intensive exposure therapy

[willitstop]

Well im going to be starting intensive exposure therapy and physcotherapy soon feeling very nervous about starting but this illness has taken 8 years of my life and i want it back........
got my next app on tuesday to discuss how and what we will be doing lets hope i can get rid of this once and for all :yesyes:.

if nobody minds i would like to keep a record here of what we do each week ectect.

wish me luck its going to be a bumpy ride :scared15:

[willitstop]

thank you for replying :)

i see my cpn again today to see what our next step is, will update later.

[diane07]

Best of luck willitstop,

Will be interesting to see how this works and if it helps.

Well done

di xxx

[European]

Yes, I would be very interested to hear how you're getting on with this, and I think it is great and very courageous of you to try a method that is a bit more hand's on.

Good luck!

[willitstop]

Thank you for your replies :)
i will make sure i keep this thread on going to keep you all up to date on my highs and lows.
thanks again xx

[Nigel]

Hi willitstop,

Well done for doing something positive to reclaim your old life :yesyes:

One mistake many people make with that sort of therapy is attempting to do too much and in the wrong frame of mind. Responding to situations with anxiety is a bit like a habit – something a person has learnt by repeatedly acting that way until the mind takes over and automatically does it for them.

So if you tackle, say, a supermarket, and go into that situation filled with dread, and walk round the aisles in utter terror, and can’t wait to run out; what sort of message does that send to your mind? It’s saying the supermarket was this awfully scary place filled with danger, that in the end you fled, and now you're safe having escaped it. It just reinforces that old habitual response.

So the secret is to still tackle those situations, but in a way you feel comfortable and safe with. To try and remain calm and relaxed. That way you’re showing you mind that it was wrong; that the supermarket is a perfectly normal and safe place to be, and it will start to reclassify it as such.

Best of luck with it!
I can’t wait to read your updates :)

Nigel

[European]

"So the secret is to still tackle those situations, but in a way you feel comfortable and safe with. To try and remain calm and relaxed. That way you’re showing you mind that it was wrong; that the supermarket is a perfectly normal and safe place to be, and it will start to reclassify it as such." >Nigel

I can't help finding this a bit of a contradiction, as the very nature of the exposure situation implies that one isn't calm and relaxed at all, but in all probability exactly at the other end of the emotional spectrum. I think we have all tried to will ourselves to feel calm and relaxed, or comfortable and safe in a panic situation, and the general reaction is that the panic goes through the roof the more one tries to appease it. Appeasement only makes the perceived danger seem real.

I think what willitstop is trying to do here with exposure therapy is very ground-breaking, and very courageous! But in the same way that it is impossible to make an omelette without breaking any eggs, it will not be possible to deal with anxiety and panic without actually allowing the emotional impact. That is the whole point!

I've personally only done the 'flooding', or 'exposure' gradually, which I believe takes a bit longer, for obvious reasons. But this also depends on the nature of the anxiety, or whether one is suffering merely from a phobia. As harrowing as it was to start with, my general experience has been that the panic subsided very quickly, which was an incredibly empowering feeling. I did it, and nobody and nothing else!

Your experiences with this should be interesting, willitstop, and I hope you'll keep us posted!

[sammie]

good luck exposure therapy if very effective but takes a lot of work on your part

stick with it if you can

sam

[HarrogateChris]

I think it's a really brave and fantastically positive step. I'm looking forward to following your progress :D

:hugs:

Chris

[Fireworks]

Interesting thread, well done and good luck

[_Emma]

Wow ur so brave :) I can't wait 2 hear ur updates, will def be checking back!!!

xxx

[willitstop]

Thank you all for your posts :)
im really excited about the thought of getting my life back after so long :)
I no its going to be a hard road but m wlling o give it everything i have.
i will update here as and when i do things to keep you all upto date.
Thank you all again for your kind replies xx

[graham58]

Good luck! Hope it works out for you.

Best wishes,

Graham.

[shoegal]

Good luck. Please let us know how you are getting on. :flowers:

[Eva May]

Hi willitstop. I'll be starting with a cbt in a few weeks so I can't wait to hear what happens with you, hope it's not too hard :)

[willitstop]

well its being very hard so i have slowed things down, intesive exposure is not for everyone :(

[eternally optimistic]

Hi willitstop

How does this work?