Anxiety - The dangers of Googling

Often it is tempting to rush to Google with any symptoms you have, or any doubts you have. It seems to be an integral part of the psyche of the anxiety sufferer that "the worst will happen". And Google puts the worst possible at out fingertips in words and images. Have you ever caught yourself googling plane crashes before taking a flight about which you are suffering terrible nervousness or anxiety? Have you ever googled the name of a drug to see all the possible dire side effects they are going to have on you? Have you ever Googled a SSRI like Prozac or Celexa? My word, the list of side effects are endless....From nausea to suicide!

But when googling you should remember this. Very few people go to forums and report that the medication the doctor gave them is really working, they have much better things to do like getting on with their lives! No one goes on Google to say how smoothly there flight was, they Go to complain! Most of the information you find on the internet regarding anxiety, panic attacks and phobias is Bad News. I am not saying you should avoid it, just remember that you are unique and the extreme bad things which happened to them are not going to happen to you!

Look for good news, see how hard it is! But remember, anxiety, phobias, and depression and panic attacks are eminently treatable!

Anxiety Supplements

Although plenty of people have success with anti-anxiety medications (i.e a marked reduction or removal of symptoms including panic attacks and obsessive worry) many do not. Those who do not have success with anti-anxiety medications fall into two categories: those for whom the tablets have no effects, and those for whom the idea of taking tablets is abhorrent or the side effects are too great.

Whatever your reason for avoiding anti-anxiety medication (and it's a perfectly reasonable personal decision to make) the idea of supplements becomes alluring. There are two major drawbacks to using supplements. Firstly, proper scientific research is generally lacking and books and practitioners tend to rely on anecdotal data or historical records. Historical proof that a herb has been used for millennia doesn't mean that it works! The second drawback is that there tends to be as many different recommended doses as there are books and manufacturers.

Should this stop you trying supplements to help beat anxiety? Of course not, it's just a reminder to do your homework before you spend your money. Of course consult your doctor before you try them, and that is especially true if you are on medication of any sort or pregnant as some supplements can not be taken with other medication.

Then you're into the minefield. What supplement should I take?

Glucosamine
Cod Liver Oil
Other Fish Oil
Multivitamins
B vitamins
Grape Seed Oil
Flax Seed Oil
Tryptophan
5-HTP
Kava Kava

The list goes on and on and any self respecting salesperson in a healthfood shop can send you away with empty pockets if you are not careful.

I will be putting a page on Anxiety 2 Calm shortly with more info on herbs and supplements. Until then remember that B vitamins are important for the nervous system, tryptophan is good for building serotonin, flax seed and fish oils contain omega 3 fatty acids which are essential for a healthy brain. As for the rest...watch this space and do your homework!

Feelings of Unreality

A quick Google search on feelings of unreality returns numerous posts on forums by people who are witnessing this frightening phenomena. Also described as depersonalization, derealization, and dissociation these feelings are amazingly common and hard to describe. Some people say they are in a glass bubble looking out, or watching the world go by on a giant TV. Others say they suddenly feel the people and things around them are not real.

The obvious catastrophic thoughts are along the lines of "I am going mad"!

So what is this and what can be done about it. Firstly let me say that sometimes these feelings of unreality and depersonalisation come about as a result of recreational drug use. That topic is beyond the scope of this blog and my area of expertise. Speak to your doctor and don't take drugs kids! While I'm at it, anyone with feelings of unreality or depersonalization should speak to their doctor.

apart from drug misuse the most common cause of feelings of unreality is stress, anxiety, worry, and depression. Just like hyperventilation or a feeling that you are about to pass out they absolutely harmless and do pass eventually. Just like all other symptoms they are horrible and awful and no one who hasn't experienced them can truly understand. My advice is still to go with them and let them be, the sooner you accept them the sooner they will pass.

The good news is that for me they heralded the end of the heavy physical symptoms of anxiety like difficulty breathing, nervousness, and panic. The feelings of unreality for me at least were related to my underlying issues: depression, low confidence and low self esteem.

So after speaking to a doctor take these feelings as a sign, accept them, remember they are not dangerous or real and will pass. I really recommend you read books by Dr Claire Weekes.

Cheers.
unreality

Simple Phobias

The language of the psychological and psychiatric communities is fantastic. A "Simple Phobia" is in fact no such thing, it can complicate a life beyond belief. Of course what they mean is a phobia related to one object or situation, as opposed to a more general phobia such as agoraphobia where both the causes and treatment may be more complicated.
I saw a video of a woman who had a phobia of feathers (it was on a BBC programme about phobias some time ago). Although it might seem like an easy phobia to deal with in fact it was life crushing. She feared birds of all shapes and sizes and they are pretty hard to escape. Once she left her two year old on a beach in Tenerife because a Seagull looked at her. It sounds almost comic but in fact it severely disabled her, like so many phobias do.
The cure came from a very mainstream source. Firstly she tried hypnotic regression and did indeed recall a time when a bird had become trapped in her grandmothers kitchen and had scared her as a child. The recollection of this event did not appear to change her phobia, for when she went outside the site of a pigeon affected her just as before.
Eventually she went to a clinical psychologist who pointed out to her that she had become scared of her fear, of the physical symptoms and it was that association with the feathers that was causing the response of a panic attack. He asked her what she thought would happen if she were to go near a feather and she replied that she would faint or die.
They went through graded exposure during which re -assured her that whatever she felt would pass and was not a sign if imminent death. A few hours later she was happily holding the feather, and her phobia was permanently removed.
Did the regression help this at all? Make the exposure easier? We will never know. But obviously you are not over a phobia or a fear until you face the situation and do it. Panic Attacks don't kill.

Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety is normally seen in children who are, or feel they are likely to be, separated from their care-giver. What would happen if that followed on into later life? I don't mean as a direct extension of adults who can't bare to leave their parents (Although that is not as uncommon as you might think!) I mean more that people with anxiety, and in particular anxiety that limits travel such as agoraphobia, have an attachment to something or someone that subconsciously they feel they can't let go of. My theory goes that in fact having felt abandoned as a child or having been separated from close people or possessions forcibly might make you cling more to what you know and love in adulthood. What if a belief formed that said the things you didn't know, and the people you didn't know were cruel and unkind. Then you would have some kind of travel phobia mixed with some kind of social phobia.

What could one do about such an issue? Well, it seems likely that CBT alone might not be the only answer. If one were to beat the physical symptoms one would be left with the cognitive fear, and although CBT might help with some negative thoughts and beliefs it vcan't help with the ones you don't know you have.
It seems to me that in this situation some kind of psychotherapeutic technique might be better, with EMDR and TFT being the fastest, if not the most thorough.
Food for thought.

Tapes and CD's - The fight against anxiety.

Oftentimes I have been in a book shop or flicked through a magazine and come across tapes and CD's which offer amazingly quick relief from panic attacks, anxiety and phobias. These tapes are usually self hypnosis or guided meditation (which amount to more or less the same thing. Some people, particularly the anxious ones, don't much like the idea of being hypnotised).

Do these tapes work I wonder? Well, back in the days I tried a few. No, I tried lots. I tried Glen Harrold, Paul McKenna, and others. I also tried tapes to lift self esteem, build confidence, relax, sleep better, be assertive and probably much more besides. For some reason not having success with one didn't sem to deter me from trying others.

Most of the tapes used the same old trick which comes from Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). The trick's called by various names including "The Resource Anchor" and I have never managed to make it work. The idea is that you recall a time when you felt amazingly confident/happy/outgoing/calm or whatever, focus in on the memory and really try and re-experience it, then squeeze your first finger and thumb together and hold them tight for a count of thirty. The idea is that if you feel anxiety, panic or low confidence (or any other negative emotion) you squeeze your first finger and thumb together and your old sense of inner strength will come up from within you.

NLP is one of those things that some people swear by for all sorts of uses but which I have never had much luck with.

By and large I didn't feel much effect from the tapes (although you may!), sometimes I felt sleepy, sometimes calm, sometimes tense, often I was just bored and after several listenings I knew them off by heart and was counting the seconds until they ended.

This brings me back to one of my favourite rants about hypnosis as a treatment for anxiety. Many anxious people find that they are just too fidgety, stressed, or resistant to the process of hypnosis. This is less so for self hypnosis but even still...when your problem is stress and tension, therapies that rely on calm and relaxation may not be of much use!!!

Anxiety and Panic Attacks - is EFT effective?

Hi!
I've talked about this a bit on my website Anxiety2calm. In a nutshell I have seen people have good results, and the great thing is that all the info is available free online or in books so you don't need to waste too much money trying. I recommend giving it a bash. Despite what they say about quick results I'd persevere...tap around all the issues you can think of related to mood, self esteem,anxiety etc etc and anything that seems relevant, even if you don't know why it seems relevant. Be open to success...you never know.....

Of course what works for some doesn't work for others, and many people are very negative about meridian therapies because they don't get the quick results promised. If you decide to go for it give it a serious attempt, be organised and systematic and regularly practice for at least a few weeks. With complicated disorders it can be the case of coming across the right thing to tap on before you make real progress. Time to turn detective!

My personal experience with EFT and TFT is that they cleared up various aspects of my anxiety...for example I used to wake sweating in the night, I tapped on it one night and it has never happened again, it used to happen regularly. I think you should also be prepared for the idea that your issue may have layers, so as you tap you may discover underlying issues. Be ready to tap on these and speak to a professional about them if they are serious. A good idea to have friend on standby to talk about stuff. I for one discovered a deep feeling of inadequacy and
self hatred that I had to deal with.

Instant cure? Probably for some simple phobias only. Potential cure if practiced properly? Yes.
Hope this has been of some help.
Good Luck!!!

Appear on a Channel 4 special about Phobias.

Hi, I have been asked by Objective Productions to help them find some people with phobias to appear on a fourthcoming TV show. The first programme is all about fear of flying and will involve having treatment by a specialist who knows his stuff! Their advert goes like this:

Do you have a
fear of flying?
Have you never been on a plane?
Or got on but had to abandon the flight before take-off?
Or only just managed the journey one way, and had to return overland?
Has your fear prevented or disrupted holidays with friends and family?
Or cost you promotion at work?
Have you tried everything, but nothing’s succeeded?
We may be able to help.

Objective Productions are making a new factual programme for Channel 4.
Using new, highly successful techniques, our expert can help you train your mind to overcome your phobia.
We are aware that this is a sensitive subject but also know that this could be a life changing opportunity for those who have an established phobia of flying. We’re looking for people to take part in filming over a long weekend in the South East of England.

To find out more, please call Alex (0207 202 2412), Helen (0207 202 2422) or Michelle (0207 202 2470) as soon as possible
or e-mail flying@objectiveproductions.com

Test Anxiety Exam Anxiety

During the examination period at school or college and assessments at work is one of the worst times to feel anxiety. Obviously because so much of your life is riding on just a few hours of hopefully peak performance.

Remember that a little bit of anxiety is actually quite useful at motivating you and sharpening up your brain, however if the anxiety is distracting you, causing you panic and nausea, sending your mind racing in the wrong direction the you have to act against it.

Firstly let's consider the pro's and cons of taking drugs. "Recreational" drugs such as Cannabis should be avoided completely; although they may relax they can also hamper the ability to function properly. Many people who have test anxiety have specifically math test anxiety and trying to do sums when stoned is hard!

Likewise, unless your problem is extreme your doctor is unlikely to proscribe benzodiazepines like Valium. The suppression of your Central nervous System would have a negative effect on your performance. Beta Blockers are a more likely option as they don't cross the blood brain barrier. They act on the release of adrenalin and calm your nerves physically (although not mentally).

Drugs are good when time is limited, but ultimately you should assess if you have an anxiety disorder such as GAD which is causing your test anxiety. Are you anxious inb other situations, low in confidence and generally nervous? Also people with social anxiety tend to find exams a trial as they are stuck in a room with many other people, and can feel out of control. In all these cases check out the advice here and speak to your doctor.

Whether you are getting anxiety in tests at school, college, work or anywhere else the most important advice is to tel someone!!!! They can help, and you are not the first. You will be glad you did!!

Good Luck

Sedona Method, Byron Katie, is it all CBT?

I was wondering when thumbing through Hale Dwoskin's Sedona Method and Byron Katie's Loving What Is if there is any more to these treatments than just re-packaged Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Such recycling is not uncommon by American marketing gurus turned Life coaches (for me Journey Therapy was not much more than a re-invention of hypnosis). For sure some people, and not just Americans (!), have seen the massive financial benefits at targeting miracle cures for anxiety disorders, depression, agoraphobia, insomnia, OCD etc etc.

Firstly we should remember that there is nothing wrong with miracle cures accept for when they don't work at all. That is why I am increasingly suspicious of some programmes, for sale online for vast sums, which can not be externally verified at all. The grandiose claims they make are not repeated across the net. The thing is that many people who get over mental health issues get on with their lives and don't stop to visit their old chat rooms like the A2C Forum and tell others how they recovered. But some do. And as I said the lack of independent verification is to say the least worrying.

I chose Byron Katie and the Sedona Method today because they are two that I do believe in. On the face of it their techniques have much to do with CBT, questioning the negative thought processes that lead to anxiety and depression. But in fact they go much deeper. Firstly their questionative processes are more long winded and more thorough than those that tend to be used in CBT, and secondly they go more into the core of ourselves, instead of being purely symptomatic treatments. Being something of a cross between psychotherapy and cognitive therapy and dealing with the underlying issues that I believe are important for many. They are worth a look.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Only the most arrogant, self important, or deeply self centered people are not at all shy. The rest of us tend to think twice about speaking in front of groups of new people and get sweaty palms. Of course teachers and others who speak in front of groups get completely used to it and it become second nature. For some people though interacting with others whether individuals or groups can be absolutely terrifying. The symptoms are not dissimilar to other anxiety disorders (for a symptoms list click here.)

The results of having a social phobia or social phobia disorder can be widespread depending on severity. Feeling unable to interact with colleagues can of course harm a career, also forming lasting relationships with potential partners and making friends can also be hard.

What can be done about it?

The typical treatment is normally a combination of drugs and Cognitive behavioral Therapy. Which can quickly change behavior and relieve the anxiety.
Drugs will normally be of the SSRI type.

Relaxation techniques are probably not going to be particularly helpful but therapies which uncover some underlying cause (if there is one) may well help or even solve the problem.

Why not check out Social Fear for more info!

Anxiety Herbs

Herbs for Anxiety? Nice idea huh, maybe if you take some harmless, side effect free herbs all your problems will melt away! Well, some people swear by it, and as I am about to add a herbs section to Anxiety 2 Calm I thought I'd do a bit of investigation.

As ever, when it comes to complimentary or alternative medicine there is a mind-blowing array of choices and advice that is so conflicting that at first it can seem that there is no true answer. The problem is that a lack of research means a lack of generally accepted dosage instructions or evidence of efficacy.

The unscientific nature of herbal healthcare is actually something of a bonus! Doctors with their statistics and their labels see everything in black and white and end up with a lot of self fulfilling prophecies, placebo effect, disappointment and lack of understanding. With herbs you take what you are going to take and see if it does anything. If you do a bit of research and buy from reputable outlets you are unlikely to come to any harm and it might just work.

Some of the best herbs for anxiety are Kava Kava and Valerian.

Kava Kava was banned for sometime due to a health scare but it proved completely unfounded. One brand had become contaminated and the issue was blown out of proportion by authorities in the USA. It was a bit like banning sweets across the world because because one batch of chewing gum in France got contaminated. Some believe the pharmaceutical Industry was behind it, as they were scared both by Kava Kava's efficacy and popularity when it came to treating anxiety. Read more about that here.

Valerian is said to be "Nature's Valium". Personally I found it made me pretty spacey but why not give it a bash? It's not addictive, cheap, and readily available!

Anxiety and Panic - Get Eclectic

What do I mean by the eclectic approach (Sorry if this is patronising for those of you that know what eclectic means!) Well, I mean take your anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, OCD, depression, whatever labels you have given yourself, and throw everything at them, including the kitchen sink.

Here is an alphabetical list of some of the things I tried:

Acupuncture
Acupressure
Alexander Technique
Anti-depressants
Ayervedic
Breathing Techniques
Beta-Blockers
Crystal Healing
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
EMDR
Emotional Freedom Technique
Homeopathy
Hypnosis
Kinesiology
Meditation
Regression
Reiki
Sedona Method
The Work of Byron Katie
Thought Field Therapy
Tranquillisers
Zero Balancing

Anyway, you get the point. I tried hundreds of things. You don't need to therapy shop as I did, but you do need to target certain discrete areas, namely the symptoms, the underlying beliefs, and the root. Ideally you would combine CBT (with or without drugs) with some kind of regression or EMDR, with the Sedona Method or The Work of Byron Katie for your underlying beliefs, and a meridian tapping therapy like EFT or TFT to top it off.

And why not top it off with getting in shape and moving to a diet that is low in carbohydrate, high in goodness, with plenty of Omega 3s and B Vitamins.

A bit of faith also helps from Armenian Christian to Zorasterism, faith, if you can find it (and remember you can't fake faith!) will help.

Anyway, be eclectic, fight on all fronts and give your all to every battle. With heavy determination and a lightening wallet how can you lose?

Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Phobias - What's Best?

I put this question once to my doctor who gave the reply that when it comes to anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias the best thing is "...whatever works". To this day that was the most profoundly intelligent thing a doctor has ever said to me on the subject of anxiety.

I was surprised to hear it because normally doctors, along with the rest of the mainstream medical and psychological professions, rely on Cognitive behavioral Therapy (CBT). What's wrong with that you may ask, after all CBT has a success rate that, when combined with medication reaches the 80% level. Few other therapies are even statistically proven, let alone that successful.

So what then is my problem with CBT? Well, it relies upon "feeling the fear and doing it anyway". Again, that's fine; at least you will be doing stuff and living your life, and with time the fear will lessen and may well disappear. It can be a cure. The problem is that if there is an underlying cause (and CBT seems to state that underlying causes are Freudian Bulls**t) then it may rear it's ugly head in another area of life be that anxiety elsewhere, depression, or a new phobia.

So CBT should be avoided? No, no way. Everyone, and I mean everyone should have CBT. Even if they have no anxiety or phobias or depression they could still benefit from thinking more positively and rationally. I just think people should take a more eclectic approach in order to tackle their issues once and for all. CBT will help get your life in order quickly.

More about the eclectic approach tomorrow, but for now why not check out the Exposure Can Be Fun section of Anxiety 2 Calm.

Anxiety and Panic Attacks - Just Bad Labels

Have you ever considered how we label ourselves in this society. We are desperate to fit ourselves into categories of social class or musical taste. Things are no different in the field of mental health and psychological wellbeing. When we take a label like "agoraphobia" we tend to live up to it, taking on all the stress the label implies and accepting its limitations on our life almost unquestioningly. The end result is that we feel worse, that we have this talisman permanently hanging round our necks as if we had HIV or terminal cancer (now there's a label that is only leading the patient in one direction!)

What we need to do is change our internal language, the constant dialogue we have with our self, from "having" to "feeling". Instead of "I have anxiety" we should say "I am feeling anxious" (if it's happening now) or "I felt anxious" (if it happened in the past). This change is important because we move away from labels and permanent states towards emotions which pass, as emotions always do. For more on this refer to the Labels section of the free anti-anxiety programme at http://www.anxiety2calm.com.

Anxiety and feelings of Unreality

Often people who have anxiety or panic disorders say that the strange feeling of unreality, depersonalization, spaciness, or dreaminess are the most frightening. Of course these feelings are not as violent as the throat clenching horror of a full blown panic or anxiety attack. Feelings of unreality are considered frightening for a different reason.

After you have had a panic attack or two you probably know what to expect. That doesn't mean it becomes any less nasty necessarily, but at least you know where you are. Feelings of unreality on the other hand don't seem to have a definite start or finish, you don't know when they will go away. What's more they don't feel like anxiety, they feel like you are going completely mad!

And that is the scary thought. Is this Schizophrenia? Bipolar? What's going on?

What is going on? Well, you are feeling spacey and it doesn't matter half as much as you think it does. Like the rest of anxiety and panic, if you worry about it you just get more. Work on going about your normal business allowing the anxiety and feelings of unreality to be there. The sooner you accept them the sooner they will pass. Dr Clare Weekes (eminent Australian Anxiety expert now deceased) says feelings of unreality are a good sign, as they show you are dealing with the anxiety. Read here for more about her. And for a wealth of anxiety information visit Anxiety 2 Calm.

Physical Causes of Anxiety - Brain Structure

Recently it was all the rage to talk about the genetic cause of anxiety, some gene that when present heightened the risk and severity of anxiety. I never much bought into the theory as everyone has the capacity for anxiety and many people manage to shake it off. I am not a big fan of explaining anxiety away with physical causes, it smacks of a cop out to me. Anxiety is something that can be dealt with.
The latest that I have read is that anxiety can be caused by abnormal brain structure. People apparantly who have a thinner ventromedial prefrontal cortex are less able to deal or cope with stressful situations and therefore develope anxiety and post truamatic stress disorder (PTSD). Apparently those who develop PTSD tend to have less active ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
IF this is true then it would certainly seem that anxiety sufferers need to deal with past traumatic memories (through regression, EMDR, or whatever) in order to get over their symptoms.
Research like this should never be considered as a reason to sit back and do nothing about anxiety. It is still treatable and there is still lots you can do about it.

For more info on brain structure causes of anxiety check out the BBC story here.

Anxiety and Learnt Helplessness

People who have been suffering from anxiety sometimes don't want to get better. To most sufferers that sounds quite ridiculous, afterall that swell of fear inside you, tingling feelings, restricted breathing, panic attacks and depression at not being able to do what other people do is the worst thing ever. Yet it's true, some people seem to get caught up in wanting either consciously or subconsciously to keep hold of their problems to kind of scherk responsibility or avoid work.
No, I'm not some conservative politician trying to cut down on benefit payments. This is a serious barrier to some people's recovery.
Checkout http://www.anxiety2calm.com/secondary_gain_anxiety.shtml for a brief overview of secondary gain issues that can keep you stuck in dysfunctional behaviour.
It's one to watch out for, and the people who are the quickest to say in their most indignant voice "Of course I want to get over my anxiety"...."Of course I don't want to have panic atacks"..."Of course I want to clear this depression" are often the ones who are most attached to their problems.

Anxiety, impotence, Male Sexual Health and Performance

I'm considering adding a section to Anxiety 2 Calm about sexual performance, impotence, and male fertility. I figured that most people who have anxiety think negatively about themselves and negatively about the future - the "Murphy's Law" effect, what can go wrong will go wrong. It seems that those with anxiety will not only have a poor self body image which is likely to hamper sexual performance and libido, but will also imagine failing in bed. This of course is true of both men and women. Everyone knows about male sexual health and fertility, but for women a lack of libido can be easier to hide and easier to explain away. Few are surprised, even in this day and age, when a woman doesn't want to rush into sex, but a man's failings are much more obvious.

Like so much, male sexual problems are so easy to get over when they are caused by anxiety and negative thought. But unsurprisingly few get help as it's so embarrassing.

Watch this space for a link to my new section on anxiety and sexual performance.

Anxiety 2 Calm

This is the first blog from the newly revitalised Anxiety 2 Calm website. It's been a busy time what with uploading loads of new content, trying to sort out the design and optimization and getting a forum sorted out.Damn, I'm feeling kind of as if no ones very grateful, visitor numbers are as poor as ever and no ones even using my fourms yet.

Oh well...First thing I wanted to know was: What do you all think of the "Linden Method"? You don't have to google very much around keywords like anxiety and panic before the name charles linden pops up? I would love to know what people reckon, preferably those with first or second hand experience of it!