If you are experiencing a
life threatening emergency, .................................................................. |
::
COMMUNITY RESOURCES ::
Abuse There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. — Shakespeare |
|
ARTICLE
#2: The
Three Errors of Anxiety Disorder Thinking ............................................................................................................................................................ :: ERRORS IN THINKING The psychological components of anxiety conditions are generated out of beliefs about how we should handle arousal and solve problems. People with serious anxiety troubles tend to make 3 errors in thinking, all related to their strong common tendency to worry. They use it as a strategy to be sure of their decisions and to increase their comfort. We all like to worry -- we believe it provides us drive, motivates us to prioritize our tasks, get them done. We use it to kick-start the problem-solving process. During stressful times -- our steady income seems threatened, an unfamiliar physical symptom is persisting, a son begins driving, a daughter begins dating -- most of us worry a little too much. The situations are common. Worry becomes our talisman to ward off discomfort. Somehow we forget that mistakes have always been an essential part of our learning process. Instead, because we feel threatened, we worry to make certain we don’t commit any errors in judgment. The first mistake people with anxiety disorders make is to exaggerate this worry. They mentally and physically brace for the worst possible problems or symptoms. They use worry to anticipate troubles and be ready for them. Second, they hold back from acting until they can be certain about the outcome of their decisions, and often avoid action entirely rather than risk a mistake. The third mistake they make in response to the trauma of their anxiety is to manipulate their world in service of physical and emotional comfort. :: ATTEMPTED SOLUTIONS THAT CAUSE PROBLEMS Many people with anxiety disorders want to stay physically and mentally on top of things, avoid getting tense, and keep their minds off distressing thoughts. They believe that losing control of their feelings or circumstances can come quickly and easily, so it is best to stop any losses as early as possible. That erroneous thought is a powerful motivator. But to avoid symptom-arousing situations, they have to imagine themselves having trouble to know how to avoid it! And, they want to stop the uncomfortable symptoms as soon as they arise. If their heart starts racing and their head gets woozy, they fight to get rid of those discomforts as fast as they can. These goals make perfectly good sense given the crippling anxiety people have experienced. Except that these moves increase the problems that they are designed to prevent. When we resist the physical symptoms of anxiety, we ensure that anxiety will continue. Anytime we generate a fearful thought like, "I better not get anxious here", we essentially say, "Uh, oh" in the cortex. The cortex sends that "uh, oh" message to the hypothalamus, who signals the adrenal glands sitting on top of the kidneys. The adrenals secrete that muscle-tensing, heart-racing epinephrine through the body, the brain matches it, and we become more anxious. From "uh, oh" to anxiety takes less than a tenth of a second. :: INTERRUPTING THE PATTERN My goal is to persuade clients to go out into the world and look for opportunities to get anxious. Learning the skills of relaxation can be a great asset to recovery. But in training to win over anxiety, it is counter-productive to try to stay relaxed. It is best to seek out discomfort, and then take care of yourself. This is one of the biggest early struggles for clients in treatment: to honestly take the stance of wanting to face the symptoms. :: THE THREE PRINCIPLES For panic: try to get out-of-control physically and mentally; relax your guard; and encourage any symptoms that show up. For OCD: ignore the content of the worry; seek out uncertainty; get distressed on purpose, and stay that way. For social anxiety: perform poorly; experience others’ disapproval; embrace your inadequate self. :: RESISTING & ACCEPTANCE To prevail over anxiety, here is one of the central confrontations to our instinctual responses: let emotional and physical arousal come forward, without resistance. Our job is not to think our way out of anxiety. It is to learn to tolerate the symptoms, to be able to say, and mean, “It’s OK that I’m anxious right now.” We reverse a common American catchphrase by saying, in the face of anxiety, “Don’t just do something, stand there!” When enough epinephrine pumps through the body, the brain will yell, “Run!” Consciously overriding this impulsive message takes great courage, but pays great dividends. It differs from desensitization, where we help to gradually approach the feared situation under relaxed conditions. Here we confront the instinct to seek out comfort and encourage them to remain physically anxious and mentally as calm as possible. [ View Full Article ] ............................................................................................................................................................ :: ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Wilson specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders. He is author of Don't Panic: Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks, Stop Obsessing! How to Overcome Your Obsessions and Compulsions, and Achieving Comfortable Flight. He designed and served as lead psychologist for American Airlines' first national program for the fearful flier. R. Reid Wilson, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist who directs the Anxiety Disorders Treatment Program in North Carolina, and a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He served on the Board of Directors of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America for twelve years, and served as Program Chair of the National Conferences on Anxiety Disorders. |
© Kreativ Minds 2006. All Rights Reserved.
