MIND POWER-very interesting

[johnyricer]

I began seeing a phycologist, and so far we've had one session. He first wanted to show me how my anxiety disorder has made my mind weak. He told me to put my right arm out and hold it horizontally. He told me to think about my phobia and try to resist his hand pushing my arm down. He pushed it down quite easily. Then he told me to think about someone i love, and resist his hand pushing my arm down, and he could barely push it down, and he claims he was pushing harder. He then did the same exact experiement, but this time, told me to say " I'll try to resist", and it was hard for me to keep my arm up. Then he did it again but told me to say " I'll do my best to resist", this time my arm he claim he had to push two times as hard for my arm to go down. He said this works with anything to control your body, including involuntary actions. So tell yourself " I'll do my best not to get sick" and it will be harder for your body to do the act.

[grgygrl]

I too have heard that. I always try to tell myself that I wont get sick.

[glitta_fairy]

I don't think it's all that healthy for a psychologist to encourage avoidance like that... I don't want to be able to stop myself from v*ing- I want to be able to do it without fear. But that's interesting that anxiety can actually physically weaken us like that... The power of the mind's scary!


Kayla

[haiku25]

I don't think the psychologist is encouraging avoidance. I think that's just how johnyricer is applying what he's learned to his fear right now. I belive that the psychologist istrying to prove that by thinking positively, you feel stronger and healthier. For instance, if you worry about v* and tell yourself you're getting the sv*, you'll probably get a stomachache and feel n*. This fear of getting the sv* and v* makes us feel vulnerable, weak and out of control. However, if you replace those negative thoughts with positive self-talk like the doctor illustrated, you feel stronger and in more control of the situation so the whole anxiety cycle could be stopped, avoiding rising panic and increased symptoms. If you think about it, it's quite coincidential that we all fear v* and feel n* more than the average population. If you focus on any one part of your body for a few minutes, I guarantee you will feel sensations in that area that you never noticed before. That's what we do by focusing on our fear, magnifying normal bodily functions that most people don't even notice. Then each gurgle, pop, or ache causes our panic to kick in, which increases anxiety levels and symptoms.


Sorry this is so long, but I think about this a lot as I truly believe it is the key to feeling better. Unfortunately, however, I have yet to master this skill. D'oh.