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Topic: generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks - Sundar Naga Started 11 years, 4 months ago
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Posted 11 years ago
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Hi spiritual partners, I have a friend who says that she struggles with what is called generalized anxiety disorder as well as with panic attacks. She experiences the effects of these frequently (hyperventilation, claustrophobia, accelerated heart rate, extreme panic and feelings of fainting, etc.). She panics when in groups of people, especially in class rooms, and have severe panic attacks and feels like she can’t breathe (hyperventilate). It makes it very hard for her to sit through long classes. She gets tingly and irrational with her thoughts and finds it hard to focus on anything other than her anxiety. When I watch what this friend goes through, she appears to be an “avatar” of fear, rather than some specific fp’s being active in her. Do any of you have any suggestions as to how Gary’s teachings can be effectively applied in this case? If so, can you please share? I realize that I am not a therapist and I am cautious about not stepping into that territory. However, if a few words to her, based on Gary’s teachings, can help her face this unfortunate situation in an effective manner, it would be simply great. Any thoughts from you are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. With loving intentions, |
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Posted 11 years ago
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Hi Sundar, I’m not sure if you get the email newsletter Gary & Linda occasionally send out. If so, you may already have seen this. If not, below is what Gary wrote on the topic & distinction between care-taking and care-giving. I’m really not implying that you may be ‘care-taking’ but thought that the read would be a helpful guide for you to check-in with your intentions. After u read it you may feel like you’re genuinely care-giving and not care-taking. “Here is another example. Some people feel good about helping others, and they do so often. They do not realize that their good deeds have a second agenda. They want to be appreciated. When a care-taker gives and gives and does not receive appreciation, thanks, or even acknowledgement, she becomes resentful. Her resentment grows over time and eventually turns to anger, and then explodes at the person who is not thankful or appreciative. People at first enjoy her care-taking, but after a while, they avoid it, unless they desperately need it, because it feels “sticky.” It comes with strings attached, unspoken obligations, and people do not like it. The more they resist it, the more unappreciated the care-taker feels, the more resentful she feels, and the angrier she becomes. If you are a care-taker, is this what you want to create? If so, continue to caretake, and you will. |
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Posted 11 years ago
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Hi Sundar, I would and have offered Gary’s Seat of the Soul book. Have you looked at what you can learn from your own reaction to your friend’s “anxiety disorder”? And looking at “face this unfortunate situation” could be ripe with learning and creating authentic power. I have learned and experienced so much about creating Authentic Power when I look at my own/fp perceptions about how I see others. When I change my perception to seeing them as a soul with their own work to do here in the earth school, I get a very different picture. Blessings, Pam |
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Posted 11 years ago
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Hi Sundar, I have had numerous ‘panic attacks’ for years before I started learning about creating Authentic Power and even in the years since. At one time I would’ve considered them chronic, but now they are not as frequent. What has helped me the most and continues to help me is using the Spiritual Partnership Guidelines, particular the part about noticing (really feeling) the physical sensations in my body and taking a step back and noticing my thoughts. I now know that if I am having a panic attack (or the reverse, experiencing overwhelming depression), it is because I have very strong frightened parts of my personality active that are believing stories that I am not safe or loveable in this world. It takes all of my will to sit with myself and feel the full force of that fear and then choose to do what I think is the most healthy thing in that moment. Like Eric and Pam said, I think if you are able to use the guidelines yourself and be clear of how that works in your own life, then you can use your intuition to see how best to help your friend. The greatest gift you can give your friend is creating authentic power yourself. With Love, David |
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Posted 11 years ago
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Hi Eric, Thank you so much for your important, fair warning. Yes, I do get Gary’s emails and I am well aware of the quoted email. It is not care-taking; it is care-giving. I know for sure that I have no secondary agendas. I am going to reveal a secret here, which I thought was not really necessary to reveal earlier. It happens to be one of my current students. I consider all my students so dear to my heart. My experience in my long teaching career is that they understand how concerned I am about their welfare, they trust me and they confide in me even their personal stories when a necessity arises and ask for my advice. Of all the ones I have heard so far (and kept inside myself), this is the one that has completely broken my heart. As I said in my first post, this case appears to me not like an active fp, but a personification (or “avatar”) of fear itself. I participate in different forums, but my most favorite forum is this one. I really wanted to know what the other spiritual partners might want to say about this situation. I value any and every input from the spiritual partners on this forum. Hi Pam, You are right. I also thought along the same lines. On the day of my first meeting with this student, I had taken my copy of the Seat of the Soul and offered for her to keep it and read. I made some introductory remarks to help her make the connection and then wanted her to read the book. But, looking inside the book and realizing how profusely I had written comments on many of the pages and underlined many of Gary’s important statements, she hesitated to take it with her. She was afraid she might lose it or something and it would affect me a lot. I told her I would bring another copy. But, when I searched for it at home, I realized I had already given it to someone else. So, I took the audio version of the book to give to her after the next class period. It happened to be a long dry lab period. She left the class after a few minutes. Then, when she came back, she wanted to talk with me outside. We did and I was very supportive of her. She wanted to walk around. I told her to come in any time she felt ready. She didn’t (and I couldn’t give her the audio version, which she knows I had brought). After that, I had one lecture period. She didn’t show up at all. I am thinking of sending an email this weekend before our class on Monday. Pam, thank you so much for catching my phrase and bringing it to my attention: “face this unfortunate situation”. Yes, there is nothing unfortunate about what the Universe does. Everything has a reason and is simply due to its compassion and love for everybody. As you say, it must be ripe with learning and creating authentic power. And, as you say, I also get a very different picture when I look at others as souls with their own work to do here in the earth school. Hi David, It was so nice talking with you during the last call of the Authentic Power course. Thank you for sharing your experience here. It is very helpful. I feel that I need to do the best I can in this case. I think it is a question of somehow transferring Gary’s teachings as much as possible and helping this individual start thinking along those lines. You are right, it is all about authentic power. Please continue to provide me with input on this important issue. With loving intentions, |
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