Cloud Technique - Sharing my findings!

[baldy_dude]

My Friends - I've done so much reading on Panic Attacks in the past week that it has more or less consumed my life. I've more or less dedicated my full time job (thankfully I'm the boss, so there is no issues there) and have arrived at a technique that seems to be effective for me. The following technique seems to have warded off some potential Panic Attacks. I can't say for certain, but I didn't have any when I used this technique.

Let me share the technique I'm trying to master... (apologies for the names of these technique, but I don't know what else to call them)

"Cloud Technique"
OK, everyone must acknowledge that a thought is just a thought - nothing more, nothing less. Just because you think something doesn't make it true or real. So visualise a thought as a cloud, one that just comes in high over the top of you... it might be a negative thought or a panic-laden thought. STEP #1 - DON'T FIGHT IT. The more you try not to think about something, the more you actually think about it. Let me give you an example.....

If I said don't think of a pink elephant, what do you automatically think of? Probably a Pink Elephant. So I now ask you to actually try and stop thinking about a Pink Elephant.... does the thought suddenly leave your head? Probably not, in fact you end up thinking about it more. The lesson here is that thoughts are not something you can just deliberatly dismiss - they are not tangible, and unfortunately sometimes they are not rational.

So here is the technique that I am using that has been effective over the last couple of days.... a thought comes drifting in, whereas in the past you may have said to yourself that you need to get rid of this thought as it strikes fear into you and could spiral into a panic attack. This time can I ask you to do the following:

- Acknowledge the existance of the thought as a cloud just drifting by
- Label it as just a thought
- Just let the thought move on, just like a cloud passes by

Sounds very simple, but believe you me this has prevented potential moments of panic for me just by letting the negative thought drift on by.


As I say, it's helped me over the last few days, but I'm not saying I've found the magic bullet (YET) but I want to share everything with you all, if I can see some benefit in what I am doing.

Regards
The Dude

[Yvonne]

Hi Dude

What have you been reading? It's true what you're saying and I have told people in a couple of replies that thoughts are not real and we must see them for what they are - just thoughts.

Have you been reading some mindfulness or maybe listening to a cd from No Panic? As you say, if someone tells you not to think of a Pink Elephant one has to first imagine a pink elephant in order to get the picture of it - so of course you are thinking of that which you aren't supposed to.

This is why cbt doesn't work for me I think because I know the thoughts should be faced and I don't feel our thoughts should be changed. Claire Weekes tells us not to try to dismiss the thoughts - we must de sensitise to the thoughts so when we have one just let it come and do it's worst.

Well done Dude all great stuff.

[Veronica H]

thanks dude

I will give it a go. My thoughts are all over the place at the moment. I will let you know how I get on.

Veronica

[baldy_dude]

Hi Yvonne,
Been reading anything and everything I have been able to source.... I'm stuck into Claire Weekes book at the moment (she talks sense); but also sources some good material on the internet. One of the papers I have found (I'm not sure where it originated) describes the approach to what I call the Cloud Technique as follows:

Here is an example of how to approach this:

You are enjoying the way your day is going but
then all of sudden a fearful thought comes to mind.

Before you would react with anxiety to the idea
and then try to force that thought out of your mind.

This time, however, say:

"That's a fear of X. I could worry and even obsess
over that but this time I'm going to do something
different. I'm not going to react to it. I'm also not
going to try and stop it either. I'm just going to
label the thought and not react."

Then the thought comes again with more intensity and
possibly with new 'scary' angles you never considered. When this
happens you do exactly the same. As if you were observing a
cloud passing overhead, you simply

-Observe it,
-label it (fear of whatever), then
-watch it as it passes by with no judgment.
Then

-move your attention on to what you were doing.
Observe, Label, Watch, Move on

I think this is is pretty inspiring... and i would advise anyone who is willing, to give it a go.

[Yvonne]

I'm gonna give it one helluva try lol.

Thanks Dude.

[JohnBliss]

I too practice your technique .There's no doubt in my mind that the only way to deal with anxious thoughts is to let them come and let them pass.They will quickly be replaced by other likely more positive thoughts if you let them be and not give them anything to feed on by discussing/analysing them. It is sometimes difficult but if they develop into a panic attack again another powerful tool is to actually welcome the panic attack and ask it to do its worst.Surprisingly this will defuse it.I am much better than I was a year ago thanks to these techniques. Another powerful technique for me is to be less internalised and think more about other people and the outside world
All the best
John