So many people with anxiety come in to see me for help. Some people who come in are a little bit skeptical because they have tried a multitude of things that have not worked for them. Let me share with you why we are different and what makes our approach so powerful.

Firstly I want to say being a little bit skeptical can be a healthy quality. Skepticism is not good or bad in itself, it only becomes destructive when it’s always ‘on’ and therefore someone has an inability to have an open mind for change, especially when change is exactly what they need.

So why do so many doctors, healers, psychologists, body workers, breathing clinics and therapists fail to treat anxiety effectively?* There are a few reasons why so many people get such limited results when they try to treat anxiety. Before I can explain why and share with you how we are different, I need to explain to you how I see anxiety.

The experience of anxiety is the body being in the fight or flight, or survival mode. When we are in survival mode, we are operating from a different part of the brain and this creates sensations which we label as anxiety.

The metaphor that I like the most is that of a glass. It has a certain capacity to store water in the same way we have a capacity to store stress in our bodies. If we pour too much water in the glass it overflows. Stress is what fills the glass.

If we, in our own lives get to the overflow point from too many (or a high intensity of) life traumas, stress symptoms of anxiety begin to manifest. Now this experience for many can feel like it comes out of nowhere. It may seem random and often we are unconscious if there are any triggers (I would say that there almost always are triggers). The first experience of anxiety for so many people can be so scary if it manifests as a panic attack (this is not the case for everyone with anxiety). We then begin to fear having another panic attack and our thoughts of having another panic attack actually creates more stress and so more drips are filling the glass. This creates more overflow and the cycle is now set in motion. When the glass is overflowing our fight or flight reaction is stuck on!

Drip by drip, the glass fills with life’s stresses and traumas, and then overflows…

One of the main reasons other practitioners don’t have much success is that they address the symptom and not the cause. They are concerned about the overflow of the water and try to deal with that.Drugs don’t do anything to reduce the anxiety long term – they merely cover up the overflow. The water is still overflowing or the glass is still full but the drugs just stop you from being aware of this undesirable experience. Sadly, they themselves are toxic to the body and need to go through an elimination system (liver mainly) and actually place more stress on the body, thus adding even more drips into the glass.Talking about the stresses can be helpful (though stressful for some) and beneficial at eliminating the thinking which is a very important factor. I would say developing a new mindset makes up about 15% of what I do. It’s a vital part BUT only a small part. The reason it is only a small part is due to the fact that when the glass is full, the body-mind is at maximum capacity and stuck in survival mode. Therefore, this creates a thinking that is reactive and defensive in nature. The brain is hardwired to protect you so the thinking is “Am I in danger?” or “What could go wrong?” etc. It’s like you’re walking around still holding onto a shield and a dagger even though the war is long over. My point is you can’t very easily shift your thinking if your body and nervous system is stuck in a defensive, reactive, fight or flight pattern. Now you know what you’re meant to be thinking, you know you should be practicing mindfulness, or experiencing the present moment but your body is screaming “danger”.This is why, here at Inspiring Wellness, we are different. We get to the cause — the nervous system being stuck in a defensive pattern (fight or flight) due to too much stress accumulated in the nervous system from life’s stresses and traumas. We release this and provide new healthy strategies. We work with the body and mind (your physiology) while working on developing a healthier new mindset and helping you become more resourceful and resilient. When the nervous system calms down your thinking shifts from defensive and reactive to being more open, creative and proactive. You will feel calmer and have a sense of peace in life. Of course, it is a process to get to this point but it doesn’t take as long as you might think, especially when many clients have come in after suffering for decades.

 

 

Are you ready for a transformation?

Even though most people walk in to my practice with a healthy amount of skepticism, they walk out with a sense of hope because they are able to finally see how they can make change effectively and break free from anxiety. Lots of people think they have to live with anxiety and this is simply not true! Email me and I look forward to meeting you.

You are only one decision away from your transformation…

If your reading this, living in Auckland, New Zealand and you are ready to make a change and resolve your anxiety, I would love you to email me. Simply click on the Let’s Talk just below. We will be in touch as soon as we can to make an appointment so we can sit down and discuss how I can help you finally be free from anxiety.

If you want more information please look around the website.

 

 

*Please keep in mind that this commentary is coming from my clinical experience, working in private practice. The clients who come to see me have almost always tried multiple things first and none have worked. So from my perspective, it is hard for me to see them as being effective. I am sure they all get some great results, it’s just I have never come across it. Often at best my clients found it helpful at managing the anxiety but not resolving it.

Would you like us to send you, a free information booklet?

 

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