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Do you often feel anxious?
Do you sometimes feel overwhelming fear?
Do you worry unduly? We help people manage anxiety, fear and worry.
Anxiety, Fear & Worry
Anxiety, fear & worry describe unpleasant
emotions that may motivate people to avoid demanding situations. Such emotions
often cause adults to feel like powerless children. We coach people to manage
and change emotions that prevent adult decisions and mature behavior. We can
help you.
If you worry or feel anxious, ask yourself
"How old do I feel in this moment?" You may find that
you are reliving childish memories, and your immature emotions are blocking your
more adult resources. Many people get stuck in emotions
from childhood trauma and disappointments
Chronic Anxiety & Panic Attacks
Anxiety is more than worrying. Do you worry constantly,
even when nothing is wrong? It's not your fault. If you can't relax; if
you constantly expect the worst, you may be unable to stop.
Anxiety is always one of your choices
.... and rarely a useful choice.
If you worry a lot, your muscles may get tense and sore. You
will likely feel tired and people may call you irritable or grouchy. It may be
harder for you to concentrate, to relax or even to sleep. You may have a sense
of dread or doom and not know what you are worrying about. If you feel chronic
anxiety, that life is moving on without you?
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"Are these shadows of things that
will be, or are they shadows of things that may be?"
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol |
Anxiety often begins in childhood or teenage years. More
women seem to suffer from anxiety than men, and anxiety seems to run in
families. Some anxiety problems are due to food allergies; but most seem to
reflect relationship chaos. Anxiety may lessen with age ... if you want to
wait that long.
Health Anxiety
If you feel anxious about your health, you probably
wish that you didn't. You may have health anxiety. Although
many health professionals and drug salespeople are obsessed with
solving health problems, few medical professionals seem
to relate to people with health anxiety. They may accuse you of
exaggerating - they may call you a hypochondriac, a
malingerer ... or a liar.
Obsessions
and Compulsions . Addictions
Some people interpret body sensations as evidence of
serious disease (hypochondria). Some people invent medical
symptoms to avoid work, to qualify for disability payments or to evade
military service (malingering). Some people lie about their
health (Munchausen's) to manipulate people.
Do you invent medical symptoms to help you get what
you want? Do you enjoy deceiving medical professionals to obtain more
control of your life? Health anxieties are also associated with
trauma, PTSD and
eating disorders.
Hypochondria: Worried Sick?
Hypochondria is a persistent irrational fear that you are
suffering, or will suffer, from a serious medical condition. You may think
that you have heart problems, cancer or some serious disease - and that your
doctor is not trying hard enough to cure you.
You may feel dizziness, swelling, palpitations or pain.
But if you misread these symptoms, you may distrust medical professionals.
You may interpret normal signs (like headache, dizziness, fatigue etc) as
dangerous. This may be connected to
loneliness, depression, guilt or a preoccupation with death.
If you believe that your body is defective or deformed -
you may be diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder. If you are
using phantom defects to justify your depressed lifestyle,
then endless reassurance or even plastic surgery are unlikely to ease your
unpleasant feelings about your body.
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Most
hypochondriac people will never go to a psychiatrist, they'll say,
'I don't
want to talk about this, I want another biopsy, I want that CAT scan repeated.
Dr Arthur Barsky (Harvard Medical School) |
Schizophrenia . Depression .
Bipolar Disorder .
Stress
Social Phobia - Social Anxiety
Do you dread being judged, criticized, and evaluated.
You may think that your fear is irrational; yet anxiety persists. You may
be diagnosed with social phobia or social anxiety.
If you have social phobia
you find it difficult to be with people ("What are they thinking
about me; maybe they don't like me"). You may attract attention to
yourself or even try to be the center of attention ("They don't
like what I'm doing; am I making a fool of myself?"). If you feel
insecure and self-conscious in most social settings, we can help you manage
emotions and thoughts like these.
GAD - Generalized Anxiety
You are constantly worried or afraid. You
complain of non-stop anxiety! You may even worry in your dreams. You may
have muscle pains and headaches, you may feel constantly tired and yet
you cannot seem to relax. You may sweat a lot, even at night. You may
feel that you might vomit.
If you have generalized anxiety you may find it difficult
to leave your home. ("What will happen? Maybe something terrible").
You may be afraid of "losing it" in public. You may feel
insecure in all parts of your life and be diagnosed as agoraphobic.
Solutions for Anxious Children
About 10% to 20% of pediatric patients suffer from anxiety
disorders, and many children with anxiety disorders become adults with
anxiety disorders. We often coach parents or guardians to sort out
their own relationship problems and emotions. Healthy
parents are much better role models for children.
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Not all treatments available for adults with anxiety disorders
are suitable for children and adolescents. Benzodiazepines have a high risk of
sedation, dependence and withdrawal, making them inappropriate for children.
Studies evaluating tricyclic antidepressants in children yielded conflicting
results and risk unwanted side effects. Several studies report the effectiveness
of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), but still more promote the
benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy.
Condensed from an article by
Jennifer Gibson, PharmD at http://brainblogger.com |
Solutions for Anxiety
Anxiety often follows a relationship imbalance in a family.
If a family member takes risks, for the benefit of the family, and the family
does not acknowledge the member for taking those risks, another family member
- usually a child - may identify with the ignored person
- and express their fear.
An example was a prostitute who supported her poor family,
but the (religious) family claimed that a rich relative was sending them money.
The prostitute's younger sister lived in a state of chronic anxiety ... we would
say that she identified with her elder sister. This anxiety was resolved
with a few hours of our systemic coaching (and remained resolved two years later).
Another man was involved with a cult. His teenage son was
assumed to have an anxiety disorder - yet the son's symptoms vanished
after a few hours of our online coaching with his father, who decided to love
his family more than he loved his cult.
Do you want to stop feeling anxious,
enjoying more calmness and better functioning? Our systemic solutions may include
individual and couple coaching, and family therapy. We help people with anxiety
change inappropriate thoughts, manage motivations and get what they want.
Doctors often treat anxiety with antidepressants
and anti-anxiety drugs (benzodiazepines & beta-blockers). Please consult your
physician regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations about
anxiety symptoms or other medical conditions.
We can help most people reduce their emotional stress
and distress. We coach people to change how they think about and react to
situations in which they feel anxious or fearful.
We help people improve relationships, achieve life goals, dissolve conflicts
and manage emotions.
We also coach people to dissolve toxic relationship bonds,
unresolved
trauma, abuse and damage by, or enmeshment with, previous therapists.
Online Coaching &
Training
Plagiarism is theft. Copyright ©
Martyn Carruthers 2002-2012 All rights reserved
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