|
>One is to simply allow it to happen or even try to make the panic worse. Paradoxically, that has been shown to ease the panic attack. Nope. Not working for me. Though, I might have stronger fight-or-flight reaction than other people.
For example, I can't watch beheadings(but I could do them by myself and I am very sure about that). If I force myself to continue watching, then my mind just shuts my brain off and I lose consciousness. Similarly I can't watch needle, when nurse is injecting it into my vein. When I am not watching and have my attention fixed on something else - I feel perfectly fine, and even can make myself not to notice anything. So, MBSR and ACT is completely shite to me and I would be really pissed off if someone would have suggested that I should try them. I think, that johnsmith4739, who mentioned techniques has a point, that this article is basically a crap and has no medical value whatsoever. I think, I start to realize, what op is meaning by ego-depletion technique, as this is exactly what makes me anxious, when everything becomes unreal and where I lose control - that is the thing that makes me most anxious. So, somehow NOTHING that you have written is making sense to me in dealing with my anxiety. Do you actually have some medical background, or have read too much and are here to prove your "expertise" based on what you have read? Which is wrong place to do. EDIT:
I had not received any help from doctors on my anxiety issues - most of the issues I was complaining about are now gone and I do not need help in dealing with my other anxiety issues - because "fixing" them(with medications?) will rob me of other things, that I enjoy and where anxiety is just part of how my brain works.
I have noticed, that I get really anxious if I am not in control. If I am in control - I feel perfectly fine - in fact I feel more than perfectly fine in such circumstances, where I am in control of everything that affects me and understanding about this relation has come after trying to deal and failing with all the offered techniques. So, I've wasted my time on experiments and failed, so it is time for me to draw the line, cut losses and decide on what is working and I am irritated on touching anything again, that I've tried and that had no effect on me. |
That said; while I don’t have a problem with needles I have had issues with getting my blood drawn before my annual physical. I would come quite close to losing consciousness each time. I asked my therapist about this because I too thought it was related to panic and anxiety and he explained that it is actually a different physiological response. Seeing people’s blood—especially our own—was usually a bad thing before modern medicine. What I did to resolve it was to watch videos of blood draws every day for about 1-2 weeks prior to getting my own blood drawn. That worked surprisingly well. I no longer have to ask them let me lie down during the procedure. Even still, I don’t watch them do it to me and that’s fine. I don’t need to.
As to beheadings... I don’t really see how watching such content could reasonably be in accordance with ones values. In fact, losing consciousness seems like a perfectly valid response to such a thing and doesn’t really seem to me to be related to panic or anxiety. I think it is quantifiable proof that you are not a psychopath.
Look, you’re right; people like you and me, if we’re in control, we are fine. The older I get the more I realize just how much and how often I’m not in control. What ACT taught me was to be comfortable with that fact. To embrace it and even enjoy it.
I hope you can find peace, regardless of the modality. I only encourage you to not give up just yet on either mindfulness or evidence-based therapy.