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inneedofhelpplease
03-07-2014, 09:28 PM
/& I can't take it anymore. I'm having panic attacks, worrying about having a panic attack, anxiety, all day long everyday. I was good for a couple days but today I got an attack today. My palms got all clammy and a wave of "something bad is going to happen I need to go to the hospital" came over me. I took a 10mg propranolol. And I'm semi okay but I'm still worrying. I take wellbutrin. And Valium if I really need too. I've also been having pretty bad depression. I just feel like id rather not be alive. I don't like leaving the house I'm scared I'll have an attack. I need help

inneedofhelpplease
03-08-2014, 01:50 AM
....any help?!

petrified
03-08-2014, 02:02 AM
Hi I'm really sorry you are having such a tough time :-/
I have been where you are so really understand your feeling and worries.
Is there any way you can take a bigger dose of you propananolol? I'm prescribed 10mg doses but I can play around with them and 2 normally help me with an attack but I have took up to 4 when it's been really bad.
For the attacks all I can suggest is ride them out grab yourself some ice water sit yourself down and sip it! Doing this helps me refocus again.
Are you having any therapy to help with your anxiety/depression?

fortizboriqua
03-08-2014, 05:01 AM
I was diagnosed with panic disorder and agoraphobia in February of 2013. Believe it or not it took me 6 months to get a strangle hold on both illnesses. It was by far the hardest thing I had to go through in my entire life. I to thought about suicide twice, but I knew there was something to live for and that this was a super hard test. I knew deep down inside that I was not going to let this illness beat me. That I was once normal and I would be normal again. The first thing that you have to do is accept it. Accepting what you have is the beginning of the end for both illnesses. Life works as follows, when something goes terribly wrong you can either give into what your problem is and let it control you and bring you down or you can smile and try to enjoy life in the face of adversity. When you can smile at your worst the process of defeating both illnesses will slowly begin. The next thing I am going to tell you is the most important info that will take you over the top. The way to defeat panic disorder and agoraphobia is to LOSE FEAR of both illnesses. The only way both illnesses survive is by FEAR of the illnesses themselves. If you LOSE FEAR of the illnesses it will very slowly start to go away. For example, what do you do when severe anxiety and panic start to come on strong? At my worst I paid attention to it and FEARED it. I would literally focus on what I was feeling. And when you focus on what you are feeling with FEAR you fuel the illness. Panic and anxiety cannot survive without FEAR of what you are feeling. Believe me I know that the sensation of severe anxiety and panic is one of the worst sensations known to man. And I know I am making it sound easy but believe me it was not. I experienced many peaks and valleys before I started to get better. The way you lose FEAR is when the sensations start to come on you don't pay attention to it. At my worst I would get severe anxiety and when that anxiety came on I tried my hardest to ignore it. Whether it be watching tv or or cognitive exercises the most important thing is to ignore what you are feeling. In the beginning of losing FEAR I would get that anxiety that would last all day. When it would first hit I would try to ignore it no matter what, but as the day went on and the anxiety didn't go away I would give in a little. If you keep repeating this process it will slowly but surely start to go away. One of the things that I did to stop the panic from coming is I would immediately pray. Just by changing your focus to prayer immediately at the onset of panic will keep the panic at bay. I would always say a prayer like GOD please help GOD and Lord Jesus!! I need you!! Please help me God and lord Jesus. Just by doing that and shifting the focus away from the panic kept the panic at bay. Let's talk about heart palpitations and your heart. First of all your heart is the strongest muscle in your body and can endure twice the heart rate that you feel when you are having heart palpitations. So in other words heart palpitations will not kill you. Another thing about heart palpitations is sometimes what you feel is not what you think you feel. When you have panic disorder and anxiety your nervous system goes out of whack. And a lot of your bodily sensations get heightened. My hearing and certain sensations were over sensitive. So in other words sometimes what you feel is your actual heartbeat beating normal or not very much faster than normal. If you don't believe me then learn how to check your pulse and you will see for yourself. A normal heartbeat for an adult is 60-100 bpm and you will see that your heart will never go past 100 bpm. Checking your heartbeat is another way to divert your attention away from heart palpitations. Once you realize that you are not going to have a heart attack then you will find that it will be easier to ignore heart palpitations. And once again when you start to ignore them and LOSE THE FEAR it will slowly start to go away. Once I LOST THE FEAR of heart palpitations I would find myself smiling when it would hit. Another thing is I did not use medication as a crutch. I am the type of person that hates taking medication and the only time I took it is to try to sleep. I learned how to fight it without medication. I am not telling you not to take it I am just letting you know what I did. The way I defeated agoraphobia is I put myself in public places everyday. Once again it boils down to LOSING FEAR. What I found is at my worst I would catastrophyze before walking into a public place. I would walk into a store paying attention to the people instead of what I was there to do. Another thing I figured out was when people popped into my peripheral vision is when I would experience the panic. It wasn't the people I was looking directly at. I found that the longer I stayed in the store the easier it got until eventually it went away slowly. I hope this is helpful. If you ever have any questions or need advice you can call me at 408-460-6666. My name is Frank.

needtogetwell
03-08-2014, 06:03 AM
Hi there!

Yes, it is really miserable going through what you are. Many of us have been there and go back for a visit once in a while. BUT...those of us who live mostly free of this beast have one thing in common....we have all made the decision to be well and are determined no matter what to be free of it.

We read a lot,
we try new strategies we never would have thought of.
We are compassionate and focus on others rather than ourselves for the most part.

We don't wish it away....we work at it every minute, every day!

Again, welcome. Great people here, lots of info.

Baby steps will get you where you want to be!
Cheers
~Pam

BrookeLynnnn
03-08-2014, 11:13 AM
I was diagnosed with panic disorder and agoraphobia in February of 2013. Believe it or not it took me 6 months to get a strangle hold on both illnesses. It was by far the hardest thing I had to go through in my entire life. I to thought about suicide twice, but I knew there was something to live for and that this was a super hard test. I knew deep down inside that I was not going to let this illness beat me. That I was once normal and I would be normal again. The first thing that you have to do is accept it. Accepting what you have is the beginning of the end for both illnesses. Life works as follows, when something goes terribly wrong you can either give into what your problem is and let it control you and bring you down or you can smile and try to enjoy life in the face of adversity. When you can smile at your worst the process of defeating both illnesses will slowly begin. The next thing I am going to tell you is the most important info that will take you over the top. The way to defeat panic disorder and agoraphobia is to LOSE FEAR of both illnesses. The only way both illnesses survive is by FEAR of the illnesses themselves. If you LOSE FEAR of the illnesses it will very slowly start to go away. For example, what do you do when severe anxiety and panic start to come on strong? At my worst I paid attention to it and FEARED it. I would literally focus on what I was feeling. And when you focus on what you are feeling with FEAR you fuel the illness. Panic and anxiety cannot survive without FEAR of what you are feeling. Believe me I know that the sensation of severe anxiety and panic is one of the worst sensations known to man. And I know I am making it sound easy but believe me it was not. I experienced many peaks and valleys before I started to get better. The way you lose FEAR is when the sensations start to come on you don't pay attention to it. At my worst I would get severe anxiety and when that anxiety came on I tried my hardest to ignore it. Whether it be watching tv or or cognitive exercises the most important thing is to ignore what you are feeling. In the beginning of losing FEAR I would get that anxiety that would last all day. When it would first hit I would try to ignore it no matter what, but as the day went on and the anxiety didn't go away I would give in a little. If you keep repeating this process it will slowly but surely start to go away. One of the things that I did to stop the panic from coming is I would immediately pray. Just by changing your focus to prayer immediately at the onset of panic will keep the panic at bay. I would always say a prayer like GOD please help GOD and Lord Jesus!! I need you!! Please help me God and lord Jesus. Just by doing that and shifting the focus away from the panic kept the panic at bay. Let's talk about heart palpitations and your heart. First of all your heart is the strongest muscle in your body and can endure twice the heart rate that you feel when you are having heart palpitations. So in other words heart palpitations will not kill you. Another thing about heart palpitations is sometimes what you feel is not what you think you feel. When you have panic disorder and anxiety your nervous system goes out of whack. And a lot of your bodily sensations get heightened. My hearing and certain sensations were over sensitive. So in other words sometimes what you feel is your actual heartbeat beating normal or not very much faster than normal. If you don't believe me then learn how to check your pulse and you will see for yourself. A normal heartbeat for an adult is 60-100 bpm and you will see that your heart will never go past 100 bpm. Checking your heartbeat is another way to divert your attention away from heart palpitations. Once you realize that you are not going to have a heart attack then you will find that it will be easier to ignore heart palpitations. And once again when you start to ignore them and LOSE THE FEAR it will slowly start to go away. Once I LOST THE FEAR of heart palpitations I would find myself smiling when it would hit. Another thing is I did not use medication as a crutch. I am the type of person that hates taking medication and the only time I took it is to try to sleep. I learned how to fight it without medication. I am not telling you not to take it I am just letting you know what I did. The way I defeated agoraphobia is I put myself in public places everyday. Once again it boils down to LOSING FEAR. What I found is at my worst I would catastrophyze before walking into a public place. I would walk into a store paying attention to the people instead of what I was there to do. Another thing I figured out was when people popped into my peripheral vision is when I would experience the panic. It wasn't the people I was looking directly at. I found that the longer I stayed in the store the easier it got until eventually it went away slowly. I hope this is helpful. If you ever have any questions or need advice you can call me at 408-460-6666. My name is Frank.

Wow, what a great way to start my day reading this!! I just recently in the past couple weeks added agoraphobia to my GAD which I've had for about 2 years.. I chose the meds route for now.. But that's amazing you got through it without meds!!

BrookeLynnnn
03-08-2014, 11:18 AM
/& I can't take it anymore. I'm having panic attacks, worrying about having a panic attack, anxiety, all day long everyday. I was good for a couple days but today I got an attack today. My palms got all clammy and a wave of "something bad is going to happen I need to go to the hospital" came over me. I took a 10mg propranolol. And I'm semi okay but I'm still worrying. I take wellbutrin. And Valium if I really need too. I've also been having pretty bad depression. I just feel like id rather not be alive. I don't like leaving the house I'm scared I'll have an attack. I need help

I'm reading a book right & the section I'm reading is exposure therapy..

1. Stand on your front porch with the door open
2. Stand on your front porch with the door closed
3. Step off the porch
4. Walk halfway to mailbox & back
5. Walk to the mailbox & back

Try that & then slowly set other goals for yourself..

You'll get through it, just hang in there :)

Jgirl-73
03-08-2014, 11:33 AM
I was diagnosed with panic disorder and agoraphobia in February of 2013. Believe it or not it took me 6 months to get a strangle hold on both illnesses. It was by far the hardest thing I had to go through in my entire life. I to thought about suicide twice, but I knew there was something to live for and that this was a super hard test. I knew deep down inside that I was not going to let this illness beat me. That I was once normal and I would be normal again. The first thing that you have to do is accept it. Accepting what you have is the beginning of the end for both illnesses. Life works as follows, when something goes terribly wrong you can either give into what your problem is and let it control you and bring you down or you can smile and try to enjoy life in the face of adversity. When you can smile at your worst the process of defeating both illnesses will slowly begin. The next thing I am going to tell you is the most important info that will take you over the top. The way to defeat panic disorder and agoraphobia is to LOSE FEAR of both illnesses. The only way both illnesses survive is by FEAR of the illnesses themselves. If you LOSE FEAR of the illnesses it will very slowly start to go away. For example, what do you do when severe anxiety and panic start to come on strong? At my worst I paid attention to it and FEARED it. I would literally focus on what I was feeling. And when you focus on what you are feeling with FEAR you fuel the illness. Panic and anxiety cannot survive without FEAR of what you are feeling. Believe me I know that the sensation of severe anxiety and panic is one of the worst sensations known to man. And I know I am making it sound easy but believe me it was not. I experienced many peaks and valleys before I started to get better. The way you lose FEAR is when the sensations start to come on you don't pay attention to it. At my worst I would get severe anxiety and when that anxiety came on I tried my hardest to ignore it. Whether it be watching tv or or cognitive exercises the most important thing is to ignore what you are feeling. In the beginning of losing FEAR I would get that anxiety that would last all day. When it would first hit I would try to ignore it no matter what, but as the day went on and the anxiety didn't go away I would give in a little. If you keep repeating this process it will slowly but surely start to go away. One of the things that I did to stop the panic from coming is I would immediately pray. Just by changing your focus to prayer immediately at the onset of panic will keep the panic at bay. I would always say a prayer like GOD please help GOD and Lord Jesus!! I need you!! Please help me God and lord Jesus. Just by doing that and shifting the focus away from the panic kept the panic at bay. Let's talk about heart palpitations and your heart. First of all your heart is the strongest muscle in your body and can endure twice the heart rate that you feel when you are having heart palpitations. So in other words heart palpitations will not kill you. Another thing about heart palpitations is sometimes what you feel is not what you think you feel. When you have panic disorder and anxiety your nervous system goes out of whack. And a lot of your bodily sensations get heightened. My hearing and certain sensations were over sensitive. So in other words sometimes what you feel is your actual heartbeat beating normal or not very much faster than normal. If you don't believe me then learn how to check your pulse and you will see for yourself. A normal heartbeat for an adult is 60-100 bpm and you will see that your heart will never go past 100 bpm. Checking your heartbeat is another way to divert your attention away from heart palpitations. Once you realize that you are not going to have a heart attack then you will find that it will be easier to ignore heart palpitations. And once again when you start to ignore them and LOSE THE FEAR it will slowly start to go away. Once I LOST THE FEAR of heart palpitations I would find myself smiling when it would hit. Another thing is I did not use medication as a crutch. I am the type of person that hates taking medication and the only time I took it is to try to sleep. I learned how to fight it without medication. I am not telling you not to take it I am just letting you know what I did. The way I defeated agoraphobia is I put myself in public places everyday. Once again it boils down to LOSING FEAR. What I found is at my worst I would catastrophyze before walking into a public place. I would walk into a store paying attention to the people instead of what I was there to do. Another thing I figured out was when people popped into my peripheral vision is when I would experience the panic. It wasn't the people I was looking directly at. I found that the longer I stayed in the store the easier it got until eventually it went away slowly. I hope this is helpful. If you ever have any questions or need advice you can call me at 408-460-6666. My name is Frank.

Frank, you were replying to the person who started this thread but your words made a huge impact on me. I'm sitting in my living room with tears rolling down my cheeks, hoping my little boy doesn't see. Today has been super hard for me. I've been so nervous today, so scared. I've been jumping at everything and thinking the only way to ever find peace is through meds. I've been on them before but not now & I want to beat this so bad! I have really good days but it changes on a dime. If I'm understand you correctly, I need to ignore the anxiety as soon as it starts and find something to distract myself. I already pray. I'll do that even more.
Do you consider yourself healed? Is that even possible? Thank you. :)

needtogetwell
03-08-2014, 11:54 AM
Frank, you were replying to the person who started this thread but your words made a huge impact on me. I'm sitting in my living room with tears rolling down my cheeks, hoping my little boy doesn't see. Today has been super hard for me. I've been so nervous today, so scared. I've been jumping at everything and thinking the only way to ever find peace is through meds. I've been on them before but not now & I want to beat this so bad! I have really good days but it changes on a dime. If I'm understand you correctly, I need to ignore the anxiety as soon as it starts and find something to distract myself. I already pray. I'll do that even more. Do you consider yourself healed? Is that even possible? Thank you. :)

Jgirl, you have the best reason in the world to beat this... Your little boy! You want to be well for him as well as for yourself.

You are making really good strides forward but I fear you are missing one component.

Acceptance. Accept that you will have off days and deal with them as they come. One minute, one hour, one day.

If it helps you, write down all the strategies you have in your armoury, refer to it when you are feeling off and unable to focus. Then pick one and do it.

Hang in there. You are in the right road!

~Pam

Jgirl-73
03-08-2014, 12:11 PM
Jgirl, you have the best reason in the world to beat this... Your little boy! You want to be well for him as well as for yourself. You are making really good strides forward but I fear you are missing one component. Acceptance. Accept that you will have off days and deal with them as they come. One minute, one hour, one day. If it helps you, write down all the strategies you have in your armoury, refer to it when you are feeling off and unable to focus. Then pick one and do it. Hang in there. You are in the right road! ~Pam


Thank you, Pam. I am having a hard time with accepting. I'm still in the angry stage...I want to stomp my foot like a little kid and shout, this isn't fair! I'm so thankful for all you who have traveled this road, know the terrain and are willing to be our GPS. :)

inneedofhelpplease
03-08-2014, 08:30 PM
I was diagnosed with panic disorder and agoraphobia in February of 2013. Believe it or not it took me 6 months to get a strangle hold on both illnesses. It was by far the hardest thing I had to go through in my entire life. I to thought about suicide twice, but I knew there was something to live for and that this was a super hard test. I knew deep down inside that I was not going to let this illness beat me. That I was once normal and I would be normal again. The first thing that you have to do is accept it. Accepting what you have is the beginning of the end for both illnesses. Life works as follows, when something goes terribly wrong you can either give into what your problem is and let it control you and bring you down or you can smile and try to enjoy life in the face of adversity. When you can smile at your worst the process of defeating both illnesses will slowly begin. The next thing I am going to tell you is the most important info that will take you over the top. The way to defeat panic disorder and agoraphobia is to LOSE FEAR of both illnesses. The only way both illnesses survive is by FEAR of the illnesses themselves. If you LOSE FEAR of the illnesses it will very slowly start to go away. For example, what do you do when severe anxiety and panic start to come on strong? At my worst I paid attention to it and FEARED it. I would literally focus on what I was feeling. And when you focus on what you are feeling with FEAR you fuel the illness. Panic and anxiety cannot survive without FEAR of what you are feeling. Believe me I know that the sensation of severe anxiety and panic is one of the worst sensations known to man. And I know I am making it sound easy but believe me it was not. I experienced many peaks and valleys before I started to get better. The way you lose FEAR is when the sensations start to come on you don't pay attention to it. At my worst I would get severe anxiety and when that anxiety came on I tried my hardest to ignore it. Whether it be watching tv or or cognitive exercises the most important thing is to ignore what you are feeling. In the beginning of losing FEAR I would get that anxiety that would last all day. When it would first hit I would try to ignore it no matter what, but as the day went on and the anxiety didn't go away I would give in a little. If you keep repeating this process it will slowly but surely start to go away. One of the things that I did to stop the panic from coming is I would immediately pray. Just by changing your focus to prayer immediately at the onset of panic will keep the panic at bay. I would always say a prayer like GOD please help GOD and Lord Jesus!! I need you!! Please help me God and lord Jesus. Just by doing that and shifting the focus away from the panic kept the panic at bay. Let's talk about heart palpitations and your heart. First of all your heart is the strongest muscle in your body and can endure twice the heart rate that you feel when you are having heart palpitations. So in other words heart palpitations will not kill you. Another thing about heart palpitations is sometimes what you feel is not what you think you feel. When you have panic disorder and anxiety your nervous system goes out of whack. And a lot of your bodily sensations get heightened. My hearing and certain sensations were over sensitive. So in other words sometimes what you feel is your actual heartbeat beating normal or not very much faster than normal. If you don't believe me then learn how to check your pulse and you will see for yourself. A normal heartbeat for an adult is 60-100 bpm and you will see that your heart will never go past 100 bpm. Checking your heartbeat is another way to divert your attention away from heart palpitations. Once you realize that you are not going to have a heart attack then you will find that it will be easier to ignore heart palpitations. And once again when you start to ignore them and LOSE THE FEAR it will slowly start to go away. Once I LOST THE FEAR of heart palpitations I would find myself smiling when it would hit. Another thing is I did not use medication as a crutch. I am the type of person that hates taking medication and the only time I took it is to try to sleep. I learned how to fight it without medication. I am not telling you not to take it I am just letting you know what I did. The way I defeated agoraphobia is I put myself in public places everyday. Once again it boils down to LOSING FEAR. What I found is at my worst I would catastrophyze before walking into a public place. I would walk into a store paying attention to the people instead of what I was there to do. Another thing I figured out was when people popped into my peripheral vision is when I would experience the panic. It wasn't the people I was looking directly at. I found that the longer I stayed in the store the easier it got until eventually it went away slowly. I hope this is helpful. If you ever have any questions or need advice you can call me at 408-460-6666. My name is Frank. thank you so much frank. That made me feel very good and determined to get through all of this. You really have made my day!!

inneedofhelpplease
03-08-2014, 08:31 PM
I am not doing and cbt. I've been trying exposure therapy. I get anxiety and attacks out in public so today I stayed out trying to get through the anxiety. It worked okay but my mind always goes to the negative side. And all I think about is , anxiety.

needtogetwell
03-08-2014, 09:43 PM
I am not doing and cbt. I've been trying exposure therapy. I get anxiety and attacks out in public so today I stayed out trying to get through the anxiety. It worked okay but my mind always goes to the negative side. And all I think about is , anxiety.

Hang in there! You said it worked okay, that's a great step forward!

Keep focusing on the good, you can do it! Each success builds other successes!

Cheers! And congratulations on being out in public today!

inneedofhelpplease
03-09-2014, 04:38 PM
Hang in there! You said it worked okay, that's a great step forward! Keep focusing on the good, you can do it! Each success builds other successes! Cheers! And congratulations on being out in public today! thank you!! I'm trying very hard

inneedofhelpplease
03-11-2014, 11:29 PM
.... Any help?

inneedofhelpplease
03-12-2014, 07:08 PM
Are you ok? I'm not my normal self but I've been trying really hard to fight the anxiety and staying positive.

fortizboriqua
03-13-2014, 12:48 AM
Frank, you were replying to the person who started this thread but your words made a huge impact on me. I'm sitting in my living room with tears rolling down my cheeks, hoping my little boy doesn't see. Today has been super hard for me. I've been so nervous today, so scared. I've been jumping at everything and thinking the only way to ever find peace is through meds. I've been on them before but not now & I want to beat this so bad! I have really good days but it changes on a dime. If I'm understand you correctly, I need to ignore the anxiety as soon as it starts and find something to distract myself. I already pray. I'll do that even more. Do you consider yourself healed? Is that even possible? Thank you. :)

Jgirl, the answer to, do I consider myself healed is yes and no. No, because the anxiety can come back if you start to stress about things. But it is easier to fight it off when it does come. There are still some nights where I still get anxiety, but with what I have learned I can fight it off fairly easy and eventually fall asleep. For some reason it only happens at night before bed or if I wake up in the middle of the night. Yes, because I don't come close to panic attacks any longer. I can't remember the last time I have felt the sensation of panic and severe anxiety. I advise you to turn your life to God and get saved Jgirl. I did that and bought a study bible and studied it. I also joined a bible study group. I am not trying to push religion on you, but the minute I turned my life to God is when this illnesses started to slowly dissolve. And not only that He will let you know that He exists and He is listening to your prayers. I can tell you from first hand experience and the fact that I was able to defeat this in 6 months speaks volumes about how when I turned to God my illnesses slowly but surely got better. My psychiatrist Rebecca Courry told me these exact words when I started to show improvement at a fast rate, "Frank, take a step back because in the history of this illness nobody has ever progressed as fast as you." I give 100% credit to God, because the minute I turned to him, is the minute this illness slowly went away. The study bible (Life Application Study Bible) was such a great help because it gave me the tools I needed to defeat this. The way I defeated the thing that triggered anxiety and panic was by prayer with my heart pouring out with tears and most importantly FAITH! This is where the study bible will help you.

fortizboriqua
03-13-2014, 01:00 AM
Hello Frank. Good to support each other but probably not wisest to put phone numbers up here to or by people unknown. Would be a good idea to consider removing that with the edit button? We can become a bit suspicious and sceptical and it diminishes your good intent? Thanks for sharing. Post a lot and get to know people. Just my opinion, such as it is.

There are 100% good intentions by posting my number. I am not trying to sell or take advantage of anyone. As you can tell from my posts that I suffered along with everyone here. And if i can help one person get better I will put myself out there because I know how horrific this illness is. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy let alone someone who is not deserving. I apologize if I am unconventional.

Jgirl-73
03-13-2014, 05:11 AM
Jgirl, the answer to, do I consider myself healed is yes and no. No, because the anxiety can come back if you start to stress about things. But it is easier to fight it off when it does come. There are still some nights where I still get anxiety, but with what I have learned I can fight it off fairly easy and eventually fall asleep. For some reason it only happens at night before bed or if I wake up in the middle of the night. Yes, because I don't come close to panic attacks any longer. I can't remember the last time I have felt the sensation of panic and severe anxiety. I advise you to turn your life to God and get saved Jgirl. I did that and bought a study bible and studied it. I also joined a bible study group. I am not trying to push religion on you, but the minute I turned my life to God is when this illnesses started to slowly dissolve. And not only that He will let you know that He exists and He is listening to your prayers. I can tell you from first hand experience and the fact that I was able to defeat this in 6 months speaks volumes about how when I turned to God my illnesses slowly but surely got better. My psychiatrist Rebecca Courry told me these exact words when I started to show improvement at a fast rate, "Frank, take a step back because in the history of this illness nobody has ever progressed as fast as you." I give 100% credit to God, because the minute I turned to him, is the minute this illness slowly went away. The study bible (Life Application Study Bible) was such a great help because it gave me the tools I needed to defeat this. The way I defeated the thing that triggered anxiety and panic was by prayer with my heart pouring out with tears and most importantly FAITH! This is where the study bible will help you.

Thank you for replying. I am a Christian and have been for over twenty years. I go to church & am also in a Bible study group. I read and study the word daily. This condition has strengthened my faith & forced me to trust in God more fully than I ever have. But having said all this, my struggles are getting harder every day. I believe God can heal me or anyone but I also know sometimes His working is not understood. Someday I will understand His plan but until then, I will continue counting on His strength for each day, knowing that medication may be in my future. This is something I will continue to pray about and seek council from my therapist. :)