Wednesday 30 January 2008

Dr Weekes

(Above - Dr Claire Weekes)



http://www.controllinganxiety.com/dsp_downloads.php

A few people having read my blog have got in touch to tell me about Dr Claire Weekes. I have listened to her recordings on the website linked above.

In the last year i have noticed a shift in the way i think and they way i approch my illness. It is in my OWN opinion that therapies don't really work. But i want to stress that this is my own opinion. If there are people out there who have used therapies and have found success then i congratulate them and i am glad they have found what works for them.

However, i have spoken to so many people who have over come their anxiety or their agoraphobia and that is due to feeling the fear, but facing it anyway. This is how i plan to get my life back. I am going to put myself in the situations that will cause me to panic but instead of running for home i am going to stand there and accept the sensations no matter how horrific they may be. I know this is not going to be an easy task.... but it will be worth it.

Having spoken to various people i have learned that this may take 6 months, 8 months or a year, but really that is nothing compaired to the years we could spend suffering and giving into our situation.

This year it is my goal to face my fears and to BEAT them. Who know's i may go out tomorrow and panic and run straight home but instead of feeling defeated i will try again and again untill i have mastered it.

I would love to hear from ANYONE who has gone through this. Wish me luck

7 comments:

Robert said...

Hi Lynn,

Thanks for the suggestion. Marie hasn't tried Dr Claire Weekes' method. I haven't listened to the recordings yet, but I will and I've told Marie about them too.

The method you describe is called "exposure therapy". Another exposure therapy available on the net (but not free!) is the Linden method. Marie got this, but once she realised that she would have to suffer panic attacks as a method of recovery, she decided that it wasn't for her, and she never looked at it again. However, this method works for lots of panic/anxiety sufferers.

I wish you luck and look forward to lots of inspiring posts on your progress!

Robert said...

If you want to know how to contact people who leave comments - or anything else about blogging - give me a ring (evenings only this week). You know the number! I might not know all the answers, but I know how to find out!

anxiousbookworm said...

Hi! I really love your blog. I saw your post on SocialPhobiaWorld and knew that I had to check out what you had to say. I can definitely relate to what you have been through. I have just created my own blog and plan on telling my story as well. It is not as interesting as yours but people will still be able to relate. Anyways, I just wanted to say hi and thank you for creating this blog. I am definitely coming back again and again to see how you are doing :-)

Rachael said...

Hi Lynn
My mum tried Claire Weekes when she was having panic attacks and i still have the book somewhere.
Im about to start CBT and like you am going to put myself into situations i avoid - im terrified!
i'll try anything though
Good Luck!

EricC said...

I used to be in the same boat. When I first started working again I remember I had 6-7 panic attacks on my first day back. I had the attacks but I kept them to myself, my co workers did not notice. Over the next week or so eventually I stopped having them at work because I forced myself to go through them.

One word of caution. Panic can easily return if you allow it too. When I quit my job again and began taking full time college classes from my home online it began to return - because I did not challenge myself enough. You'll need to continuously push your borders or they'll shrink.

mico said...

Claire Weeke's wrote some good stuff. A therapy in itself.

Just randomly came across your blog. I haven't had problems with anxiety for a few years now (besides my social anxiety which I've always had) but I like to see people being pro-active and positive in their approach to anxiety. And I can tell you it CAN be done.

Good luck!

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