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avik
128 Posts |
 Posted - 04/12/2012 : 11:31:25
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I dont experience any during the day...only when im in bed...which in turn gives me insomnia.
Im thinking maybe something CBT based?
Any/all recommendations are appreciated. |
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shari
USA
85 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2012 : 11:49:27
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You will find that the book dealing with anxiety most recommended on this site is probably "Hope and Help for your Nerves" by Dr. Claire Weekes.
You may also check "Say Good Night to Insomnia" by Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs. If I recall, it was Dr. Dean Edell who mentioned it once. |
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bryan3000
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2012 : 13:14:56
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All of the ones I would recommend are more geared for "regular" anxiety. (Claire Weekes, etc.)
I do happen to be reading Full Catastrophe Living again right now... and a lot of mindfulness principles would be great for addressing insomnia, imo. There is a section in the book (and audio book) where he talks about people who wake up or can't sleep, and just meditate instead. Some people find it quite pleasurable.... and eventually forget their brain's constant reminder that we "need" sleep and that things will be bad if we don't get it.
I'm no expert on insomnia, but I've had it... and it seems to me that my best success in dealing with it came when I decided that I didn't care if I slept or not. Not surprisingly, this same principle of "symptoms not mattering" seems to be the key in TMS and general Anxiety/Panic recovery.
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Stryder
686 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2012 : 15:07:47
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Here are some non-book suggestions...
- Go to bed and get up the same time even on weekends
- Don't watch the news or read the newspaper in the evening
- Taper off caffeine
- Exercise http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7208
- Get even more exercise and make your body tired
- Have your big meal of the day at lunchtime
Take care, -Stryder |
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Wavy Soul
USA
779 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2012 : 16:38:42
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Ah yes, ANXIETY.
First of all it's good to remember that it is a TMS equivalent. This means that in a certain weird way, it's a good sign, because you are no longer managing to distract yourself with symptoms. Except when the anxiety is ABOUT symptoms, OR PRETENDS TO BE...
So, what I do with the 3 am willies is:
-- have my iPod right next to my face with little speakers around my bed. I have all kinds of different talking stuff on there, from Uncle Sarno to Eckhart Tolle (whom I saw yesterday) to Mooji (go to Mooji.org and there are dozens of free videos and audios), to the Grande Dame herself, Claire Weekes (you can find her audios on the web). I also listen to various other spiritual teachers... like...
--Here is one some of you may dig - I just flew to Texas to spend a weekend with her: Michelle Longo Odonnell. She heals people just by convincing them that disease is impossible, and it is quite inspiring if you can tolerate (or in my case translate) her use of Jesus' quotes. At her website Livingbeyonddisease.com, there is a 24 hour radio station playing of her talks. She is very clear and powerful, and people go to her from all over the country with terminal this and that and get cured by a spiritual version of the knowledge therapy.
Oh yes, and Monte Huefle, who posts here, has several tapes which are really good, but I have never heard the end of them, because this technique always puts me out.
In fact, I have almost never heard the end of any of these talks, even the 20-minute one. For me, what soothes my nerves is to actually soothe my mind - New Age tinkly music can actually make me feel worse. When I hear truth, my mind relaxes from its fears and lets go.
As for why we wake up in the night, there was a thread on here way back, which referred to research saying that actually we have evolved to sleep at night in two stages, and waking up between them is not a problem, but considered normal by aboriginal peoples. This made me feel a bit better, and if I am really crawly I get up and come to the computer and sometimes I watch a Mooji video or read a bit here on the Forum (most of my posts you will notice are at night) or do other enlightening things.
Although during the day I enjoy all kinds of information, I am much more careful in the evening and at night because of the said tendency to the "willies" (a Brit term). I have found that the truth sets me free, and not just from TMS.
Also, 1000mg tryptophan before bed makes a difference - if not creating perfect sleep, it is less anxious awakening.
Good luck. You can always come here on the forum and perhaps I will be here!
In fact, it would be cool if we could have a live TMS chat function for those moments when googling symptoms seems the only reasonable option. This was happening to me yesterday, until I again picked up SteveO's book and saw that even my exotic symptom was authoritatively on his list. Ah.
Love is the answer, whatever the question |
Edited by - Wavy Soul on 04/12/2012 16:47:24 |
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fadoozle
33 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2012 : 19:39:09
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| avik, I went through a *horrible* bout of insomnia a few years ago. What finally helped me what repeating to myself that my body would fall asleep when it was ready, and that I was completely fine even though I was up late. Sounds simplistic, but that mental reassurance did the trick. I haven't had any problems sleeping since then. |
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Sarnotic-nerve
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2012 : 19:47:35
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I used to have some horrible anxiety-based sleep problems?
It went away naturally when I got married-strange!
Now, I play a golf course in my mind when I can't sleep on occasion. I never make it past the 2nd hole.
______________
The pain is real! The cause...well, that's complicated. ;) |
Edited by - Sarnotic-nerve on 04/16/2012 11:06:44 |
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Genshin
6 Posts |
Posted - 04/13/2012 : 11:57:51
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quote:
Originally posted by avik
I dont experience any during the day...only when im in bed...which in turn gives me insomnia.
Im thinking maybe something CBT based?
Any/all recommendations are appreciated.
You could listen to Eckhart Tolle's audiobook The Power Of Now. It helped me get rid of my anxiety. |
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avik
128 Posts |
Posted - 04/13/2012 : 13:16:47
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Guys-
Thank you so much for your responses!
Shari and Wavy Soul is it worth BOTH reading her book and listening to her audio/panic book or can I just do the latter? To clarify...I dont have any panic or anxiety during the day.
Bryan I hear you on the "not caring" that has worked for me so many times in the past. For some reaosn though, I cannot get my brain to NOT say to me "you are going to have a problem sleeping tonight", right before I go to bed. Also, I think my anxiety now is more related to personal things that are going on in my life and not with my usual "fear of not being able to sleep".
Also, I really have start implementing mindfulness techniques/meditation into my daily schedule. It seems to be the underlying foundation for most of these modalities.
Is there a good book for an intro to meditation?
Stryder-thank you.
Wavy Soul-great post.
Yes, I have crushed! all the other symptoms over the past two years and am left with intermittent bouts of insomnia.
Im going to look into your recs; great idea having the ipod by the bed loaded with all that good audio-info.
FYI-new age music makes want to punch the wall
Fadoozle-good advice...I need to keep doing that.
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bryan3000
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - 04/13/2012 : 19:14:39
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Avik,
I hear you, and believe me... "not caring" is on my current work-load assignment and by no means mastered. Definitely a work in progress.
For meditation, I think Jon Kabbot Zin is a great starting place. I've been studying it for a couple of years, but really not practicing like I should. His book "Full Catastrophe Living" is in audio format on Youtube right now. (Just do a search for that title.) It's an amazing book, and to me... has TMS principles running through much of it.
Again, I'm more of a resource than a living example at this stage, but I've researched a lot and I do believe mindfulness will eventually help me, and hopefully you too.
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balto
839 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2012 : 20:41:43
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Don't forget the book: How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. By Dale Carnegie. Read the review at Amazon.
Most of our anxiety started when we don't know how to handle many of life's challenges and difficulty. This book help tremendously. Dr Sarno and Dr Claire Weekes taught us how to treat ourself of tms/anxiety. Dale Carnegie taught how to prevent it from happening.
The audio version is very relaxing to listen to while driving. |
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happystar
22 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2012 : 18:35:57
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Avik,
Have you tried doing a bit of restorative yoga before sleeping? I would recommend it. Then you can finish it off with meditation.
Hope this helps.
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SteveO
USA
272 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2012 : 22:56:13
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| Avik, have you read The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Bourne? Release of anxiety is a personal journey, but I've never found anything as powerful as Bourne's. I've read all the books I've seen discussed here and Weeke's is very good too. But no matter how much you read, it all depends on when you decide to give it up. To let it go. The good authors can explain things but you're the one holding it, and only you can free yourself. It takes great courage but you can let go. |
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susan828
USA
291 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2012 : 20:22:18
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| I have had anxiety since childhood and have over 60 books, some for the layman and some clinical. I have to agree with Steve....out of all of them, the one that finally did the trick is the one by Bourne. Skip the others...he just hits it right on the nose. |
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Dr. Zafirides
189 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2012 : 23:21:07
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quote:
Originally posted by avik
I dont experience any during the day...only when im in bed...which in turn gives me insomnia.
Im thinking maybe something CBT based?
Any/all recommendations are appreciated.
Avik,
I discussed tips for a better night's sleep on my 12/6/11 podcast. You can listen to it here:
http://www.thehealthymind.com/2011/12/06/the-healthy-mind-dec-6-2011/
I covered the information on sleep in the first 10 minutes of the program, so you don't have to listen to the entire show if you didn't want to. :) :)
Just FYI.
Kindly,
Peter Zafirides, MD
http://www.thehealthymind.com |
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avik
128 Posts |
Posted - 04/25/2012 : 12:26:45
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Guys-
I had one of the worst sleep related night of my life last nt and shockingly, after reading through this thread and listening to Claire Weekes.
What happened was that I had a very important meeting today; a once in a lifetime opportunity to sit down and chat with a very well known investor. I inadvertently said to myself already a week ago that I will "probably have problems sleeping the night before this meeting". This was the death blow. Even though I slept beautifully for the preceding 6 days (to last night), last night I merely thought about having a sleeping problem and I literally got about 45 minutes of sleep.
I tried everything...writing in a journal, reading, listening to audio-tapes and I even took some meds to calm me down. NOTHING worked. I just laid there and did nothing and did not "try" to sleep. Still though, sleep never came. Its like being in a nightmare. "It" (my sub-conscious, my TMS, my FEAR) was SO powerful as to not let me sleep.
My thing is FEAR. Its Baseless FEAR, but FEAR nonetheless.
How do I stop my annoying brain from "teasing" me that I am not going to be able to sleep??? Why is it sabotaging me?
This is one of the most frustrating things I have ever dealt with because I feel like I have "beaten" this insomnia thing before and I am doing it to myself. It makes me hate myself for doing it...
SteveO and Susan :
Happy to read this book by Bourne but I find that most of these books (including Weekes) refer to people with daytime panic and anxiety, neither of which I have. I have never had a panic or anxiety attack in my life. My issue seems to fear...only at night. It doesnt even make sense to me but I guess I agree with Weekes now that she says "once you develop a sensitization to something (in my case, falling asleep) your body gives you adrenaline/fear response and then you FEAR THAT FEAR. This becomes a viscous cycle and its the second, self-reproduced fear keeps me up.
Do you two think this book would be beneficial to me if I am just having anxiety at night? |
Edited by - avik on 04/25/2012 12:35:53 |
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shawnsmith
Czech Republic
2048 Posts |
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susan828
USA
291 Posts |
Posted - 04/25/2012 : 19:01:20
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| Avik, I feel that Bourne's book would help you even at night. I have woken up with tremendous anxiety too. They key to getting over this is when you no longer see anxiety as the bogey man. When you see it as just adrenaline and nothing more, you no longer fear it. You can say "oh there you are, pesky thing" and when you no longer fear this "terrible thing", it just goes away. You get to the point where it doesn't have power over you anymore. When you stop seeing "it" as "it", but just a darn chemical reaction that means nothing. I have ben through a 4 month anxiety program and it all came down to this. I have read every book ever written and Bourne's really gets it right. I still get the night thing every now and then but it's indicative of what's going on in my life. I also hate myself at times because this is not how I wanted to turn out. It is really hard struggling with this day after day. |
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avik
128 Posts |
Posted - 04/25/2012 : 19:44:04
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quote:
Originally posted by susan828
Avik, I feel that Bourne's book would help you even at night. I have woken up with tremendous anxiety too. They key to getting over this is when you no longer see anxiety as the bogey man. When you see it as just adrenaline and nothing more, you no longer fear it. You can say "oh there you are, pesky thing" and when you no longer fear this "terrible thing", it just goes away. You get to the point where it doesn't have power over you anymore. When you stop seeing "it" as "it", but just a darn chemical reaction that means nothing. I have ben through a 4 month anxiety program and it all came down to this. I have read every book ever written and Bourne's really gets it right. I still get the night thing every now and then but it's indicative of what's going on in my life. I also hate myself at times because this is not how I wanted to turn out. It is really hard struggling with this day after day.
Susan-that makes a lot of sense but unfortunately for me, common sense GOES OUT THE WINDOW when its late at night and I am trying to sleep. Its like I am a different person when I am laying in bed...
That said, I just ordered the book.
Recent read Claire Weekes's book and it didnt do much for me. Hopefully this one will clarify things for me.
Thanks! |
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balto
839 Posts |
Posted - 04/26/2012 : 07:29:47
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| Reading alone is not going to cure anything, no matter how good the book is. You need to also apply what you're learned from the book too. |
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avik
128 Posts |
Posted - 04/27/2012 : 19:12:12
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SteveO and Susan
I picked up Bourne's book today and it is MASSIVE!
I have no problem doing the work but I am concerned about two things:
1) Considering that I only have anxiety at night, do I need to read this entire book
2) and related to the above...I am worried that delving this deeply into something that I dont experience during the day will make me focus on it too much?
Interested in hearing your thoughts on how I should approach this book and if there are certain areas that maybe I should focus on. |
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Good book for dealing with anxiety?
