few of us tracked back to him having 2 different names under the same photograph! Or how about the one that kept signing up who redirected to a fake blog advertising a reputable product but he was actually a company?

Whilst you may operate a scrupulous affiliate programme, nobody but you knows that. How do you police your affiliates? I don't know. Or whether you do at all.

If you choose to enter into a marketing programme that is well known to be unscrupulous in this sector, you can hardly complain that you are viewed that way, especially when you give no confidence that you aren't the same as them. If we assume you are perfect, we assume they are too. Without understanding what you do, that would be a very naïve view to take in this sector.

Actually I am fed up with people on websites like this because they just keep complaining about having panic and they won't spend the absolutely justifiable tiny amount I am asking for an INCREDIBLE complete PROFESSIONAL treatment program because of all the people like Terry and Pancho who are putting people off from getting ACTUAL HELP!

So, in your opinion a negative review is putting people off buying your product? You do realise this is the same argument frequently used by the unscrupulous "gurus" in this market?

Presumably if you had the ability you would remove any negative review of anything you do? That is a very poor way to conduct any business and will just cause more problems for your brand. You will be likened to people who ARE unscrupulous who attempt to shut down websites and worse (an No, before you start I am not accusing you of this, merely pointing out that your reaction here will remind some of us about what we have seen done by others out there).

I find it somewhat hypocritical that you are happy for them to advertise your product and for you to quote them as supporting you on your website if you are so sick of such places.

I'm not complaining about having panic attacks. Also, I don't attribute the fact I still have GAD & OCD simply because I have not purchased your product. CBT is NOT 100% effective, and you should know this.

Also, I would like to point out that Pancho has said nothing against your product, I have.

Pancho - exactly how am I going down 'the wrong track'?? That's quite an accusation! By asking people to pay for my hard work or by using affiliates to try and promote the programme to a wider audience. Do YOU work for FREE for everyone? No one complains when they pay hundreds of pounds for a mobile phone or a TV or a new shirt or a £30 meal but PAY FOR expert mental health TREATMENT - SHOCK HORROR.

I interpreted Pancho's statement as based on whether what you may be charging being fair. However, this is NOT an accusation of anything. I suggest you are very careful with this route.

The rest of your statement is the usual pointless diatribe of the faux outraged. This just makes you look unprofessional in my opinion. Like I said, no one expects a medical professional to offer anything for free in the private sector, just that it is fairly priced. I expect the same from what you mention and we do have laws to protect us from overpricing for that very reason.

Admin - as this is a discussion about a consumer product, I think you needs to review this part.

I wonder do people actually WANT help?! I really despair

Of course we do, what an utterly idiotic statement to make! BUT we don't want to get ripped off in the process. You surely understand there are many unscrupulous people out there? We get new members on here saying they are coming to help and then start subtly advertising their "product", their anxiety "cure". No evidence and really it's just recycled Claire Weekes and everybody else who came after her, and all of it is FREE on the internet. These people rip vulnerable sufferers off all the time. Some charge >£100, others much less but at the end of this trail of money there are INDIVIDUALS.

Are you so naïve not to see this or wilfully turning a blind eye?

And remember - just because you can get CBT for free if you go to your GP doesn't necessarily mean you will get anywhere NEAR as much help as you would get from my programme - I HAD panic disorder - you wont find many CBT therapists who talk from experience.

Based on what evidence? Have you reviewed all the CBT and CCBT available across the UK? Has any comparison been made to your CCBT and those available via the NHS? Or even yours and those available on the internet, some of which are free still?

No.

So, your USP is having had Panic Disorder? Fair enough, the incite of the sufferer is very useful and I wish more had BUT you are making a massive assumption that you are the only one. My CBT therapist had previously suffered an anxiety disorder, I know of others on here seeing therapists who have also been through this.

And besides, by your logic I would be better of having a heart transplant by a surgeon who has had one too. What exactly does that unique experience give in terms of training? Very little.

And also, you are making an assumption that your training combined with your experience makes you better than others. At first glance this might seem appropriate BUT how does anyone know if you are any good? (again, I'm not stating you aren't before you complain of it). Does having a previous anxiety disorder make you more intelligent than someone else? Why would it make you better if you only scraped through training compared to someone who flew through it? Would having previous suffered an anxiety disorder make a poor student much better than an excellent student? That seems quite an assumption to me.

Personally I find your faux outrage quite reminiscent of someone else and that person ONLY does this to aggressively defend their brand. They make a lot of the same statements about negative reviews putting other sufferers off and how that means we are selfish because we prevent them from accessing something which might work because they believe their product always works. They talk about how a small amount of money is worth getting your life back. It is, but you cannot offer any guarantee of that and so you should not use it.

I also think that this unprofessional rant will just serve to put more people off your product when they see how you conduct yourself. This is NOT how I expect any medical professional to conduct themselves. You seem to disapprove of any criticism, a failing in business since all feedback is positive in that it can be used to build & shape the business, and as a client I would now be concerned about saying something to you about my therapy not working and how whether your reaction would be like here i.e. accusing those who are negative as bad people, or implying it. I have no knowledge of how you work with clients but I say this based purely on this post.

Go onto places like Amazon, Robin. See authors doing exactly what you are here and see what level headed people say to them. They tell them that reacting to negative comments in this manner in the worst thing you can do to your product. No one wants to buy from people who act in this way, it's the worst advertising you could hope for.

I've actually said some positive things about your programme too. Sadly, you missed these, I guess it didn't fit your agenda here.

I trust that my comments here will be regarded as MY comments and that NMP, and it's members, will NOT be penalised for it. I do NOT want Nic to suffer for appropriate discussion that an author of a product takes offence too.

I also trust that any negative comments are NOT suddenly removed either as long as they conform both to the rules of the forum and to the greater point of law.

---------- Post added at 06:27 ---------- Previous post was at 06:25 ----------

I've not been here long but this seems simple enough. Judging by what you have said, when you came here initially, you were giving the programme for free and admin recommended it. Are they aware that you are now charging? It's irrespective of the amount, even if it's a great product, if there is a no advertising rule for one, then it should apply across the board.

Yes, NMP have been open & honest about their affiliation and even stated their commission rate, which they didn't have to do. They also provide the ability to use the affiliate pass through or a direct one. Any one clicking through either link will see it being charged for since it takes you to Robin's programme website.

Robin's signature still reflects the old thread, which may not be open in stating the price as Nic created new threads. I would imagine the links still work and so the price will be shown on Robin's programme website.

[PanchoGoz]

Robin - I'm pretty shocked by this rant and rave. I said your program was helpful - and I think it's pretty obvious "the wrong route" would be to create a large business with uneducated call centre representatives which exploits the vulnerable through misleading facts and advertising schemes like some of the miracle working short course programs they have out there - I'm sure you haven't done that. Also how is that an accusation.

I don't appreciate you saying we're putting people off from getting actual help because I'm simply removing an old link to out of date information from my signature because I'm not knowledgeable on what's happened with the program now. Is that really so defamatory. And did I say it should be free? No!! You need a business like any of us.

Just so everyone on NMP knows, I bought CBT4PANIC and I found it REALLY HELPFUL. I still use the things I learnt from it now and still keep the booklet that came with it should I need to remind myself of techniques. However I bought the program 6 years ago so I have no idea what it is like now so I can't really comment on it, and I'm not going to buy it again to test it out for people.

I hope you are not going through a hard time Robin because that post was clearly written from emotion and not thought and it's likely to really spoil your reputation as a professional should people search under your username - a lot more than anyone else on this thread has. Saddened to see someone I trusted can be so explosive.

I'll do this though, if you choose to remove your post, I'll remove both of mine to preserve your reputation. Would the other users on this thread agree to that too? I've no desire to stain anyone's business.

And a sorry to the OP is in order for the thread takeover I think.

N.B. Why am I on this blasted forum getting sucked into arguments again.