Thank you for sharing. Bringing to light these often undiscussed topics can really help us see these things as less special, though certainly still can be very difficult and uncomfortable. For me, seeing my difficult thoughts as less special is an important step in letting them come and go. I continue to work on it and have seen progress.
Thank you so much for sharing this information Drew. It is so true that many of us have those irrational thoughts. I never really knew it was part of anxiety until I stumbled upon your book and DARE. I felt a sense of relief knowing that I was normal, if that makes sense. Keep moving us forward in education you help more than you know. Love you Big Guy
I deal with a lot of those existential irrational thoughts and you’re right, it’s plain hard and sucks and uncomfortable. As I work toward forming a new relationship with them and my anxiety, there’s so much resistance and doubt and then that brings on feelings and sensations as a result. But I am staying the course and trusting that in time my brain will eventually catch up and realize there is no threat/harm. Re-training my brain is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life up to this point. Thank you so much for what you do, it helps tremendously and makes me feel not so alone or crazy in all of this!
My experience was like yours-- as I got control of my anxiety, this obsession just faded away. But there are definitely people who do direct exposures for this. An ERP therapist might guide someone through holding knives or ropes in their hands, reading articles about suicide, etc. It can definitely work! Especially if it's a case of OCD where this is the main obsession (rather than just sort of being panicked and anxious about everything)
100% accurate. Great comment! Sometimes we do have to go directly at the obsession. I actually wound up doing some of that without even knowing it when I would intentionally go into the kitchen and grab a knife to "prove" that I wouldn't use it.
Thank you for this Drew , and as ever , again resonates we need and no doubt many . Can I mention again a book I was told to get by my brief encounter with a psychiatrist a few weeks back ? The happiness trap by russ Harris ? The author talks in depth here of how we must learn to see thoughts for what they are , just words , floating through our mind , but we get so stuck at times seeing these as us and facts , when they are actually just like words on a piece of paper . Sounds so easy , but like you said , it isn’t easy , but I hope with practice I can learn to see these thoughts as what they are . Thanks again drew 🙏
Kristian, are you asking so that you can compare your number to see if you’re “better” or “worse”? Or is it to reassure yourself that it’s not a real number, so you don’t have to worry about having so many? You don’t need to answer my questions of course, but do some reflection on why you asked.
I'm not through recovery yet so cannot compare. Quite frankly it just sounded like a very high number to endure 10.000 full blown panic attacks for new pathways to form in the mind.
I remember Claire Weeks talking about the woman who was afraid she would throw her baby out the window against her own will.
An anxious brain can get VERY creative, especially when it has no obligation to obey reality and can make anything up at any time.
Thank you for sharing. Bringing to light these often undiscussed topics can really help us see these things as less special, though certainly still can be very difficult and uncomfortable. For me, seeing my difficult thoughts as less special is an important step in letting them come and go. I continue to work on it and have seen progress.
Thank you so much for sharing this information Drew. It is so true that many of us have those irrational thoughts. I never really knew it was part of anxiety until I stumbled upon your book and DARE. I felt a sense of relief knowing that I was normal, if that makes sense. Keep moving us forward in education you help more than you know. Love you Big Guy
I deal with a lot of those existential irrational thoughts and you’re right, it’s plain hard and sucks and uncomfortable. As I work toward forming a new relationship with them and my anxiety, there’s so much resistance and doubt and then that brings on feelings and sensations as a result. But I am staying the course and trusting that in time my brain will eventually catch up and realize there is no threat/harm. Re-training my brain is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life up to this point. Thank you so much for what you do, it helps tremendously and makes me feel not so alone or crazy in all of this!
My experience was like yours-- as I got control of my anxiety, this obsession just faded away. But there are definitely people who do direct exposures for this. An ERP therapist might guide someone through holding knives or ropes in their hands, reading articles about suicide, etc. It can definitely work! Especially if it's a case of OCD where this is the main obsession (rather than just sort of being panicked and anxious about everything)
100% accurate. Great comment! Sometimes we do have to go directly at the obsession. I actually wound up doing some of that without even knowing it when I would intentionally go into the kitchen and grab a knife to "prove" that I wouldn't use it.
Thank you for this Drew , and as ever , again resonates we need and no doubt many . Can I mention again a book I was told to get by my brief encounter with a psychiatrist a few weeks back ? The happiness trap by russ Harris ? The author talks in depth here of how we must learn to see thoughts for what they are , just words , floating through our mind , but we get so stuck at times seeing these as us and facts , when they are actually just like words on a piece of paper . Sounds so easy , but like you said , it isn’t easy , but I hope with practice I can learn to see these thoughts as what they are . Thanks again drew 🙏
" I learned this after allowing 10,000 panic attacks to kill me without resisting."
Is this number figuratively or literally? Over what kind of time frame? *just curious*
My answer is to point out how good an anxious mind is at picking out the least important part of anything and turning it into an issue.
Ah, thanks for the answer!
Kristian, are you asking so that you can compare your number to see if you’re “better” or “worse”? Or is it to reassure yourself that it’s not a real number, so you don’t have to worry about having so many? You don’t need to answer my questions of course, but do some reflection on why you asked.
I'm not through recovery yet so cannot compare. Quite frankly it just sounded like a very high number to endure 10.000 full blown panic attacks for new pathways to form in the mind.