get the symptoms but no idea why, no stress needed to cause

[Graham999_5]

Hiya, I've been having probs with anxiety attacks for bout 15 years now, i have tried visiting the doctor but that enevitably goes down the tried and tested route of seeing a conscellor who is getting paid a lot but not doing anything. I was worse while i was going through a divorce, but i litterally have not a care in the world now, and i still get the symptoms, pain in my head, the feeling like my brain is like a clenched fist and hurting from over use, impaired vision, sleepless nights, fear of public speaking, raised pulse rate, and tiredness. I have no idea how to stop all this and im not sure anyone else does but i do think its not that uncommon. I'm willing to try almost anything but i am not attracted to a fast $60 cure that is infallible on the net cos there's too much of that, anyone got any suggestions please, i'm fed up with it !
Graham

[rissa223]

Hi,

Well, all I can tell you is that many people don't have symptoms until things are calmer. It's like if you're busy, you're distracted from it. I tend to have anxiety all of the time. The meds do help. I take prozac everyday and 1/2 (.5mg) of ativan at night to help me sleep. I'm constantly thinking with racing thoughts and have heart palpitations with no real reason why. Like I said, the meds help. I go off ocassionally but always go back to them when the anxiety comes back. I suggest you seek out a professoinal. Rissa

[Robbed]

Hiya, I've been having probs with anxiety attacks for bout 15 years now, i have tried visiting the doctor but that enevitably goes down the tried and tested route of seeing a conscellor who is getting paid a lot but not doing anything. I was worse while i was going through a divorce, but i litterally have not a care in the world now, and i still get the symptoms, pain in my head, the feeling like my brain is like a clenched fist and hurting from over use, impaired vision, sleepless nights, fear of public speaking, raised pulse rate, and tiredness. I have no idea how to stop all this and im not sure anyone else does but i do think its not that uncommon. I'm willing to try almost anything but i am not attracted to a fast $60 cure that is infallible on the net cos there's too much of that, anyone got any suggestions please, i'm fed up with it !
Graham

You just can't say that you don't have a care in the world. Because this is not true. You have an anxiety problem. And THIS is a MAJOR stressor for you. Chances are your anxiety problem was caused by some stress 15 years ago that is long past. But worry about your condition, its future course, and the consequences it could have in your life are playing a MAJOR part in the maintenance of your condition. This is precisely the thing that most therapists just won't talk about - most would rather try to dig deep to try to find out what kinds of problems or childhood traumas are causing you this anxiety problem. But chances are it is just fear of fear at this point in time.

So what to do? Try your best to accept your anxiety symptoms and not react to them with second fear. I know, this can be quite hard at times. Also, keep in mind that you are not going to get better fast. This is going to take some time - several months at the VERY LEAST, provided you stick to a good treatment plan. So don't add second fear because you are not getting better fast enough.

If you cannot find a therapist who can properly treat you (and even if yu can), I recommend that you look into some good self-help material. The books by Claire Weekes are most helpful. And you might check out anxietycentre.com for a web-based self-hep program.

[Hullabaloo]

With many forms of anxiety there can be a causal event earlier in your life which triggers the first anxiety attack. The mind can then generalise this out over time, which worsens the condition. A person becomes increasingly self conscious of the uncomfortable feelings, and the expectation of the experience becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I suspect if you saw a competent therapist, using a combination of Time Line Therapy, Hypnosis, and NLP, this would be an excellent start for you to begin to break your pattern - this can take less time than one might expect. I wish you success. Be careful who you choose if you go down the hypnosis/NLP route - pick someone who belongs to a good professional, non-profit, organisation like the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH).

I wouldn't however completely rule out some of the stuff that's available on The Web. Though, it sounds as though going for 1:1 therapy sessions might be best for you, Graham.

I wish you success