Anxiety 2 Calm

Support Anxiety UK

2009-04-18T06:05:00.001-07:00

Hi! Just a quick note for readers in the UK. Anxiety UK, previously known as The National Phobics Society, has had funding withdrawn by the UK government. This will have a major effect on the services that the organisation is able to offer people in very real need. During the current economic difficulties the number of people seeking help has increased and the services of Anxiety UK are much needed.

You can do something to help.

Making a donation: http://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/donate.php

Signing the petition to show your support of Anxiety UK at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/SaveAnxietyUK/

Writing to your MP - asking them to support Anxiety UK - you can find your local MP here: http://www.theyworkforyou.com

Why not visit the site and do all you can to help save it! It also has lots of great info!

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety uk,funding

Anxiety, Acupuncture and New Evidence

2009-01-22T14:03:00.001-08:00

There have been a few interesting stories this week that although not directly related, have implications of the treatment of anxiety . Firstly the BBC reported on an interesting study on the benefits of acupuncture. The study was not aimed at acupuncture used to treat anxiety but more at preventing headaches and migraines. There is something of a link here as many people believe migraines are stress related. The study was basically a meta-analysis of thirty-three other studies and found interestingly that acupuncture worked. More interestingly still they found that so-called sham acupuncture worked just as well, that is to say that it doesn't seem to matter whether you stick the needles in the centuries old Chinese positions, or just do it randomly. This suggests one of two things. Either the whole phenomenon is just the placebo effect and there is really no therapeutic benefit, or there is something about stimulating parts of the body which does actually promote health.

Ebooks on Holistic Health and Acupuncture

There have been some studies, albeit not enough to draw firm conclusions, that say that meridian tapping therapies such as EFT and TFT work for the treatment of anxiety, phobias and depression. It seems to me that the principle behind this success (if indeed it is real) is likely to be similar to the acupuncture. Indeed it has been said in at least one study that tapping the body randomly works as well as tapping the points listed in the algorithms specified by the therapy founders.

Whether this is a case of the placebo effect or not doesn't really matter. What matters is there being sufficient efficacy in the treatment for people to have some kind of faith in it, for the treatment to be safe, and for it to produce long lasting results. Many acupuncturists advertise the treatment of anxiety and stress but I am skeptical given the lack of specific evidence. That said, most of us have met someone who swears by acupuncture. There is nothing wrong of course with the placebo effect! If it works for you then great!

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety,relief,acupuncture,stress,evidence,eft,tft

Stillness - Meditation and Anxiety

2009-01-21T13:42:00.001-08:00

I have blogged before about meditation and its beneficial effects on the treatment and control of anxiety. In these posts I have mainly concentrated on Mindfulness Meditation, which is very powerful and still the single thing I would recommend to all anxiety sufferers.

Recently I came across "Stillness Meditation" which looks very interesting. There is a book, which is sadly out of print, called "In Stillness Conquer Fear". It is about a woman's (the author) struggle to overcome agoraphobia and her eventual release (cure!) through a disciplined meditation practice.

Deep Zen Meditation - Click Here

This meditation practice, to which I believe the author of the aforementioned book, Pauline Mckinnon, gave the name "Stillness Meditation", is very simple. Although I should say that despite the fact that it is simple you still, paradoxically, need to practice regularly in order to achieve stillness. Like all things, you improve with practice.

So how do you do it? Basically you find a posture which is comfortable but not too comfortable. It is actually said to be good training for the mind to have slight discomfort. A straight-backed chair is perfect. You then sit and allow the tension in your body to leave. You may pass your mind's eye over your body to see if you can find tension. Tension in the face is especially important. Then you allow thoughts to come and go, without giving them your attention, just let them go and your mind will find stillness and moments of emptiness.

Pauline Mckinnon said that a daily practice of this basically cured her agoraphobia over a two year period, with great advances made in just eight weeks! Certainly deep mental and physical relaxation is only really glossed over by the normal CBT model for anxiety and agoraphobia treatment.

I don't want to promise cures, but I know that meditation, when practiced consistently, can make an amazing positive change on your life. And through really relaxing the mind can allow healing. I don't yet have conclusive proof that stillness meditation works on its own as a cure, but I know that those people who persevere with it will benefit.

For a fuller insight into stillness meditation try to get your hands on the book In Stillness Conquer Fear or one of the CDs by the same author. If you would like to buy them from Amazon and give a little money to Anxiety2Calm.com at no cost to yourself, please click one of the links below, depending on whether you are in the UK or USA.

Also look at my mindfulness meditation page.

And checkout my other meditation blog posts by clicking here.

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety,meditation,stillness,mindfulness,cure

Life is very strange - a cause of anxiety?

2009-01-03T06:53:00.000-08:00

Hi.

Recently I have been thinking a lot about existential anxiety and life is rather odd! Here we are on this planet, spinning in the vastness of the solar system, who knows what is beyond the furthest reaches of our telescopes. There are many theories and belief systems that tell us why we are here, but non of them is provable. If they were provable then they could provide a great deal of comfort, they could tell us more about why we are here and what is actually important to achieve in this life. For those who believe, with devotion, these belief systems there is a great deal of benefit: a feeling of worth and reason to live, something to aim for. These motivators should not be underrated as they provide a purpose to people who otherwise might think too much.

And thinking too much is arguably the biggest problem here. Many people live their lives with no focus or purpose, enjoying themselves and stocking up on consumer goods. They don't worry about where they came from. In a way they are the happiest people, on the surface at least, yet they are blissfully ignorant and their lives are all the poorer for it.

But let's go back to us, I mean those of us who have no faith or whose faith is not strong enough to give us meaning. For us we see the world going about it's business, wars are fought, people cross time zones, get married and divorced and act in ways we find bizarre. We can understand none of this and often crave removing ourselves from it, by forming subcultures, retreats and the like.

We are guilty of thinking too much. But we can not make ourselves less intelligent or our brains less enquiring. So we turn instead to dealing with how we think and making it more positive, more happy for us in this bizarre world. Each individual is different and how they achieve that varies between people. That said finding purpose can be explained in several broad groups. It can be through a personal love, a cherished activity or hobby that you can, literally, give you heart and soul to. It can be humanitarian: by doing something real you help yourself become more attached to the world around you and benefit it. If that does not help you understand existence that doesn't matter as you assimilate with the machinery of life and have a positive effect on it, whatever it is. Meditation is also helpful in calming the most anxious thoughts and feelings. Being in the moment and not lost in dark thoughts promotes clarity and positive action.

Life is strange for us, but we can enjoy it still.

del.icio.us Tags: life is strange,odd,unreality,anxiety,existential anxiety,why are we here

Existential Anxiety - Links

2009-01-01T15:40:00.001-08:00

Hi and a very Happy New Year! Let's hope for a peaceful, calm and happy 2009!

It won't be a long post today, but I have spent part of my new year's day reading a few interesting articles on Existential Anxiety. I know from my inbox that this has been a hot topic with many readers and relevant to those who suffer from nameless dread, free-floating anxiety and a constant, gnawing background anxious depression that is hard to shift.

Here are the links....enjoy reading them!

1) Existential Anxiety and Existential Joy - Long but well-worth reading.

2) Existential Anxiety: a 3-page cyber-sermon - As the title suggests, lots of info and worth taking your time over.

Thank you for reading, and once more happy 2009!

del.icio.us Tags: nameless dread,free-floating anxiety,anxious depression,existential anxiety

Winter / Christmas not the worst time for depression

2008-12-21T12:14:00.001-08:00

It has long been thought that mental health suffered during the winter months, especially around Christmas time, and that the season brought a peak in the suicide rate. As it turns out, this is in fact an urban myth.

It was hypothesised that the dark, gray winters and and the lack of vitamin D from the sun caused SAD (Seasonally Affected Disorder) and some of this may be true. But the fact of the matter is, suicide is more common in the warmer months, probably peaking in May.

Which doesn't mean to say you can afford to be complacent about depression in winter either with yourself or the those around you. Some people certainly do feel worse in winter and this is worrying.

So what can be done to banish the winter blues?

Firstly, don't worry about mild low mood. Clinical depression should be diagnosed and treated under the eyes of professionals, but worrying about feeling low can just lead you into a cycle of anxious depression.

Doing something tends to make you feel better. And if that something is active then it will probably work even better. If you can spend time outside in the countryside, especially in the brightness of the middle of the day then that will also do wonders for your mood.

Spending time with people or losing yourself in books, crosswords and sudoku are also great mood lifters. But why not use those days for something more constructive. If there are aspects of your life that are making you feel low, maybe now is the time to start addressing them.

If what you want to achieve feels to grand, and that is part of why you are feeling low, there is a simple remedy to get you going and motivated. Take a pen and paper and start planning. Get into minutiae detail about what it is you want to do, what problems you might face and most importantly how you might overcome those problems. The key is in the detail.

When you have planned in great detail what you want and how you intend to get it, the doing part will seem much easier and achievable, and this will help lift your mood. Remember, happiness is not having what we want, it's being on the way to that achievement.

If you ever feel very depressed or suicidal, contact a health professional, tell people around you or speak to the Samaritans or a similar organisation.

del.icio.us Tags: depression,sad,winter,suicide

Venlafaxine and Mirtazapine and Weight Gain

2008-12-14T09:48:00.001-08:00

On this blog I have often talked about my experiences of weight gain when using the drug Citalopram / Celexa. It has been pointed out to me that these are not the only drugs that can have this side effect. Mirtazapine, which is a NaSSA (noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant) and Venlafaxine, which is a SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) have both been known, according to readers of this blog, to cause weight gain. In the case of Mirtazapine weight gain is listed as a common side effect, whereas with Venlafaxine it is listed as a rare side-effect. Interestingly, Venlafaxine also causes weight loss in some patients.

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here

Weight issues with anti-depressants can and do happen, and it is worth talking to you doctor about them if you are worried. In my case, after sometime I was able to reduce my dose and then exercise more to lose the excess weight. It did take some time. I would also like to add that doctors should be wary of prescribing the worst wight-gain antidepressants to people for whom weight is an issue, including those with Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Do not stop taking medication because of what you have read here or anywhere else on the Internet. Antidepressants, whether they are SSRI's, SNRI, NaSSA or something else, can have side effects but can also do you the world of good. There is a lot of negative publicity but that is partly because few people go on the Internet to talk about what is good, many more prefer to complain!

I welcome feedback on antidepressant use and am always on the look out for any news that would be of interest to readers of this blog. Email me on info@anxiety2calm.

Also Read:

Celexa - Tapering off and weight loss / gain

Celexa questions answered

Celexa and Nightmares/strange dreams

Celexa, citalopram - a personal experience

Celexa and weight gain.

Slow withdrawal from Citalopram (Cipramil / Celexa ...

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety,Venlafaxine,Mirtazapine,celexa,weight gain,citalopram

Existential Anxiety - more

2008-12-04T08:38:00.001-08:00

Over eighteen months ago I wrote a post on this blog about Existential Anxiety and, although it was only short, I got many emails in response. I think there is so little information out there about existential anxiety because it is not really taken seriously as a psychological problem. More often, it is considered to be something people suffer from when perhaps they are looking for a path in their life; something worthwhile to do. This is of course true, however existential anxiety where symptoms amount to more than just a nagging urge that there is something else can make this a much more serious problem.

Often anxiety is related to a feeling of being out of control and our existence on this spinning planet, in this universe, here for reasons we don't fully understand is something that really is way out of our control. The great thing about that is that we can't really avoid it, which is the danger with a lot of anxiety disorders: you avoid triggers and end up with phobias like agoraphobia or travel phobia. Thanks for small mercies!

So what can we do? In my previous post on this subject I recommended mindfulness meditation and I stand by that as a great aid to all sorts of anxiety conditions, indeed all stresses in life!

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here

Also it can be useful to find faith. It's not something I've had much luck with myself, but I have been told that it's helpful as you start to form in your mind a reason for being here, a concept of how we got here and an idea of where we go next. If you can get into a religion (hopefully not a cult!) then that is great.

I would also, tentatively, suggest you investigate the idea of Paradoxical Intention, which for those of you who have never come across the concept before is where you try and make your symptoms worse and not better. It is a slightly tricky area, and I suggest doing some more research on it (start by clicking here to search this site for the term). By using paradoxical intention you can take away some of the fragility of the world, it's as if you are testing it's resilience and finding that, no matter what you think, life will continue regardless of what you do.

It also goes without saying that other common anxiety treatments like SSRI's and CBT can help.

I would be grateful to hear from anyone else with tips for overcoming existential anxiety.

del.icio.us Tags: existential anxiety,paradoxical intention,religion,faith

A healthy lifestyle and anxiety

2008-12-01T10:26:00.001-08:00

There are three areas of life where we need to be healthy to help us overcome anxiety . They are diet, exercise, mental health.

Firstly diet. I have several tips for a lower anxiety diet:

Keep your blood sugar levels more constant as insulin spikes and low blood sugar can lead to anxiety, panic and worse.

Don't over do the sugar, satisfy sweet cravings with fruit and a bit of dried fruit.
Don't use artificial sweeteners too much, they are confusing to the body and have a dubious health record.
Don't eat too many simple carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, pasta, pizza), they act like sugars.
Instead snack on nuts and wholemeal foods (fruit can be a great alternative to wheat based products if they disagree with you.)

Avoid caffeine as this aggravates (sometimes even causes) anxiety and panic, disrupts sleep, and affects blood sugar.

Drink Decaf coffee
If you need a hot drink to replace tea go for roibush, herb or fruit.
Cola's should be avoided full stop - why not replace them with heavily diluted fruit juice.
Eating little and often helps to keep your blood sugar stable and stops you getting that over-full or bloated feeling that is linked to anxiety.
Try to snack on something healthy every three hours of your waking day.

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here

Exercise is unpopular more often than not but the simple fact is that a healthy body is linked to a healthy mind. You will lessen your anxiety by being in better shape, I almost promise that.

Walk of your stress and excess weight.

A brisk walk is excellent exercise but you have to do it often.
If your doctor says you are fit enough try briskly walking for 30-60 minutes four times a week.
Alternatively, by a pedometer and measure how much you walk during an average day (take measurements over a few days). Then try to increase that amount by ten percent.

Other stress-busting anxiety relieving exercises.

Running
Swimming
Rowing
Cycling

And four your self esteem, get a better looking body. The best ways are:

Weight training
Circuit training
Palates
Gymnastics
All of the above should be embarked on only after a medical

Focusing on your mental health and well-being means offering your mind some of the things that we all need, such as space and a time to switch off.

Your mental health can be greatly increased through relaxation!

Learn mindfulness meditation
Progressive muscle relaxation
Deep Breathing
Butyeko Breathing

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety,panic,health,exercise,diet,meditation,butyeko breathing

Free-Floating Anxiety and a good relaxation technique.

2008-11-25T14:37:00.001-08:00

Anxiety is often classed as "free floating", that is to say it has no recognisable cause or trigger. Often this kind of anxiety, especially when it has been present for some time, is more irritating than worrying. It seems to be almost in the background, a little niggle that stops you from relaxing fully, perhaps a slight difficulty breathing or a tightness in the neck, throat or other muscles. Sometimes this free floating anxiety can manifest as fidgeting, a chronic cough or other physical symptoms or other things like insomnia.

Of course free floating anxiety is not always just an irritant, it can for some people be a deeply worrying and disabling occurrence, leading to panic attacks or sever bouts of anxiety and stress.

Either way, you can not avoid this kind of anxiety because it is either always there or creeps up on you suddenly and without warning and this is perhaps what leads some people to self-medicate alcohol or non-prescription and illegal (recreational) drugs. This is not a good idea because nearly all such substances, including alcohol, have to unfortunate qualities. They are habit-forming so you can get addicted to them, and the body becomes accustomed to them so you need more. They can be a slippery slope and one that is worth avoiding!

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here

So what can you do about free-floating anxiety? Well, there is always the possibility of prescription medication such as the SSRI's Citalopram / Celexa . There are pros and cons to this approach but it can be effective. Follow the previous links for more info. Also of course the numerous kinds of counselling, therapy and alternative approaches that are often suggested for anxiety can have their place - they are all discussed elsewhere on this site.

But what can you do for yourself? There are two great things that are free and easy. The first is to relax. I know it's annoying when people tell anxiety sufferer's to relax, but bear with me. Formal relaxation means taking ten minutes a day to sit down and relax, using either a meditation technique (there are thousands and they are not difficult, regardless of the stereotype) or just doing some breathing. One straight-forward breathing technique is just to sit down or lie comfortably, place your attention on your breath and start counting seconds. Then, slow your out-breath so it takes longer than your in breath, try to make it a few seconds longer. If you run out of puff, rest a few seconds in the "fully breathed out" position instead. You will of course find this easier with practise. But do practise, every day for ten minutes.

Try this for a week, I guarantee you will feel a bit better and find yourself doing min relaxations while waiting for traffic lights to change or during other natural pauses in your day.

del.icio.us Tags: free-floating anxiety,stress,relaxation,meditation,ssri's,drugs,alcohol

Celexa - more anxiety info

2008-11-16T12:51:00.001-08:00

Citalopram / Celexa is one of the topics that I consistently get emails about. Not surprising as it is one of the most commonly prescribed SSRI's for anxiety and depression in both Europe and the USA. I can speak both personally and for many other people when I say that Celexa is a drug that has helped many people and can really help turn a life around. It is also of course not a cure-all and not a drug which everyone gets on with.

Many of the people who email me comment about weight gain issues associated with Celexa (follow the previous link for my article on that). One new question I had recently was this:

"Can Celexa actually change your metabolic rate"?

The writer went on to say that it seemed that weight-loss had become all but impossible and her appetite had gone through the roof, even though she had been off the medication for some time.

The official answer to that question is a firm "no". The manufacturers and the licensing authorities do not list permanent metabolic changes as a potential side effect. The unofficial answer is that it is unlikely and impossible to prove that such metabolic change occurred because of Celexa. I have certainly never heard of such a thing happening.

What is quite common, however, is that weight gained while on Celexa does not disappear quickly of its own accord. When you taper of the drug your metabolic rate should increase. But the differentiation in metabolic rate that we are talking about in the use of SSRI's is generally not great. You probably put that weight on over several months and even years of using Celexa, and gradually you will lose it all else being equal. But often all is not equal and you will have to work it off or diet it off.

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here

I recommend speaking to your doctor about starting a progressive exercise regime (which is in itself great for both anxiety and depression).

I would also try to fill up on healthy food and avoid as much bad food as you can. But try to do this as small lifestyle changes that you intend to be permanent, not big diet plans that are impossible to stick to. Crash diets have a habit of lowering your metabolic rate and working against you anyway.

There are other ways of raising your metabolism that might be worth a look. Eating spicy food and turning the heating down are two common ones. Also eating little and often.

The bottom line is that the extra weight you got from Celexa will come off, but only if you work at it. If you are working and it hasn't started to come off, see if anything you are doing is actually working against you by lowering your metabolism. Crash dieting and over-training are two common culprits! If you are convinced you are doing everything right but are still not getting results, speak to a doctor about it - maybe there is some other reason beyond anxiety and SSRI's.

del.icio.us Tags: celexa,weight gain,metabolism,change,depression,anxiety

Feelings of Unreality - more

2008-11-07T11:07:00.001-08:00

One of the most commented upon and emailed posts on this entire blog is one from 2006 called Anxiety and feelings of Unreality. It seems that all over the place people are suffering from something which is actually quite hard to put into words.

Some people call it depersonalisation, some people call it feeling unreal, some call it feeling odd, strange, detached. Often people say that they feel that nothing is real and that they could just disappear suddenly.

As I said in that original post, there are a few possible medical causes for this so a visit to a doctor for a full check-up is a must. That said, for most people reading this blog it will be the fact that these feelings of unreality seem to stem from anxiety disorders which will be most salient.

The fact of the matter is that because of the way anxiety effects the chemical balance of our brains, sometimes (or indeed often and regularly) odd feelings can manifest. I am no doctor but I am lead to believe that this is particularly due to levels of Dopamine and can also be closely linked to blood sugar.

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here

The more important question is not what causes it but how do you deal with it. Well, the best advice I've ever heard from the subject came from the wise mind of Claire Weekes, the Australian who published and broadcast a great deal about anxiety and panic several decades ago. Her advice for feelings of unreality (as well as all other anxiety symptoms)was to give the symptoms permission to be there, to float through them and be with them, to accept them. It's hard to do, but like everything else it gets easier and more effective with practice. And like everything else to do with anxiety and panic, it won't kill you.

I would add to that that it is worth experimenting with blood sugar issues. Try to snack on some complex carbohydrates and see if that makes a difference. It did for me, as did avoiding simple carbohydrates and sugary snacks. Also, avoid hunger and do what you can to keep your blood sugar levels constant. It is part of the paradox of trying to do what you can to stop it, and yet accepting it's presence and letting it be there. Easy to say, and not so hard to do with practice.

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety,feelings of unreality,detachment,depersonalisation,disorder,feeling odd,weird,strange,not real,claire weekes,accept

Health Anxiety

2008-11-03T09:20:00.001-08:00

Our health is something that can cause us the most anxiety of all. While some people drift through life ignoring health concerns such as obesity, smoking and alcoholism, people with anxiety tend to move to the other extreme by worrying too much.

Let's look at an example. You discover one day that you have a mouth ulcer, not a particularly painful one, but none the less an annoying one. You have had mouth ulcers before but this one persists, let's say for more than a month. Perhaps, building up in the back of your mind is an anxious thought maybe it is something more serious than a mouth ulcer...maybe it's cancer!

Of course then the first stop is Google. And if you enter mouth cancer you get a very general list of symptoms, including persistent mouth ulcers! Then, straight away black and white thinking kicks in. Suddenly you have got a deadly disease, your anxiety levels rise, the adrenalin flows and the thoughts spiral out of control. You start to Google treatment only to find that it includes painful radiotherapy and surgery that might leave you so disfigured you need reconstructive surgery to put you back together again afterwards! Then you can't get it off your mind. It is always invading your thoughts and hampering your mood until the symptoms disappear. But because it is on your mind you keep poking it and prodding it, and the ulcer gets worse or starts to bleed. More symptoms of cancer.

If those process goes unchecked, health worries can develop into full blown hypochondria or have other negative effects on your life, such as sleep loss.

As is so often the case with anxiety, it is a feeling of a loss of control which is at or near the root of the problem. The answer to this lack of control is painfully simple. Go and see the doctor or visit a nurse (depending on your medical problem). This is often what the anxiety sufferer wants to do least - because it's better not to know, or because a trip to the doctor has inherent fears. But Google can not diagnose problems, all it can do is list, in very simple terms, symptoms which could be caused by a multitude of factors and provide photos of those signs and symptoms. A medical professional can normally quickly tell one of three things:

1 anxiety over, it's nothing to worry about.
2 Don't know need a second opinion.
3 This is a problem and we need to start treatment.

Number one is the most common. Like many things that cause us anxiety, health concerns are often baseless. Number two is also positive, because a specialist will know more and can really put your mind at rest. If it's number three, and you need treatment then thank god you went to a doctor, there is not a disease on this earth that is not treated more efficiently and with a greater chance of recovery for being caught early. Let's not mince our words, the cancer sufferers with the best chance of survival are the ones that are caught early.

So take control and seek help! And if you are worried that your health anxiety equals hypochondria don't! Your doctor can be the one to judge that!

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety,health,hypochondria,cancer,worry

Anxiety and Diet

2008-10-27T09:57:00.001-07:00

I have long been skeptical about the links between anxiety and what we eat. That said, I think there are some points which really need to be looked at. These mainly fall into the categories of Comfort eaters, people who eat to lift their mood and relieve anxiety, foods which make anxiety worse and actually cause anxiety, and foods which are beneficial.

Some people might use foods, normally simple sugary carbohydrates, to calm them down and lift their mood. This is common in people who have anxiety along with depression. Some argue that this kind of eating is a subconscious attempt to get back to the happiness of childhood where sugary foods came with happy occasions like parties. Whether this is true or not, this kind of eating to stave off anxiety has several negative aspects.

Spikes in blood sugar and therefore disturbed insulin levels can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, feeling distant, getting the shakes and more seriously be involved in hypoglycaemia and diabetes.

Eating lots of sugars, fats and simple carbohydrates plays havoc with digestion and can lead to IBS type symptoms, such as bloating, wind, diarrhoea, constipation and cramps.

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here

Both of the above can actually make anxiety worse as well as leading to other health concerns. Also, obesity is in itself a stressor and can lead to low self esteem, again a cause of anxiety.

For people who have this kind of anxiety and use food in this way, I heartily recommend a book called You Can Be Thin by Marisa Peer ( UK Amazon.co.uk)(USA Amazon.com).It is a slimming book, but don't be put off as is has much to teach you about your relationship with food.

There may be some truth in the idea that foods high in Omega 3s are good for anxiety, as are natural sources of tryptophan. But I am not much of a believer in anti-anxiety diets as such, I think you can eat a balanced diet and most of what you want, but there is an important attitude change that most of us should follow.

When we come across food which we know is bad for us, or are tempted to eat more when in fact we have eaten enough, we need to think about control. Lots of anxiety sufferers hate not being in control, but lots of them are also controlled by food! People talk of the food crying out to be eaten, or hating to see waste. Some people have a kind of caveman instinct where they want to eat now in case they can't eat later, or are worried someone else will steal the food. Either way, you have to instil the thought in your mind, you can eat when you want and you can also not eat when you want. There is plenty of time to eat cake in your life, not eating it now will not be that bad. Also, the pleasure you get from eating junk food is short and you nearly always regret it afterwards, so why bother? You can choose to let it go.

Why do all this? Because a healthy body really does help towards having a healthy mind.

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety,depression,diet,omega,tryptophan,link,ibs

Depersonalisation Disorder and useless terminology

2008-10-23T11:10:00.001-07:00

Over a year ago I posted on this blog about Depersonalisation Disorder. I said that I thought it unnecessary to have a name for something which was in essence just a symptom of anxiety. I was continuing an argument I had made elsewhere on this site about the endless anxiety terminology which is trotted out for no earthly purpose. I stand by every word I say but I want to clarify a few things.

1. Terminology can be unhelpful because when people start to feel they have "got something" rather than "feeling a certain way" they can get into a more negative mindset. It can lead to the belief that what they have is more concrete and unmovable than it is. After all, generally speaking, people believe they have anxiety because they feel it, and feel it because they believe they will. It is of course a circle.

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here

2. For some people psychological symptoms are caused by identifiable problems (which may be physical). For some people giving a name to that condition can be very beneficial. It can make them feel like they are somewhat understood by the medical profession, and it can make them feel like they are personally less responsible for how they are feeling. In this case, terminology can be a good thing.

3. That said, people do need to be aware of their own responsibility to tackle there issues. Presenting yourself to a doctor as you might with say a throat infection and saying "cure me" is not really an option. Although others can help you a lot, as is discussed elsewhere in this site, a majority of the work comes from you. Focusing on the names given to disorders to me seems to be focus too much on treatment from outside. I think everyone is a bit different and needs to find their own way.

4. It was not, is not and never has been my intention to try to belittle anyone else's problems. I am the last person in the world who would want to do that. I know from bitter experience that it is the most annoying thing to hear people say "it is all in your mind, get over it". It was not my intention to say that at all. I was trying to say that rather than break things down into different syndromes and conditions we should concentrate on getting better, and in my experience that involves looking at the whole picture of our lives, not just specific symptoms. That, in a somewhat ham-fisted way, is what I was trying to say when I said Depersonalisation Disorder didn't exist. Sorry if I caused some offence.

del.icio.us Tags: depersonalisation disorder,terminology,anxiety,symptoms,cure

Anxiety Motivation and Planning

2008-10-22T09:34:00.001-07:00

A lot of people with anxiety have motivation problems. Anxiety is part of the human bodies Fight or Flight response. It might be useful to see the fight or flight response in terms of motivation. This very basic, fundamental part of us which is so active when we feel anxious makes us do one of two things: run away or stand and fight. It is quite common for people who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks to have problems with motivation. It is not in fact that they lack motivation it is that they are very highly motivated to stay away from things which might be dangerous and stressful. People with anxiety have great motivation and strength of mind, but it is sadly pointing in the wrong direction.

So what can you do to overcome this and start to empower yourself and move forwards? They key lies in planning. It is not a good idea to choose where you want to be and go for it, you actually need to do much more planning. This is especially true when getting to where you want looks so daunting and anxiety provoking.

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here

When you plan in detail you do two things at the same time:

1. You break down large goals into easy to achieve targets.

2. You pre-empt, solve and mitigate against any problems that might arise.

The end result is a far easier and less anxiety-provoking experience.

Planning is easy. You can look at it in either of two ways. You could take a specific problem and then, with pen and paper, go into specific detail about what needs to be done and how that can be achieved. You could create it on paper as a process, or a series of steps, smaller events.

The other way to go about it, which might be better suited to someone that has suffered from anxiety in the past, is to put down on paper exactly what a life worth living looks like. Create a description of how you want your life to be in each individual area: work, travel, love, social life, spiritual life etc. Then set about breaking down those things into various achievable steps.

In doing this you can make your life more positive, direct your energy and make real progress. It is almost guaranteed that as your life moves towards where you want it to be your anxiety will diminish.

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety,planning,stress,motivation,fight or flight.

Anxiety and Rational Thought

2008-10-21T13:30:00.001-07:00

Most of us realise how irrational our thinking is when we are anxious or stressed. Most of us that have suffered from any kind of anxiety or panic have had those vivid, stubborn, intrusive negative thoughts going through our head. In the cold light of day of course we know they are not true - if we had stayed in that supermarket check-out queue we would neither have had a heart attack nor died, and you've felt like you were fainting many times but have in fact never fainted.

So, our automatic negative thoughts are complete rubbish. CBT to the rescue, we can simply identify them and replace them with something more positive and realistic. Except we can't. When we are in a heightened state of anxiety, identifying and replacing thoughts by recognising how irrational and untrue they are is almost impossible. CBT gets round this by suggesting thoughts are written down first, and then dealt with. This is a much better approach as the process of writing things down slows us down. Problem is, it's not always practical or possible to examine our thoughts on paper while we are in a situation which is causing anxiety. That means we have to write the thoughts either before or after they occur and apply our rationality in the situation. This is hard and there is a good physiological reason why.

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here

When we are anxious, various parts of our bodies shut down as blood and therefore energy is diverted to the fight or flight response. It is for this reason that our digestion can be troublesome leading to feelings of nausea or diarrhoea - our digestive system is not needed for immediate fight or flight so in times of anxiety it can be temporarily shut off. Along the same lines, when we are anxious or stressed or panicking the link from our developed rational rain is lost. That thoughtful part of us, that knows that the potential danger isn't really anything to worry about is too labour intensive and not useful when we are in real danger, therefore we have evolved to break that connection during stressful times.

This is bad news for anxiety sufferers. Unless we can re-establish that rational part of our brain during stressful times it is hard to break the cycle of anxiety. So what then can we do? The answer is simple...relax.

When we relax all of the parts of our bodies that are shut down for fight or flight can come back to life. That physical relaxation allows all our mental work (identifying and rationalising negative thoughts) to succeed.

So practice formal relaxation everyday to get into the practice of being able to lower your stress levels in each and every situation.

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety,stress,panic,cbt,rational thought,formal relaxation,fight or flight

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2008-10-17T00:00:00-07:00

Hypnoanalysis is a big scam
read it before you pay them a penny

Hypnoanalysis for anxiety - Scam

2008-10-14T14:35:00.001-07:00

Hypnoanalysis, analytical hypnotherapy, pure hypnosis - call it what you will. For those of you who are regular readers of this blog and have an interest in anxiety disorders this treatment is probably known to you. Just to recap I have recently had the chance to view hypnoanalysis from the eyes of a long term sufferer of anxiety and phobias. It has been an education into the dark arts of scamming money from people with anxiety and panic attacks.

The therapy promised a lot, and when I say a lot I mean it promised the world. The web-sites and brochures of those therapists involved speak of "cures", "solutions" and a complete cessation of symptoms - fast! They have testimonials where people, with blandly implausible sounding names, wax lyrical about how their anxiety, depression, phobias and OCD evaporated. Sounds great. Problem is, it doesn't work and is basically a money making exercise which takes advantage of human misery and desperation.

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here.

I knew that hypnoanalysis was unproven. I quick Google search showed that the only study that mentioned it by name had found no benefits over equivalent psychotherapy. I was also worried that, for such a miracle cure, no one that wasn't making money from it had talked about their experiences - either positive or negative - on forums and chat rooms. If it was that amazing, I am sure, with hindsight, that they would have. I later realised why there were few, if any, negative experiences reported about it.

Hypnoanalysis has two main underpinning ideas.

1. All anxiety symptoms can be traced back to one event that caused guilt and shame, and that event has often been pushed out of conscious memory.

2. If you uncover that event and release the trapped emotion you will be able to let go of your anxiety (or other mental or physical health problem).

Both of those principles are wrong.

Beat anxiety - click here

Anxiety can have a number of causes, and while it can be post traumatic (ie stemming from one negative experience) it is often just the product of the way you interpreted events either when you were younger or, in some cases, later in life. In either case, dealing with trauma from childhood carries no promise of success. Quite the contrary, you may well have processed those memories fully years ago, and now be suffering from bad habits and faulty thinking. Messing around with childhood memories (real or imagined) probably doesn't do a great deal for you.

That said, Hypnoanalysis has probably worked for a few people to some extent. Some people may release some emotion in a mildly relaxed hypnotic state and feel better for it, for others there is the ever mighty placebo effect. These people are a small minority.

So, hypnoanalysis doesn't work. That's nothing new, there are many therapies that are not all they are cracked up to be. So why this big post dedicated to hypnoanalysis and it's scamming? Well, I don't like it for several reasons.

I have met two hypnoanalysts and they were both horrible. "Wait", I hear you cry, "you can't tell us that all hypnoanalysts are bad based on a sample of just two!" Well, I can and I will, and that is a much more scientific survey than the hypnoanalysts themselves have ever done on the efficacy of their therapy. People with anxiety disorders are by their very nature nervous and insecure, they like to be made to feel comfortable. Hypnoanalysts are cold, overbearing, brash, arrogant, impatient and dismissive. Their sessions are often shorter than they advertise and they bundle you out at the end as quickly as possible. They say it is because of "transference" issues that they want to know only the bare minimum about you. This is rubbish.

My second problem is the price. Often these people are charging £70-90 for 45 minutes. It is not a highly trained profession - in fact listening to someone reel-off childhood memories is much easier than being a bog standard "suggestion" hypnotherapist, who would normally charge around half of that. One hypnoanalyst I met joked about having a client as a "cash cow". Would you want to tell your deepest and darkest secrets to this man?

The third thing I came to hate was the "Get Out Clause". Scam therapists always have an awkward moment when they have to get rid of the patient without having provided the promised cure. Often the patient will just cut their losses and stop going to sessions, others, more desperate perhaps, will persevere. It was interesting to see, in my case study, how the therapists language changed. In the initial email contact before therapy began it was stated that "...(after treatment) you will probably feel better than you have ever felt before". In the initial session it was stated that cure would be like bursting a bubble - a dramatic release. It was also said that releasing emotion was an essential aspect of this therapy. This was maintained until the end when it changed: actually change can come slowly and gradually, and that it in fact isn't necessary to release emotion. Eventually the final get out clause was..."you are resistant. It's not your fault. Go away for six months, get drunk, have sex and live your life. Then start again, from session one with a new therapist. Not with me as a therapist - there are transference issues that mean hypnoanalysis will never work for you with me". So, that was that - the promised cure hadn't come and despite being told again and again that he was a perfect subject for free-association and hypnoanalysis he was now told that they could no longer help him. Money back guarantee with this ultra-successful therapy? No chance.

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here

Last of all comes the Danger part.

Two different hypnoanalysts fabricated false memories of serious abuse. This is dangerous because, if the client believes them, they could very well accuse loved ones of being criminals. There are many documented cases of this "False Memory Syndrome" and now I know where many of them came from.

Let me show you how this is done with this simple exercise.

1. Close your eyes and imagine there is a small blue elephant in the corner of the room.

2. He's got something on his head, what is it? What colour is it?

3. Now open your eyes and understand hypnoanalytical logic: because you could imagine the elephant clearly it must have happened. It's that simple. Now imagine you were being abused...can you make it seem real? Even though you know it never happened?.

I know the memories of abuse uncovered in this case were false and irrelevant (the mind will imagine the most unsavoury of things). In fact two hypnoanalysts used the same technique to bring up two quite separate false memories which they both claimed were root cause of my anxiety and low self-esteem. By their own admittance there can't be two separate and different root causes. Of course again they were speaking rubbish.

Lots of people are conned in hypnoanalysis but few people complain, ask for a refund, or write about it online. Why? I'll tell you why...anxiety sufferers are generally nervous and socially aware and don't like looking bad. This type of therapy is cruel and degrading and tends to leave the subject feeling dejected and invaded. Few people want to speak out about such an unpleasant experience that has cost so much for such little reward.

del.icio.us Tags: hypnoanalysis,hypnotherapy,anxiety,depression,ocd,panic,scam,con,false memory,syndrome,does it work,regression,trauma,childhood,release emotion

Anxiety Treatment - Testimonials, can you trust them?

2008-07-26T15:19:00.001-07:00

Look anywhere on the Internet for information on mental health or anxiety and you will find people telling you that what they think is best. More often than not there is some kind of financial advantage waiting for them if you follow their philosophy - it could be by buying their ebook or visiting them for treatment. The question is, how on earth do you know if what they are saying is true - can they really help your anxiety?

Most people who suffer from things like anxiety and low self esteem have a habit of thinking negatively. They would tend to look for reasons why treatment won't work, rather than look for reasons why it might. Add to this the fact that many of the treatments on offer for anxiety have not been ratified by proper scientific study and you have recipe for skepticism.

There is one important tool in the armoury of marketing and information: the testimonial.

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here.

Testimonials try to circumvent the problem of statistical proof by providing empirical evidence, that is to say word of mouth endorsements. There is no substitute for rigorous statistical analysis and scientific study but empirical evidence does have its uses. For one they allow you to hear what someone who has experienced the treatment has to say about it. There are possible drawbacks, such as the fact that no one publishes negative feedback about what they are trying to sell. There used to be a site called remedyfind.com that allowed users to rate therapies and drugs. Of course it wasn't 100% scam-proof but it did give some fairly interesting information. It's major drawback was arguably the fact that people don't normally go on the Internet to talk about success unless they are making money from it! People with really effective anxiety cures get on with their lives.

I think testimonials on websites are worth reading, but be careful! I found some cases where remarkably similar or even identical testimonials are used by more than one site! Some organisations, like the IAPH, have created ways to certify testimonials as authentic. I think this is a good thing.

Ultimately, any anxiety cure worth it's salt will stand up to statistical analysis in the long run.

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety,low self-esteem,testimonials,treatment,cure

What Hypnoanalysts Believe about Anxiety, Panic, Depression and Low Self-Confidence.

2008-07-15T10:37:00.001-07:00

UPDATE 21-10-08 Please reas this post in conjunction with this post: Hypnoanalysis.

As I have said elsewhere, looking for a solution - dare we say Cure - for anxiety and other mental health problems through regression is controversial. At the moment, hypnoanalysis (also called pure hypnosis) is at the cutting edge of addressing anxiety, panic, depression etc through releasing emotion attached to past trauma, especially in terms of guilt and shame. Let's look at the treatment of these anxiety and self esteem conditions through the eyes of a hypnoanalyst.

They believe that anxiety, depression and other common mental health (and many physical) problems arise from trauma that occurred in very early childhood. They believe that the trauma is ring-fenced off in a part of the brain where they are probably unconscious but sort of seep out - poisoning the rest of life by supposedly protecting us from perceived threats or causing low self-esteem and low self-worth.

More Info on Overcoming Anxiety - click here.

Through the process of hypnoanalysis we are able to use free association to link memories and move back on a paper trail through our memory banks. The mind is not guided in this, it is allowed to free associate between memories and thoughts old and new. Some of the memories might be from very early childhood, others from school and even some from adulthood - nothing is "wrong". Eventually, the trail will lead back into that ring-fenced area, where all the anxiety and depression come from. When a memory in that area is remembered and to an extent re-experienced it is like lancing a boil. The trapped emotion is released, it is a massive relief and all symptoms of anxiety and depression and whatever else was bothering the client is cleared up. This is normally achieved in about six to twelve sessions.

Hypnoanalysis for anxiety.

Anxiety and Hypnoanalysis.

del.icio.us Tags: hypnoanalysis,anxiety,depression,low,self esteem,self worth,guilt,shame,cure,panic attacks

Phobia Treatments - Desensitization

2008-07-10T07:29:00.001-07:00

Phobias are treated in many different ways. Some people favour a Flooding technique where someone is subjected to what they are phobic of until their symptoms subside and they learn, the hard way, that there is no danger and therefore nothing to be afraid of. Another popular treatment is desensitization, either with or without a Cognitive element (where faulty negative thinking is challenged).

Of course the alternative healthcare brigade come out in force for phobia treatments, with everything from EFT to Zero Balancing being touted as a instantaneous miracle cure.

Desensitization is the most common approach however, so let's examine it in more detail. The theory goes that for some reason (and in desensitization the reason for the initial fear, the cause of the phobia, is not considered at all important or relevant) a fear response has become attached to an object or situation. They theory states that if the subject can be persuaded to confront that situation and accept that there is no danger then they will remove that fear response, and no longer have the phobia.

The good news is that it does work well for lots of people, especially those with non-complex phobias, ie phobias of specific things like spiders or colours or types of weather. The bad news is that it doesn't treat any hidden causes or deal very well with secondary gain - so people with more complex phobias, like agoraphobia, may find that it causes their condition to change rather than improve - perhaps they will get back some of their mobility but not actually get over their anxiety disorder which has its roots in negative self image or trapped emotion. I should point out that many modern psychologists don't believe in repressed emotion as causes for anxiety or phobias and see exposure with cognitive therapy as the only worthwhile treatment for phobias and anxiety disorders.

The problem is, some people have phobias eve thought they never had a bad experience which attached a negative feeling to the situation. For example there are people who have never had trouble flying, but suddenly develop intense fear before a flight out of the blue. One wonders if this could be a case of someone attaching a negative experience from the past to a current event. If this is the case then that would seem to lend credence to the belief that we need to deal in some way with negativity from the past.

del.icio.us Tags: desensitization,anxiety,phobias,treatment,exposure,cbt

Massage for anxiety and stress relief

2008-07-05T10:06:00.001-07:00

Is massage therapy any good for anxiety? Massages have been around for years. It is one of those treatments that like acupuncture can be traced back through the ages. In fact it is probably even older than acupuncture - after all to place your hands on some part of your own or someone else's body that is in pain or trauma is one of the most natural thing. Research on the therapeutic efficacy of massage is fairly thin on the ground. Of course practitioners swear by it and certainly so do some clients. There is no doubt that it can be helpful for muscular injuries, but is it any good for anxiety, stress or any other mental health problem?

The answer is that temporarily speaking it probably is of some use. Research has found that the touch of another human being is calming and so in times of stress and anxiety this is likely to be helpful. And of course feeling a hand on your back, especially when it belongs to someone who cares about you, is bound to make the horror of a panic attack feel less bleak.

But what about long term? Is there any curative effects of massage vis a vis anxiety disorders? I personally was certainly once promised a cure by an ayurvedic expert. Of course it didn't work at all and no doubt the therapist went on to promise the next unsuspecting client the same miracle. In truth there is no scientific or psychological reason why massage should provide any long term solutions. I would be inclined to look at it as a topical, symptomatic treatment that might make you feel temporarily better. It doesn't help with any faulty thinking or core issues and is unlikely to bring about any lasting biochemical changes in the brain that might reduce anxiety, such as Serotonin or Dopamine stabilisation. That said, as short term treatments go it is much better than self-medicating alcohol or drugs!

Don't expect miracles from massage, and don't believe therapists that promise too much unless they can back it up with peer reviewed research or allow you to speak to a client they have helped.

del.icio.us Tags: massage,anxiety,stress,cure panic attacks,avurvedic,efficacy

The Power of the Subconscious - Anxiety

2008-06-29T04:51:00.001-07:00

Hi! Just a quick post because I came across something that might be useful for anxiety. The other day I was browsing in a bookshop and I came across a book called The Power of Your Subconscious Mind: One of the Most Powerful Self-help Guides Ever Written! by Joseph Murphy (also available in the USA - click here). Like many self-help books it promises the world, almost literally. It is not specifically aimed at anxiety sufferers, more at people who are unfulfilled and unhappy. I was intrigued, as I am interested in how we manifest our life and how what we believe and what we are conscious of effects our reality. And also of how what we are unconscious of is reflected on those around us. I have heard it said that we can achieve what we want by focusing on it.

I didn't buy this book, because I have kind of vowed never to buy another self-help book again. If they are worth their salt they are probably available in the library anyway.

As luck would have it, I googled around the idea of the power of the subconscious and found a site where, presumably legally, they are giving away the same Joseph Murphy book as a free download. The site is livethepower.com, and you do need to register before they email it to you. But still, it's probably worth it if you want to save some cash - and as i say, it's presumably a legal download!

Is this book any good for people with anxiety and phobias? Well, I must admit that I haven't read it yet...but getting more of what those people who "seem to have it all" get is probably a good thing. And maybe the book will work for that!

Anyway, it's free!

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety,subconscious,power,mind,joseph murphy,ebook

Relationship Anxiety

2008-06-27T16:59:00.001-07:00

I recently received a comment on a blog which I think needs to be dealt with in some detail. The comment was on a blog post from some time ago which dealt with the effects of anxiety on sexual health, intimacy and impotence (especially performance anxiety). You can read the full post and the comments, entitled Anxiety, impotence, Male Sexual Health and Performance by following this link.

The comment I am referring to is the sixth one from the top. To summarise: a relationship has developed in which a man is pushing his partner away in terms of intimacy, saying that he "can't give love" and worried about "the loss of freedom" that a relationship brings with it.

These problems, it seems, are not that uncommon. What's more they are common amongst people who suffer from anxiety and depression and also common amongst people who are unhappy in life even if they aren't really aware of their emotional situation. I would argue that this goes far beyond sexual performance anxiety, it is far more complex than that. A man may well feel unable to perform or unconfident in bed as part of an anxiety disorder, but this seems to be about a fear of relationships, not a fear of impotence.

Why would someone fear a relationship? Especially someone who has issues involving anxiety and/or depression? Well, the reasons could be many-fold, but the truth of the matter is that there are many many people out there that can not handle the idea of committing to a serious relationship. Of course there are those free spirits who want to play around and not settle down, but this is a different thing; such people seldom shy away from intimacy, instead they seek it and then move on with no pretence of relationship longevity.

What I am talking about more is people who get stuck in anxious ambivalence. Wanting a relationship but not thinking they can cope with it. More often than not this is likely have its roots in past relationships both romantic and familiar. It has been mooted that people whose parents got divorced and who felt neglected can go on to have great difficulty committing to a relationship. Likewise those who have been treated badly by a previous partner can have equal difficulty. It is not that surprising that people with a history of anxiety and depression can have difficulty forming attachments and committing for various reasons.

Firstly, they are people who are likely to have been hurt. Anxiety and depression are almost synonymous with low self-esteem, low self-worth and negativity. They are also conditions that make it hard to meet people and that tend to put off potential partners. This then contributes to a feeling of great loss when relationships fail. Also, people with anxiety and depression might have attachment issues, making breaking up that much harder. Either consciously or unconsciously that person might well seek to defend themselves by not committing to a relationship, refusing intimacy, pushing a partner away or being ambivalent, emotional distant and detached.

So what can you do if you or your (potential) partner is in this bind? The answer is to tread very carefully and to be as open and honest about feelings as possible. Some people may need to discuss past events with a trained professional, some people might benefit from relationship counselling. What a lot of people might need is space and time, especially if their relationship anxiety is based on bad adult relationships.

The first goal is for the person to recognise they have a problem, from that point onwards relationship normality and satisfying intimacy or completely achievable.

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety,impotence,sexual health,intimacy,relationship anxiety,depression

Update to Anxiety 2 Calm Free Programme - Root Cause

2008-06-22T11:32:00.001-07:00

Hi!

After years of procrastination I am finally sorting out the free programme that I mean to put online ages ago, and has been partially online since summer 2006! I am so lazy and I am sorry.

Anyway, today I uploaded the first of the new pages which will suggest exercises to do. This page is all about exercises and advice for discovering root causes of anxiety.

Some people believe that finding the cause of anxiety and releasing any emotion attached to the original trigger event is the only way of truly recovering or curing yourself of anxiety. Other people, most notably current psychological opinion, suggests that finding the root causes is not necessarily helpful at all. The argument will run and run.

If you think you might have a past cause of anxiety to deal with, it's better to start now than wait for science to come to some kind of consensus!

For the main page of the Free Anxiety Programme - Click Here!

del.icio.us Tags: anxiety,root cause,free programme,anxiety 2 calm

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2007-06-18T00:00:00-07:00

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2007-02-13T00:00:00-08:00

Anxiety 2 Calm

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2007-02-12T00:00:00-08:00

Anxiety 2 Calm - Sleep Technique
Good relaxation technique for insomnia

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2007-02-10T00:00:00-08:00

Musafir's Musings: Iraq - The Human Costs of Their Lies
good iraq musings

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2007-01-31T00:00:00-08:00

Anxiety 2 Calm
Celexa and weight gain

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2007-01-30T00:00:00-08:00

Anxiety 2 Calm
GSK Paxil Scandal

Anxiety 2 Calm

Support Anxiety UK

Anxiety, Acupuncture and New Evidence

Stillness - Meditation and Anxiety

Life is very strange - a cause of anxiety?

Existential Anxiety - Links

Winter / Christmas not the worst time for depression

Venlafaxine and Mirtazapine and Weight Gain

Also Read:

Existential Anxiety - more

A healthy lifestyle and anxiety

Free-Floating Anxiety and a good relaxation technique.

Celexa - more anxiety info

Related Articles

Feelings of Unreality - more

Health Anxiety

Anxiety and Diet

Depersonalisation Disorder and useless terminology

Anxiety Motivation and Planning

Anxiety and Rational Thought

Links for 2008-10-16 [del.icio.us]

Hypnoanalysis for anxiety - Scam

Related Articles

Anxiety Treatment - Testimonials, can you trust them?

What Hypnoanalysts Believe about Anxiety, Panic, Depression and Low Self-Confidence.

Phobia Treatments - Desensitization

Massage for anxiety and stress relief

The Power of the Subconscious - Anxiety

Relationship Anxiety

Update to Anxiety 2 Calm Free Programme - Root Cause

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