Hope and help for your nerves

[arijones1]

just got this book, anyone read it? how was it?

[forwells]

Hi Aj

 Good book and a great follow up from her first.

 Even though i fully agree with Dr Weekes way of thinking and the way see explains herself and how to recover. I still believe that in order to let go , to float past it as she puts it, then you must know and understand what it is that you are floating past.

 Some people may be able to except her words but many ( and you only need to look in the Hypo thread ) will never let it float untill they are explained what happened and why

Enjoy your read

cheers Kev 

[banksia]

Definitely what kev said in the above post. I've read little bits of it, but didn't understand it quite well. Like kev said you need to understand whats happening first which is where im at aswell. Then i think the Claire Weekes book comes into picture. (even though it does explain, it doesnt really explain the stress response)

Personally, i found it really hard to grasp the idea of the book. I think its for someone who isn;t experiencing severe anxiety more like moderate to mild.

[eduk8or]

Ditto what Banksia said.  It's a good book, but I've read better ones with clearer expalnations of what is going on with anxiety.  Her main suggestions are to accept the anxiety/panic and float through it.  This, as we all know, is easier said than done...

[BruiserBear]

I've found Dr Weekes to be the key to my recovery and understanding of how anxiety works.  She was essentially the originator for explaining how anxiety works to the world.  Everyone else writing a book about it now is very often repeating much of what she said back in the 1960's.

I'm not quite sure what she doesn't explain, or why people are saying you need to understand what is happening.  She pretty much explains it all as far as I can tell.

[eduk8or]

I know she was a pioneer for her time and she does give fairly good explanations.  It's just her main suggestion is to continue to float through anxiety and let time pass.  I find this information helpful, but I also like "hands-on" exercizes like CBT that actually challenge your beliefs.  Sometimes high anxiety gets the best of you and it is almost too hard to just "float" through it.  It is helpful at these times to write things down and begin disputing them.

[sixpack]

Eduk8or

I do think a multi-pronged approach is likely the best way to get through anxiety for many.  So keep doing what helps you     Everybody finds the things that work for them best. 

[waterbill]

Eduk8or    Could you give me the names of the books you read that you think were better than Claire Week's?  I have read "Hope and Help for Your Fears"  and listened to her her "Pass Through Panic" audiotapes which I didn't see much difference in.  I understand all that she says and believe that it is probably valid. As others here have said, It's not so easy while having that "flash of fear" to just "face, accept, and let time pass"  Luckily, my anxiety attacks have improved since I've started posting here so it's hard for me to test this theory. I was started on klonopin and then zoloft and deplin. It's been about 2 months and thankfully it is helping a lot. I know that meds are not the answer, but I am willing to accept that I need them right now. Thinking of going to a psychologist who specializes in CBT. I am weaning off the klonopin and hope I can get by just with the SSRI and booster. Do enjoy reading anything helpful,...thanks for listening.

[eduk8or]

waterbill,

A great place to search for books is on amazon.com because you can read customer reviews and get a summary of the book to see if it is something that you'd use.  Just type in "anxiety"  or "panic attacks" or whatever.  If you don't want to buy the book, you can write down the title and then see if your locla library carries it.  That being said, here are some books I've found useful so far:

The Monster in the Cave:  How to face your fear and anxiety and live your life  by David Mellinger and Stevn Jay Lynn

The Anxiety Cure:  An 8 step program for getting well by Elizabeth DuPont and Caroline DuPont

The Cognitive Behavorial Workbook for Anxiety: A step by step program by William J. Knaus

The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne

There are more, but these are a good place to start!  : ) Happy reading!

Eduk8or

[waterbill]

Thanks.....I actually found the 1st 2 in my library reserving website. I think I've seen the others but these are new to me. Soon I will know as much information about the subject as my psychiatrist. He often kids with me (when things are going well) that I'll know what he's going to say before he says it. Of course, we all know that although knowledge may be power, it doesn't translate into a cure for our problems, whatever they may be.
I think the most important things I've learned during this episode of my anxiety/depression (and I've gotten most of it from your posts here) are that the physical symptoms that so frightened me are just that, adrenaline rushes from fear, and not to worry about them hurting me, and that I am not alone in these feelings.  I thought I was the only person who had them. 
Thank you all for sharing your deepest feelings and hoping we will all find help and peace in our lives.

[eduk8or]

I know!  This place is awesome and definitely helps you not feel so alone in your struggle.  Awesome advice and sharing on here too!  It's too bad we can't all get together in person and have a BIG anxietyzone party!     Hope you like the books and they help.

[arijones1]

this place is amazing, thank you all for your help so far, if only we can all meet one day,,,

[Pan]

I know!  This place is awesome and definitely helps you not feel so alone in your struggle.  Awesome advice and sharing on here too!  It's too bad we can't all get together in person and have a BIG anxietyzone party!     Hope you like the books and they help.

Yeah, wouldn't that be fun!



...

[arijones1]

this book is ok so far, does not go into detail, i mean yeh accept and float, but its not as easy...
i notice my heart beating hard a lot, but i do not think its a heart attack,, but i still notice it,,, is that accepting? and floating?

[forwells]

this book is OK so far, does not go into detail, i mean yeah accept and float, but its not as easy...
i notice my heart beating hard a lot, but i do not think its a heart attack,, but i still notice it,,, is that accepting? and floating?

Hi AJ

 Well it is sort of , but to truly accept it you need to stop the questioning but i do not think its a heart attack and just let it pass as being anxiety symptoms. You need to do it 100% Its very hard but it can be done over time .

 Understanding why your heart is beating hard . I also believe that because anxiety major problem is that you become so inner focused you need to inner focus more on the small goals that make you feel better than on the ones that feel bad .

Cheers Kev 

[eduk8or]

Yes, I think that is accepting and floating.  As long as you don't keep focusing on your heart, but just notice it and move on, that is.  You know it's not a heart attack, just a symptom of anxiety, so that is accepting.  The floating part comes in when you can just let it go and not dwell on it beating fast.  At least I think that's what it means...

[Pan]

this book is ok so far, does not go into detail, i mean yeh accept and float, but its not as easy...
i notice my heart beating hard a lot, but i do not think its a heart attack,, but i still notice it,,, is that accepting? and floating?

Noticing is not really the issue.  I think that this is where people get confused.  If you tried to block out the sensations, symptoms and thoughts totally you would be setting yourself up for frustration and ultimatly failure.

The key really is to just be a witness and not feel that you have to interpret and judge what is going on.  If you are suffering from mental and/or physical anxiety you will have symptoms but you have to find a way to live with these and not judge them...yes, see them, feel them and even make allownaces for them if you really have to but just do not constantly interpret and judge them.  If you broke your leg and it was put in plaster you would know that for X amount of months you had a physical condition that would have to be worked around....anxiety is no different, if you have been diagnosed with anxiety there are real repercussions to this and physical symptoms are one element of this.

Anxiety can only survive on fear....it is the only thing that can give it the energy it needs.  Once we witness and observe our anxiety but no longer react to it, it becomes inevitable that it is on borrowed time.

[eduk8or]

Well said Pan!!

[waterbill]

Great explanation, Pan!

[Pan]

Just to expand on that broken leg analogy.

If you had a broken leg the last thing you would be doing is jumping up and down on it every day, you know, just testing to see if the 'brokeness' lol is still there.  You would of course recognise that it takes time and rest for the injury to heal.  If you constantly test your leg you would constantly be forcing the injury back to square one...yep, just like picking at a scab it will never heal!

Anxiety is exactly the same.  If you do not test it or pick at it, it will heal.  This can be a long process but recovery is inevitable.  The problem is we are scared, fearful and impatient and more often than not when we suffer from anxiety we are testing it and picking at it from the moment we open our eyes until we close them at night.  This in no recipe for recovery...every day that passes we think we should be a day closer to 'recovery' but we fail to see that the day that has passed is a day that has been spent in fear, in judgement and as has been mentioned earlier bewildered and confused...basically every day is a groundhog day and every day we basically put ourselves back to square one and don't even realise it.

Recovery from anxiety will not and cannot start until we stop the judgement and interpretation.  This is not about timescales and the idea that this will respond to a timescale is flawed....the clock doesn't even start ticking until we learn to witness.

[sixpack]

Pan I love analogies.   

[Pan]

lol Six...I'm quite partial to the odd one

[shrublet]

Really well said, Pan.

[arijones1]

thanks for your answers Pan, and everybody else..

[eduk8or]

Love the broken leg analogy, BIG TIME!  You hit the nail on the head for me cuz I realized I do just what you said- I wake up in the morning and start jumping up and down on my leg to see if it's still broken!  HA!  How do we stop the jumping??!!