Since we are not committed to any particular school of therapy but solely to the well-being of our patients, we allow ourselves the freedom to use only the best from a variety of therapeutic approaches. At the same time, we leave out anything that is outdated, such as exposure therapy, antidepressants, or benzodiazepines.
This is why the Bernhardt Method differs in many ways from the standard therapeutic procedures used for anxiety disorders and depression. The effectiveness of each individual element of the Bernhardt Method is well supported by studies. We have summarized 31 of these studies for you here:
Overview of the Topics of All Studies:
Scientific Foundations of the 10-Sentence Method
The 10-Sentence Method, developed by Klaus Bernhardt, focuses on describing positive life goals in a very specific way and reinforcing them neurally through a special mental training technique (the 5-Channel Technique).
The following study shows that this approach is particularly effective in achieving emotional reorientation. As a result, it becomes significantly easier to achieve set goals (such as freedom from anxiety) and generally experience more joy in life. This is why the 10-Sentence Method, in combination with the 5-Channel Technique, is not only highly effective for treating anxiety disorders but is also extremely helpful for depression.
Another study shows that new brain cells replace older ones, thereby largely erasing the memories stored in them. For this reason, the 10-Sentence Method was designed to utilize this effect in such a way that the memory of anxiety is primarily overwritten. It has been demonstrated in over 16,000 cases that this works extremely well. You can find the related study here:
In the 10-Sentence Method, individuals are encouraged to identify new, desirable goals for themselves and write them down according to specific criteria. Then, the achievement of these goals is mentally trained, focusing on the goal itself, not the path to it. People who write down their goals and involve a friend for accountability have a 76% higher success rate than those who don’t write down their goals. This is the result of the following study:
The fact that the brain is incapable of thinking in negations (don’t think of a pink elephant!) has already been proven by numerous studies. However, this knowledge is rarely used to the advantage of patients in talk therapy. This is different in our online therapy program “How to Calm Anxiety” With the help of special language patterns that specifically activate subconscious processes in the brain, anxiety patients find it remarkably easy to stop automatic anxiety thoughts (and thus anxiety feelings) after just a few days.
Psychiatrists and psychotherapists who have learned these special language patterns during a training course at our institute consistently report significantly faster recovery in their patients.
Essentially, anxiety disorders worsen when sufferers try to suppress certain thoughts. However, when these thoughts are repeatedly redirected into better pathways through a therapist’s modified language, anxiety is literally reduced on a neural level. The following study provides a good overview of this.
Scientific Foundations of the 5-Channel Technique
People with anxiety disorders struggle to imagine situations they perceive as threatening in a way that leads to feelings of joy and ease. Therefore, the main task of brain-friendly psychotherapy should be to neurally anchor new, better mental images.
However, since negative memories are not stored in just one part of the brain (as previously thought), but according to recent studies, are distributed across various regions of the brain, this aspect should also be considered in psychotherapy. The 5-Channel Technique currently addresses this aspect better than any other therapeutic approach. In combination with the 10-Sentence Method, it specifically targets both the visual and auditory centers of the brain, as well as the areas responsible for smell, taste, and touch. As a result, anxiety patients and even people with depression can anchor better information in the brain much faster, allowing it to be recalled more easily over time. This leads to a significant reduction in anxiety and depressive thoughts and, within a few weeks, can even ensure that they are completely overcome.
You can find one of the mentioned studies here:
Another study found that happiness can be significantly increased and depressive symptoms reduced by focusing on nine (or more) positive things for just a few minutes each day. This conclusion was reached by researchers at the University of Zurich in 2016. In the 5-Channel Technique, individuals focus on significantly more positive things. Additionally, the feelings of happiness generated in this way are actively anchored in five different areas of the brain. As a result, the positive effect lasts much longer and helps to overcome both anxiety disorders and depression without medication. You can find the study here:
Paradoxical intervention works better for severe cases.
A meta-analysis of 12 studies found that paradoxical intervention, compared to typical treatment methods, is particularly more effective in severe cases. Additionally, the positive effects of the treatment were more lasting. Paradoxical intervention is also regularly used in treatments based on the Bernhardt Method. Anxiety patients in particular respond exceptionally well to this approach. You can find the meta-analysis here:
Social laughter leads to the release of endogenous opioids.
Humor is by far the best tool for a therapist. If it is possible during therapy to make anxiety patients laugh about situations they are actually afraid of, something remarkable happens in the brain. They release endogenous opioids, which positively affect pain perception, mood regulation, and stress management. The immune system is also strengthened, and the brain becomes more receptive to therapeutic measures. Anxiety patients often say after their first session using the Bernhardt Method that they laughed more during those 60 minutes than in the previous six months. We have long known about the healing power of social laughter. And the fact that we are absolutely on the right track is proven by these two studies:
Antidepressants for Anxiety Disorders Are Rather Counterproductive
The current guidelines for treating anxiety disorders in Germany (as of June 2024) recommend a combination of psychotropic drugs and psychotherapeutic methods, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
However, several studies suggest that cognitive behavioral therapy alone may be significantly more effective than the previously recommended combination of both methods. This becomes especially clear when not only the short-term recovery of anxiety patients is considered but also when patients are observed over a longer period. While antidepressants can help reduce anxiety more quickly at the start of treatment, the cost is high. Psychotropic drugs seemingly make it harder, not easier, for patients to learn from therapy and retain the strategies learned after treatment. In concrete terms, patients treated solely with cognitive behavioral therapy feel better after completing therapy and have significantly fewer relapses compared to those who also took psychotropic drugs. The current guidelines for treating anxiety disorders may likely lead to more anxiety symptoms over time, and patients’ mental health may even deteriorate after discontinuing the medication.
You can find the studie here:
Over 200 Common Medications Can Lead to Depression
More than 200 commonly used medications list depression as a possible side effect. Researchers at the University of Illinois wanted to determine how often this side effect actually occurs, particularly when multiple medications are used simultaneously. To investigate this, they analyzed data from around 26,000 patients and came to a startling conclusion. The likelihood of becoming depressed due to medication increased dramatically when multiple substances were taken at the same time.
You can find the studies here:
Misdiagnosis of Anxiety Disorder: Much More Common Than Thought
The Bernhardt Method is a holistic therapeutic concept. Therefore, it also takes into account factors that are often overlooked in conventional anxiety therapy. For instance, numerous anxiety symptoms can arise simply because the otherwise harmless Roemheld syndrome has gone undiagnosed. Similarly, an overdose of the thyroid hormone thyroxine, which is used to treat thyroid disorders, is often misdiagnosed as an anxiety disorder. We have had hundreds of patients whose supposed anxiety disorder disappeared within a few days after they resumed the correct dosage of their medication. There are many other possibilities that can also lead to the misdiagnosis of anxiety disorder. In most cases, patients are then put on antidepressants, which means the true cause remains untreated while unnecessary medications with numerous side effects are taken for years. Here you will find a small selection of professional articles and studies, all of which have contributed to the Bernhardt Method, ensuring that you are spared from misdiagnoses whenever possible:
The feeling that talking about problems helps is deceptive!
Therapists using the Bernhardt Method work exclusively in a solution-oriented way. This sets our method apart from conventional talk therapies, where both patients and psychotherapists are often convinced that sharing and processing negative emotions is therapeutically beneficial and helpful. However, a study from 2005 proved this is not the case. In tests conducted 3, 7, and 60 days after such conversations, NO recovery effect was observed! You can find the study here:
Suppressing anxious or depressive thoughts is equally harmful.
This was clearly demonstrated in a 2006 study. Providing the brain with “better input” is therefore crucial for a quick recovery. This approach is a central theme throughout the Bernhardt Method. You can find the mentioned study here:
Distraction Only Helps with Anxiety in the Short Term
This study examined whether distraction is helpful in stressful situations (such as during a panic attack) and whether this strategy is suitable for long-term use. The results show that while distraction may bring short-term relief, it does not contribute to long-term healing.
Scent anchors accelerate psychotherapeutic measures.
Our sense of smell has a very direct impact on our brain. Scents can trigger both positive and negative emotions within milliseconds, bypassing the conscious mind. For this reason, I still don’t understand why this powerful tool is rarely used in cognitive behavioral therapy as a supportive measure. As part of the Bernhardt Method, we teach individuals how to create positive scent anchors and use them as needed. The effectiveness of this approach has been clearly demonstrated by studies:
With anxiety thoughts, it's not about the WHAT but the HOW.
Therapists using the Bernhardt Method often ask their patients, “How do you create this fear?” From the reaction, it’s clear that this question has rarely been asked in previous therapies. However, studies have long proven that the content of the fear (what are you afraid of) is less important than the HOW. For example, anxiety patients may develop a fear of driving on the highway. For some, this is a visual process, meaning they see an inner scene where they experience a panic attack while driving on the highway. For others, this process is more auditory. These individuals hear their own inner voice saying, for example, “Oh God, I have to drive on the highway to get there. What if I have a panic attack right there?”
Anxiety disorders can be treated much more effectively when the focus is on the HOW rather than the WHAT. With special anxiety-stopping techniques, it is possible to change the HOW within seconds, stopping the chain reaction of fear in the brain. Numerous studies were reviewed in the development of these new anxiety-stopping techniques. Here are just a few of them:
Summary:
Just because conventional therapies may not have had a lasting effect on you, doesn’t mean you have to live with an anxiety disorder or panic attacks.
With the Bernhardt Method, we have already helped over 16,000 people finally become free from anxiety. This includes many anxiety patients who were considered untreatable or therapy-resistant.
Why not give our online therapy program “How to Calm Anxiety” a try? If you’re like most users, you’ll be leading a largely anxiety-free life within just a few weeks. If not, you can easily get a refund within 60 days, no questions asked. Of course, we hope that you, too, will benefit from our online therapy as much as the users whose testimonials we have published here with their kind permission.
Troy A.
Tampa, Florida