Can someone help me deal with Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia?!
Question: Can someone help me deal with Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia!?
Well I've been dealing with Panic Attacks, and Agoraphobia for many years now!. Right now I seem to be in a rut where my anxiety is causing me to avoid more and more things!. It's interfearing with my my relationships with my wife, my step daughter and especially my in-laws!. It seems like more and more things are causing generalized anxiety and Panic in the extreme cases!. Sometimes I even worry about getting house bound again!. What can i do to stop avoiding!? What can I do to build up courage to face the fear and discomfort the anxiety symptoms bring!? I don't want to loose everything in my life, but if I can't get a handle on this again I'm scared that I might!. Can somebody who's been here recommend a support group, or site or anything else that might be helpful!?
Thanks in advance!.
Oh and before anyone asks, yes I am getting therapy and I am on Paxil and Xanax!. Www@Answer-Health@Com
Thanks in advance!.
Oh and before anyone asks, yes I am getting therapy and I am on Paxil and Xanax!. Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
Agoraphobia often results from having had a panic attack in a public place, associating such places with panic, and wanting to avoid having another attack, away from a place where you can get immediate help, or where you feel safe, which is usually at home!. The idea is to learn, and become proficient in the techniques for coping with panic, then, little by little, and with support from a friend, family member, or therapist, (at first) start going out again, confident in the knowledge that you can cope with any attack!. Section 27 on phobia, at ezy build, below, refers!.
PANIC ATTACKS: View the techniques for control of anxiety/panic attacks, in section 8, at ezy build, below!. Begin, on this first occasion, only, by holding your breath for 5, or 10 seconds: this will give you the confidence to realise that YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR BREATHING, but not pass out, or die (your autonomic nervous system resumes breathing, if you become unconscious)!.
Advice from a published psychiatrist on controlled breathing!. (1!.) Get a clock, or watch with a second timer!. (2!.) Practise for 5 minutes, 4 times daily, until proficient!. (3!.) Take a small breath in, and hold it, for 6 seconds!. (4!.) Think to yourself: "RELAX", just before breathing out!. (5!.) Try to feel a sense of releasing tension, as you breathe out!. (6!.) Breathe in for 3 seconds, then out, for 3 seconds!. Try to make your breathing very smooth, and light, as you breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth, or nose!. (7!.) For the next minute, continue to breathe in, and out, every 3 seconds!. (8!.) Go back to step 3, at the end of the minute, and proceed through to step 7, doing this for 5 minutes!. Use this at the very first sign of a panic attack starting, or any time you feel anxious, or tense!.
Understand panic attacks, and what triggers them, in your life (if it is unresolved anxiety, or stress, see sections 6, [page N first] or 42, [page i first] respectively)!. The paper bag method also works for most people, but is not suited to all circumstances, such as driving, or playing sport!.
Another alternative is psychotherapy, to address its fundamental cause: read section 1, and examine the http://1-800-therapist!.com/ & http://www!.metanoia!.org/choose/ websites, and use the locators to find a therapist, (and/or phone book, but only if necessary)!. I used to suffer from panic attacks, until I questioned what had changed in my life, at, or just before that time, to trigger them!. For some people, this is enough!. These days, I have instilled the habit of, whenever a situation occurs where panic is likely, I visualise a large, flashing, red "STOP!" sign, as vividly as possible, followed by repeating to myself: "stay calm" in my mind!. You could try the same method!. It usually takes 30 - 40 repetitions, for most people, to establish a new habit!. I also suggest that you learn, then practise the controlled breathing technique, until competent, then employ it, at the very first sign of a panic attack!.
Practice one of the relaxation methods on pages 2, 11, 2c, or 2i, daily, and when needed!. Also, give the EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you!. There is also a version for use in public places, (if you like, you can claim to have a headache, as you massage/lightly tap your temples, but you would then be restricted to subvocalising: saying it to yourself in your mind)!. Section 53, and pages 2, 2!.q and 2!.o at http://www!.ezy-build!.net!.nz/~shaneris also refer: "Even though I sometimes suffer from panic attacks, I deeply and completely accept myself!." Note: the controlled breathing only helps with the symptoms (as do medications/herbal remedies): you need to address the underlying cause, and this requires some form of therapy, and Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy has been shown to be effective!.
Because many people can't access/afford professional therapy, I include the EFT, and EMDR variant for them to try, free of charge!. Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy is generally available in most areas, but EMDR (see section 33) may well be worth trying, and is becoming more widespread!.
A variant of Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing therapy, which has been used successfully for those people suffering from anxiety: it is easily learned, quick to use, yet can be very effective, is on page N, of section 6, and I use it before the relaxation techniques, because I have found that it makes them quicker to employ, and more effective!. If you are fairly suggestible, (40% of people are) you could also try the searchbar at: http://www!.hypnosisdownloads!.com/ "panic attacks"
Www@Answer-Health@Com
PANIC ATTACKS: View the techniques for control of anxiety/panic attacks, in section 8, at ezy build, below!. Begin, on this first occasion, only, by holding your breath for 5, or 10 seconds: this will give you the confidence to realise that YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR BREATHING, but not pass out, or die (your autonomic nervous system resumes breathing, if you become unconscious)!.
Advice from a published psychiatrist on controlled breathing!. (1!.) Get a clock, or watch with a second timer!. (2!.) Practise for 5 minutes, 4 times daily, until proficient!. (3!.) Take a small breath in, and hold it, for 6 seconds!. (4!.) Think to yourself: "RELAX", just before breathing out!. (5!.) Try to feel a sense of releasing tension, as you breathe out!. (6!.) Breathe in for 3 seconds, then out, for 3 seconds!. Try to make your breathing very smooth, and light, as you breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth, or nose!. (7!.) For the next minute, continue to breathe in, and out, every 3 seconds!. (8!.) Go back to step 3, at the end of the minute, and proceed through to step 7, doing this for 5 minutes!. Use this at the very first sign of a panic attack starting, or any time you feel anxious, or tense!.
Understand panic attacks, and what triggers them, in your life (if it is unresolved anxiety, or stress, see sections 6, [page N first] or 42, [page i first] respectively)!. The paper bag method also works for most people, but is not suited to all circumstances, such as driving, or playing sport!.
Another alternative is psychotherapy, to address its fundamental cause: read section 1, and examine the http://1-800-therapist!.com/ & http://www!.metanoia!.org/choose/ websites, and use the locators to find a therapist, (and/or phone book, but only if necessary)!. I used to suffer from panic attacks, until I questioned what had changed in my life, at, or just before that time, to trigger them!. For some people, this is enough!. These days, I have instilled the habit of, whenever a situation occurs where panic is likely, I visualise a large, flashing, red "STOP!" sign, as vividly as possible, followed by repeating to myself: "stay calm" in my mind!. You could try the same method!. It usually takes 30 - 40 repetitions, for most people, to establish a new habit!. I also suggest that you learn, then practise the controlled breathing technique, until competent, then employ it, at the very first sign of a panic attack!.
Practice one of the relaxation methods on pages 2, 11, 2c, or 2i, daily, and when needed!. Also, give the EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you!. There is also a version for use in public places, (if you like, you can claim to have a headache, as you massage/lightly tap your temples, but you would then be restricted to subvocalising: saying it to yourself in your mind)!. Section 53, and pages 2, 2!.q and 2!.o at http://www!.ezy-build!.net!.nz/~shaneris also refer: "Even though I sometimes suffer from panic attacks, I deeply and completely accept myself!." Note: the controlled breathing only helps with the symptoms (as do medications/herbal remedies): you need to address the underlying cause, and this requires some form of therapy, and Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy has been shown to be effective!.
Because many people can't access/afford professional therapy, I include the EFT, and EMDR variant for them to try, free of charge!. Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy is generally available in most areas, but EMDR (see section 33) may well be worth trying, and is becoming more widespread!.
A variant of Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing therapy, which has been used successfully for those people suffering from anxiety: it is easily learned, quick to use, yet can be very effective, is on page N, of section 6, and I use it before the relaxation techniques, because I have found that it makes them quicker to employ, and more effective!. If you are fairly suggestible, (40% of people are) you could also try the searchbar at: http://www!.hypnosisdownloads!.com/ "panic attacks"
Www@Answer-Health@Com
I would do something challenging,this will get your act together to build confidence!.Drugs might help but,you do have what it takes to get out of this,it comes from within!.You have to learn confidence!.
So get out there!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
So get out there!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I have a friend that has had anxiety attacks for 15 years!. If you would like to know how he has dealt with it here is his email worldearthzone@aol!.comWww@Answer-Health@Com
I want to word this in a way that you might find helpful and not simplistic or ignorant of the complexity of your problem!. So here's simply my story and experience: I have not been diagnosed with a panic disorder or agoraphobia, but I relate to those feelings!.
I have found that added sugar and sweeteners have almost a sandpaper effect on my nervous system!. Over the last seven years, I have been tweaking the way that I eat to address several other physical problems!. Inadvertently, I found that I felt the best when I was following what is closest to the extreme sounding "macrobiotic" way of eating!.
I am a woman, and I used to think that crying everyday was normal!. Seriously!. It wasn't always nervous crying, but often it came with feeling overwhelmed!. I started eating in a macrobiotic way to help recover from some major surgeries!. However, now when I add a bowl of cereal with my breakfast, like even Cheerios, which has sugar as the third ingredient, it takes about two weeks of this for my body to react and I find myself feeling overwhelmed and suddenly crying often again!. When I return to a strict macrobiotic way of eating, the negative overwhelming feelings and unexplained crying discontinue!.
I am not familiar with other stories of panic and agoraphobia being addressed through macrobiotics, but I really think that it has a good possibility of helping you in some way, especially if you are also getting therapy and medication!. There is a really inspiring story http://www!.megwolff!.com/
which tells of a terminal case of cancer disappearing!. Mental issues sometimes do not always get identified as the physical issues that they are, but I believe Ms!. Wolff's story demonstrates possibility!. I hope that you will try Macrobiotics for 8 weeks and see what happens!. It is an adjustment, and investment, but I really think that it may be an option worth exploring!.
Blessings to you on your healing journey!. I am encouraged that you are seeking out your options and I believe there is one out there for you that will help with your therapy and medications!.
Peace!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I have found that added sugar and sweeteners have almost a sandpaper effect on my nervous system!. Over the last seven years, I have been tweaking the way that I eat to address several other physical problems!. Inadvertently, I found that I felt the best when I was following what is closest to the extreme sounding "macrobiotic" way of eating!.
I am a woman, and I used to think that crying everyday was normal!. Seriously!. It wasn't always nervous crying, but often it came with feeling overwhelmed!. I started eating in a macrobiotic way to help recover from some major surgeries!. However, now when I add a bowl of cereal with my breakfast, like even Cheerios, which has sugar as the third ingredient, it takes about two weeks of this for my body to react and I find myself feeling overwhelmed and suddenly crying often again!. When I return to a strict macrobiotic way of eating, the negative overwhelming feelings and unexplained crying discontinue!.
I am not familiar with other stories of panic and agoraphobia being addressed through macrobiotics, but I really think that it has a good possibility of helping you in some way, especially if you are also getting therapy and medication!. There is a really inspiring story http://www!.megwolff!.com/
which tells of a terminal case of cancer disappearing!. Mental issues sometimes do not always get identified as the physical issues that they are, but I believe Ms!. Wolff's story demonstrates possibility!. I hope that you will try Macrobiotics for 8 weeks and see what happens!. It is an adjustment, and investment, but I really think that it may be an option worth exploring!.
Blessings to you on your healing journey!. I am encouraged that you are seeking out your options and I believe there is one out there for you that will help with your therapy and medications!.
Peace!.Www@Answer-Health@Com