Written for people with Asperger syndrome who struggle to keep their anxiety under control. The author, diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, explains how to identify stress triggers in a variety of settings, including on the job, with family, and in relationships as well as handling everyday mishaps. He explains how the physiology of stress works, how having Asperger syndrome may contribute towards this and what can be done about it. He suggests a range of strategies for effective stress reduction from researchers in the fields of holistic health, psychology and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), including an explanation of how cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can be used to change irrational thought patterns and ultimately decrease anxiety. Case studies throughout the book and action points at the end of each chapter provide an approach to managing the stresses of everyday life.

Here is an interesting question: Would an analyst with Asperger's Syndrome be more or less able to help a patient with the condition than a normal therapist?

The answer, I think, is "It depends." It depends on the analyst, the patient, and the exact nature of the patient's problems. A neurotypical analyst will probably be more able to detect the sufferer's problems, but the "Aspie" might be better at understanding and offering a solution. Or not. Aspies are so varied a population that the Aspie analyst and the Aspie patient might find nothing in common.

That, to some extent, happens with this book. Some of it, such as the ideas about stress and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, struck me as incredibly insightful. I found the information about cognitive behavioral therapy very informative also.

And yet, I didn't feel as if there were any actual answers here. Dubin understands some Aspie problems -- he is "on the spectrum," after all. But I didn't feel as if he was speaking to me -- he doesn't feel like "my" kind of Asperger's sufferer. It may be different for you. But my feeling is that one should approach this book as a source of information, not of answers. ( )