Anxiety disorders are becoming more heard of in our culture. That, I think, is both good and bad. More and more people seem to be dealing with
social phobia, PTSD, and many other facets of anxiety that tend to produce
physical manifestations such as panic attacks and emotional problems such as withdrawal,
depression, anger, fear, aggression, and paranoia. I have loved ones dealing with PTSD, and I am
actually glad I have a social phobia, because it prompted me to do research on
ways to cope which overlap into the PTSD arena.
I have been able to help my loved ones dealing with PTSD in learning how
to cope a bit.
Now let me pre-empt this post by saying I do not practice
therapy in the area of anxiety disorders.
I have combined what I know has worked for me with research I have done
in professional journals and with friends who do practice working with PTSD, so
don’t assume by any stretch that I am saying I have the answers. I’m just going to share what I know. If you deal with social phobias, these things
might help.
The problem with our military health care system is that it
is abysmal in its ability to effectively treat PTSD. Much of what is done involves a debriefing
that in no way is extensive enough to equip an individual to re-enter society,
and there is medication. That is not to
say there are no other services available.
But the standard, from what I have been told, is as I referenced.
Because of recent events with shootings that have occurred
and the push to monitor those with mental health issues, I would not encourage
one of my near and dear to get themselves documented into the system. It is just not safe for their individual rights,
and I don’t see that changing. But, I do
work with my loved ones who are dealing with extreme anxiety to help them
conquer it. I have managed to take
control of agoraphobia which is extreme and debilitating, so I am encouraging
others in this realm.
Everyone is different, but basic principles can be applied
no matter the person or issue. So, the
first thing is to acknowledge to someone what you have. This should be someone or a few someones you
can trust. It is very stressful to try
to hide something so debilitating, and a good support system is important to
have, especially for accountability, which leads us into the next principle.
For PTSD: When having
a flashback, it is good to tell someone you trust that it is happening. It is even better to describe it if you can
make your self do it. Many cannot do
that last part, so telling someone you are having a flashback is a good
start. Here is how I interpret
PTSD. The mind experiences something it
cannot fathom, something traumatizing.
As a result, the brain is not able to take that event and shift it over
to memory. The brain has not been told that
that particular experience has been seen and is now a memory, so whenever it
comes up, the brain automatically thinks it is in real time, happening for the
first time. It has no way to comprehend
cognitively that it is a memory. The
brain automatically prepares the body to fight or flee and the physical manifestations
include racing heart, sweating, heightened senses, and major adrenaline upload
accompanied by fear, paranoia, and panic.
What I have seen is that by saying out loud that a flashback is
occurring, there begins to be a reconnection with reality.
Now some people have PTSD but do not have images
flashing. They may be triggered by sound
or smell. But regardless, the adrenaline
systems kicks in and the fight or flight response is engaged. When this happens and there are no flashbacks,
telling someone what has triggered you and that you are experience symptoms
(heart racing, sweating, paranoia, etc...) will also help bridge the gap
between reality and memory. Sometimes in
this case, distraction works. Pulling
that person away to a different event and location sometimes helps.
I read a study recently put out by Harvard that found that
PTSD is a major cause of insomnia. People
with PTSD often have nightmares and that causes inability to sleep, short
spurts of sleep, and twitching and thrashing whilst sleeping. Many turn to alcohol to help get them to
sleep, but the problem with that is that alcohol impacts the brain and its
ability to have health productive sleep.
The body and brain are saturated with something it recognizes as poison
(the body cannot process alcohol), so it spends those hours of sleep working
frantically to rid the body of the toxin, and the brain is stripped of ability
to have control and often flashbacks and nightmares in sleep become more
frequent.
For panic attacks and social phobias including agoraphobia: Over-stimulation is the bane of the social
anxiety disorder. Too much visual,
auditory, and olfactory input can trigger panic attacks. Often it is the physical space that triggers,
and sometimes the anxiety of being social triggers a panic attack. So, the first order of business is to
recognize you are having a panic attack.
Then get out of wherever it is that has triggered you. There is medication that helps that isn’t
narcotic in nature, but there has to be some cognitive management as well. So recognize what is going on, get out of the
place that is triggering you, and finally, give yourself permission to have a
panic attack. So often panic attacks are
exacerbated by trying to stifle them or prevent them. This just adds more stress. Tell yourself you are going to have a panic
attack and you are going to enjoy it!
(Just kidding J) But,
honestly, give yourself permission to have a little freak out.
What I have noticed is that anxiety disorders take time to
overcome, even with medication. It’s a
matter of reformatting the brain and then adding the repetition to cement the
reframe. I have mentioned reframing
before, but just to refresh here; reframing is taking an overwhelming thought
or situation and narrowing it down. Here
is an example: I hate everything about Wal-Mart. It stresses me out. The lights are yellow. I’m visually over stimulated. I have to wait out in the open in line which
freaks me out. There are too many
people, and the place smells.
Cognitive reframe: I
hate Wal-Mart, but I like the prices. I
do not have to go there if I do not want to.
It’s okay if I choose to go somewhere else. It is my choice, and if I do decide to go, I
can just get a few things and get out of there as soon as I start to feel the
environment triggering me. I do not have
to stay there until all my shopping is completed.
Simple, huh? Well to
the anxiety ridden individual who wants most in life to not have another panic
attack...ever, it is very difficult to do a reframe. It’s logical, but the brain is not logical
when a sense of threat is present. So it
takes practice.
These are little things, but with repetition, they will
start to help a bit. In my experience
and in watching my loved ones with PTSD, it’s a
very slow process to conquering anxiety, but you have to give yourself
some grace even if no one else will. And
you have to be willing to think outside of the box, because right now, in the
treatment of major anxiety disorders, the box is just too small.
Blessings
L
