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dschid
USA
22 Posts |
 Posted - 12/09/2006 : 12:44:12
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| I was just wondering if any of you who have dealt with panic/anxiety problems have totally conquered it. I've been having problems with anxiety attacks for the past two years and for some reason driving at night seems to be the hardest thing for me. Have any of you who have suffered from an anxiety disorder reached the point where you don't even think about it anymore???? |
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Special One
USA
61 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2006 : 00:23:19
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I had panic attacks for a few years. I hated them! I was greatly helped by The Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety (Lucinda Bassett)
http://www.stresscenter.com/cts/21348074
There are tapes you can order. They are a needed comfort. A bit pricey, but worth it because they really help. There is also a book I read recently that is a nice match with the tms books, it is by Dr. Clare Weeks, called, "More Help for Your Nerves." Hopefully it is not out of print.
I can't say I never get a panic attack because I had a mild one a few nights ago, but it had been over a year since the last one. The panic was about fear of lasting pain (which didn't last). But, I don't "fear" panic attacks anymore. I don't think about it anymore. That is a huge step. It's okay to have anxiety and even a panic attack, but it's knowing how to react to it that gets you over it. A simple phrase the tapes suggest is "it is just anxiety, it's no big deal, it will go away." Repeating that phrase has gotten me through a lot. I also know I can call my mom any time because she used to have these, too. I called her and talked through my fear, then went to bed with my cat on my chest and fell asleep just fine. I know it seems like a big deal, but it is not going to kill you, give you a heart attack, or make you pass out. It can be cured. I didn't take medication, but I did listen to those tapes religiously. I absorbed them!
After discovering Sarno, I got even more in touch with my fears and the physical symptoms that were scaring me. Read some Sarno. Use these references to learn some tools that will really improve your life. By the way, what do you fear about driving at night?
Sincerely, Marian |
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wrldtrv
666 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2006 : 23:42:46
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I sure wish there were a magic bullet for anxiety because it is probably the single biggest problem for me. It seems to have worsened in recent years, which makes sense since each anxiety episode makes the next one that much more likely. Neuroplasticity. It can be a good thing or bad thing.
I have tried (and continue to experiment with) many different things over the years. The thing that seems to work best for me is regular exercise, particularly running. Social interaction is good too if with the right people. Unfortunately, this is one of my weak areas. I find journaling very helpful, at least in the short-term; it is a comfort to hash out problems on paper rather than ruminating about them. And on paper, I am in problem-solving mode.
Cognitive therapy and disputation, meditation, yoga, visualization, distraction, thought stopping--all these I have tried at one time or another. They have been only partially successful, probably because they require doing often enough to become a solid skill. Dabbling is all I have done so far.
It would be interesting to hear what people say are their anxiety triggers. For me, it is feeling trapped, loss of control, threatened by hypothetical dangers. Just today, I was feeling fine when I heard something that could be a problem for me later, but as yet, the threat is only hypothetical. Just the possibility is enough for my anxious brain to catastrophize, assume the threat is real. I suffer as though it is real.
Kelvin, I was confused by the statement you made ("I found that instead of managing anxiety, I can get rid of it"). You said the answer was to find the root cause, implying this was covered in The Divided Mind. I'll have to review TDM because I don't remember this being covered specifically. Would this be done by journaling in the same way getting to the root of other TMS issues would be?
Marian, what would you say was the key to your relief. What in the Lucinda Bassett program was most helpful? The tapes? And what about Claire Weekes? Is her work still considered up to date, valid after all these years? |
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Calvin
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2006 : 06:04:03
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And what about Claire Weekes? Is her work still considered up to date, valid after all these years?
I'll chime in on this. Claire Weekes, IMO, was way ahead of her time when it came to anxiety disorders. When it comes to anxiety and panic attacks, in my case, her advice is spot on. Face your anxiety and let it do it worst - without fear. If you constant fear panic attacks, they will come again. Her methods suggest facing down the panic to the point where it loses its grip on you, you lose the fear of it. Once you are no longer scared, your panic will dissipate.
The Lucinda Bassett program is based on CBT. Actually, Lucinda overcame her anxiety by watching Claire Weekes on TV one day, and she decided to create her own program and it took off from there.
The Midwest Center tapes are expensive, but you can find them cheap on ebay. I actually found an older version of the program at a yard sale.
I don't mean to spam, but I found some free Claire Weekes material at www.controllinganxiety.com |
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tennis tom
USA
4749 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2006 : 09:57:25
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| In THE DIVIDED MIND there is a chapter devoted to hypertension that would probably apply to this topic also. |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2006 : 10:35:17
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I find it most useful to regard the anxiety as one more TMS symptom, and when it comes up, to refocus on what the real feelings underneath it are. I try to remember that the anxiety itself is not a true "feeling" but a maladaptive reaction to other feelings (similar to pain) and it's ultimately benign though not so in the short term, and I can head it off at the pass if I deal with the underlying feelings.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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Newmom
USA
57 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2006 : 11:42:05
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To dschild -
I can report I have made a 100% full recovery from my anxiety/severe panic attacks. I had these attacks for 1 1/2 years every day. At the time, it seemed there was nothing I could do and I thought I was just crazy. In looking back, I can see exactly what was causing them. I was planning a wedding. My husband worked the evening shift. I was unsure if that was the life I wanted...etc. I was always home alone at night - this is when they were bad. My attacks and severe panic almost destroyed our relationship.
I can't tell you what to do to get rid of them, but I can tell you that I learned what to do when I was having them. The thing that I was most afraid of when I was having an attack was that I was going to choke to death and that my throat was swelling shut...this caused me to hyperventilate....and so on. (Sounds crazy right??) How about everytime that I ate something I thought my throat was going to swell shut from a severe allergic reaction. I have been allergic to shellfish ever since I was a little girl, and I couldn't get past the fact that maybe I had developed new allergies. How did I get these to stop? - I began to make a check list on what to do if it ever got to this point of throat swelling shut and no breath to breathe - which it didn't. If my throat was going to swell shut - I made sure I had benadryl and an epipen ready. If I was hyperventilating - I had an inhaler. In a minutes notice, I could always call 911, run to a neighbor's house, etc. for help. I was always prepared. (Crazy huh?) I learned that if I did have a reaction, my body was strong and that it would not shut down immediately - it would send my signals to start preparing - which would give me time to get medical help.
I never once had to use these things. Just having these things ready, was the answer for me. This is how I gradually overcame my fear and severe anxiety attacks. Now I think back and can't believe that I went through these things. This was the first TMS that I experienced - along time before learning of TMS.
My thoughts are with you. You can overcome panic/anxiety. I found the greatest cause of my panic attacks were fear. Once I overcame the fear, I never had these attacks again. This was over 3 years ago. I never, ever think of having a panic attack. It sounds silly, but I used to panic at the thought of having an attack!!
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shawnsmith
Czech Republic
2048 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2006 : 13:49:28
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| Dr. Sarno notes that it is well entrenched in the psychological literature that anxiety and anger are two heads of the same coin. The exact same psychological process that generates one also generates the other. |
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wrldtrv
666 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2006 : 22:48:18
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Calvin, Thx for your impression of Claire Weekes work. You say she recommends "facing down the fear", which is good advice for acute panic attacks, but I wonder if the same would apply to anxiety attacks since these are ongoing events. I would differentiate this way: Panic attacks have a sudden onset and quick resolution, primarily a physiological process that has to run its course. Anxiety attacks build up more gradually and last much longer, sometimes for days, weeks, or even months. For me, this might be related to a health fear, or a situation that reminds me of a previous fear, or a feeling of being trapped, helpless, without options, without an escape route...
In the past when I occasionally had panic attacks I applied the "tough it out" approach and it worked. I don't get these anymore, but I often get the anxiety attacks. The slightest thing that plugs me back into a feared situation from the past is enough. Conditioning. The hippocampus stores the memory of the feared event and the amagydla creates the fear anew. Each time this process repeats itself, the next attack is more likely. Somehow, the process must be interrupted.
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spacegirl74
Italy
27 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2006 : 05:05:33
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dschid,
I listen to the "Dissolving Panic and Anxiety" CD at night that I bought at www.thinkrightnow.com. I would recommend it  |
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dschid
USA
22 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2006 : 14:08:44
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thanx for your replies everyone. I am currently seeing one of Dr. Sarno's psychotherpists. I just started two weeks ago. I am dealing with a bunch of equivalents along with pain. I can believe the pain will go away, but for some reason it is so hard to believe that anxiety will go away. I've forgotten what it's like to live without worry about anxiety/panic.
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Edited by - dschid on 08/31/2009 17:48:24 |
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Alpha
Germany
43 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2006 : 16:44:49
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Hi,
i am so glad, that i found this thread! I am new to this forum and i can so totally relate to what is written.
I really suffer from anxiety and it influences my life ALOT (in a negative way as you can think ;))
What i have found over the last years is this:
1. There are episodes, where i am free of anxiety, even for some weeks. This is normally in times when i read and hear a lot of motivational stuff like Anthony Robbins, make lots of plan, start new things, meet new people, etc. In this times i feel so normal, i am relaxed, out going, self confidend, flirting, and getting lots of positive response from people. I can concentrate on studying etc.
But then for what ever reasons, slowly the dark thoughts crawl back in my mind. I can defend myself some time with motivational tapes listening, relaxing, writing my goals, jogging, but then they will enter the boat and take control over me again. Now i get very self concious, i get afraid of meeting people, sometimes even my friends, i always become very afraid of where i live, studying, etc. and always have thoughts of withdrawing from civilisation, like moving in a forest or something, i know its absurd, but when im am depressed/anxious i am so ashamed, because my self image is that of a outgoing, confident, humorous man and when i communicate with others in this condition i am like somebody else, so nervous and serious... i just hate it.
The biggest problem here is, that i feel most alive and good, when i am communicating alot with others, having fun and approaching girls in the club. But these things seem like a overwhelming task when i am anxious and i isolate myself even more thinking only about my condition, seeking solutions...
The 2. observation i made is, that if i am getting more and more anxious, my physical symptoms get worse/start again.
First my eyes get dry and burning, my pelvic feels sore and irritated, i get urinacy frequenczy and digestions, when i am really anxious and depressed i get pain i chest, breathing problems and heartburn.Also my sexual problems get worse.
But i am not sure what is cause and what is symptome. I always tend to think, that i get anxious and depressed do to my physical condition, but maybe its really the other way around.
I am reading Healing Back pain in the moment and have the other to sarno books here, but i allready see myself alot in it and think i really should start to see my problems as psychological and not physical.
The biggest problem with this is, that it greatly interfers with my life, because i started collage 2 month ago, and i am so anxious in the moment, that i think about stopping it, because i wanne go back home, anxious and nervous like in the moment i feel like i can't bear it, learning everyday, dealing with all the new peoples, dealing with a big city i am now living in, i am just afraid of life. i wanne isolate myself and read since i found the magic key, which reliefs me from my suffering, but i think this is the wrong idea.
I should go jogging, hear motivational stuff, go to the gym, force myself to meet with people, i know it, but i am afraid (without really knowing what about.)
My biggest fear is, that my fear sabotages my success and happiness in life, because it robs me of my confidence and motivation. I always feel like holing up, but i can't, i have to bear the daily pressure or i don't make it in collage. And i know if hte light side of myself would be on top in the moment, i wouldn't even write here, because i am so totally a another person than, unafraid, happy, full of dreams and visions, confident and all that.
Just one month ago, after moving to my new town, i had the best episode in the last 3 years, i WAS EXPLODING of Self confidence, i wasss relaxed, so happy and making jokes all the time, everybody around me was laughing and liking me. I made so many new friends. My symptoms was GONE 80%. The strange thing is, i dont know what i made right, i wasnt even aware of Sarno then, but it clearly showed me, that my symptoms have no organic roots, because then, they would not disappear out of nothing. I thought about it all the time: What have you mdone different? Meeting all the new people? Being clear about your goals, no tv?, not masturbating?, the new triggerpoint massage i tried?, the relaxation cd i listend? But the more i think about it, i think the reason was, that i was so distracted, because of all the new things and people, and nightclubs, girls, restaurants, etc. that i stopped thinking about my condition and about what is my problem? for a while. I just stopped feeding the beast inside me.
I just know one thing: I will not give up, i will become normal again and achieve my goals, because now i know for sure, i can be very normal and full of life.
A few weeks ago i wrote in my (german) journal, translated for you ^^:
I am a beast, full of power and strength, but i am chained. When i finally break the chains of my condition, i am ready to conquer the world.
This is really how i feel, i know i am capable of so much more, but this conditions sucks my energy and happiness away. But i will find a solution, and i think TMS really could be it. It all makes sense and i am sure, that i have some issues. And i will order the Bassett books!
Hope, i haven't bored you to much or annoyed you with my bad english (if it isn't so bad, i really like to hear it! ;)), but this was laying on my soul, i can't really talk about it with somebody in my life, because i am to pride of confessing how weak i feel some times.
But i understood, that writing about my feelings is importend in healing TMS and so i did.
Thx for reading,
Ken
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wrldtrv
666 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2006 : 23:29:18
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Kelvin--Thanks so much for the long detailed answer to my question. I'll have to try the list of questions you provided next time I write in my journal. I agree with you that journaling is a good way to release tension. It doesn't always work; sometimes the anxiety increases as it did today when I journaled. But most of the time I find relief, espec if I do it in a problem-solving, goal-oriented way rather than simply bemoaning my plight.
Ken--I can sure relate to so much of what you wrote, espec the part about having weeks of feeling pretty good, relaxed, and then suddenly the worrisome thoughts entering again to interrupt the party.
This is a good topic. It would be interesting to hear from more people who might have something to say as it relates to TMS. I realize that lately, as my worrying has transfered from physical matters to other concerns, my physical symptoms are less--at least I am less aware of them (except for the jitteryness). |
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Anxiety
