Once you trigger anxiety can it ever be completely cured?

[nianxiousguy]

Curious about this. I had my first panic attack when I was 18 over 20 years ago now after smoking cannabis, prior to that never had any issues with anxiety. Since that initial panic attack though I have always had anxiety issues, mostly general anxiety. Sure you have good days, weeks sometimes months but the general anxiety always returns. What I mean by general anxiety is feeling uneasy, like something bad is about to happen or that I'll have another panic attack, just living with fear of the fear basically.

I gave up alcohol 3 months ago due to terrible general anxiety I would get the day after drinking, I was reading a book on quitting alcohol and the guy said once you've triggered anxiety or once you start getting anxiety with a hangover you'll will always get it, you can not unforget it, you can not go back to the time before you started having anxiety. And I wonder how much of that is true not just for hangovers etc but for general anxiety in general, once you trigger it is that it? As I say I have always had it since that first initial panic attack triggered it.

[Midnight-mouse]

It’s an interesting theory but I don’t believe that anxiety is permanent if you take the steps to ‘re-wire’ things if you will.

Through the process of drug treatments and therapies to replace the negative anxiety inducing thought patterns with healthy ones that allow us to focus the energy and not allow thoughts to progress in the first place.

It is possible to be without it, but admittedly it does seem to be a case of it takes more to stop it as opposed to trigger it.

Although with that said there are cases of an individual experiencing panic attacks without any reoccurrence or further symptoms of mental illnesses, it’s not always a case of it’s triggered and here to say, my understanding is it makes one more inclined to the thought patterns though.


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[Mindsight]

I am currently going through my 2nd batch of anxiety first time was was 14 now i am 33 i have promised myself that once my opointment friday is done test are back what ever the out come i will not drag this on any more i will live with fate and what will be will be attatude as other wise i will either loose my family or loose out on time spent

[ankietyjoe]

The guy that wrote the book is wrong.

You don't cure anxiety, that's like trying to cure hunger or fear.

You cure your reaction to anxiety, and then it's not a problem any more. It's a significant difference.

[jray23]

Yup. I don't think you can say you'll never have anxiety, but you will become able to recognize it even at a low level and not react because you know what it is and are equipped to keep it from blowing up.

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[nianxiousguy]

Yup. I don't think you can say you'll never have anxiety, but you will become able to recognize it even at a low level and not react because you know what it is and are equipped to keep it from blowing up.

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The problem I always faced, even after 20 years was that when anxiety rises, all you have learned goes out the window, you forget it all, your mind goes blank, the fear takes over.

[jray23]

The problem I always faced, even after 20 years was that when anxiety rises, all you have learned goes out the window, you forget it all, your mind goes blank, the fear takes over.Sometimes. When I feel it building I usually can recognize it fairly easily, so I mentally review the things I've learned. I ask myself what tools do I have in my "anti-anxiety arsenal" that I can use. It often works but yes, I do have times where it builds too far, in my experience there is a "tipping point" where I start to forget my options. I think with more practice for me that will improve. If you can't counter it in the moment I guess the next best thing is to accept it and sit with it, acknowledging that it is there but that it will pass and soon you'll be back to normal.

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[ankietyjoe]

In my personal experience it's better to accept anxiety however bad it gets rather than focus too hard on tools that reduce it. Those tools are useful, but not really the point.

Acceptance takes practice, but it can be done. Once you're 'ok' with the sensation of anxiety, it loses it's grip really, really fast. It's very counter-intuitive, but it's a magic bullet.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I gave up alcohol 3 months ago due to terrible general anxiety I would get the day after drinking, I was reading a book on quitting alcohol and the guy said once you've triggered anxiety or once you start getting anxiety with a hangover you'll will always get it, you can not unforget it, you can not go back to the time before you started having anxiety. And I wonder how much of that is true not just for hangovers etc but for general anxiety in general, once you trigger it is that it? As I say I have always had it since that first initial panic attack triggered it.

So, how come I've got to a point where intrusive thoughts no longer bother in the slightest? And how come I've eliminated my compulsions?

You also have to be careful with "gurus" as they are often not scientific in their beliefs. There is plenty of scientific evidence about rewriting our brain patterns and many modern therapies utilise that mechanism.

You could also take that statement in multiple ways. For instance, I do notice my intrusive thoughts now whereas before my anxiety they would have just been "weird thoughts" that you automatically dismiss. However, my intuitive reaction is the same, it's just I now know what they are so also label them for that as they pass through.

Cure isn't about getting rid of. It's a disorder of normal functions not something that needs to be wiped out like a disease. It's about normalising.