Natural Anxiety Cures/Relief?

[Hervé]

Here is a shoe which could be tried:

CBT: The cure for social anxiety that works for 85% of people

Dr Jeremy Dean PsyBlog
Thu, 15 Jun 2017 00:01 UTC

The most common anxiety disorder is social anxiety disorder.

Cognitive therapy on its own is the best treatment for social anxiety disorder, new research finds.

It is better than just taking drugs and better than taking drugs as well as having therapy.

Cognitive therapy resulted in either a cure or significant improvement in 85% of patients.

(Dr Jeremy Dean's ebook "The Anxiety Plan" is based on cognitive therapy.)

Professor Hans M. Nordahl, who led the study, said:

"We've set a new world record in effectively treating social anxiety disorders.

This is one of the best studies on social anxiety disorders ever.

It's taken ten years to carry out and has been challenging both academically and in terms of logistics, but the result is really encouraging."

Being anxious in some social situations is normal, but those with social anxiety disorders find it hard to live a normal life.

They may experience dizziness, flushing and other acute anxiety symptoms in social situations.

It is common for medications to be prescribed for social anxiety.

Professor Nordahl said:

"Patients often rely more on the medication and don't place as much importance on therapy.

They think it's the drugs that will make them healthier, and they become dependent on something external rather than learning to regulate themselves.

So the medication camouflages a very important patient discovery: that by learning effective techniques, they have the ability to handle their anxiety themselves."

Cognitive therapy works by encouraging people to accept their feelings.

At the same time people try to focus on what they want to say and do in challenging social situations.

Professor Nordahl said:

"We're using what's called metacognitive therapy, meaning that we work with patients' thoughts and their reactions and beliefs about those thoughts.

We address their rumination and worry about how they function in social situations.

Learning to regulate their attention processes and training with mental tasks are new therapeutic elements with enormous potential for this group of patients."

The study followed over 100 people for a year.

Cognitive therapy was easily the best treatment, said Professor Nordahl:

"This is the most effective treatment ever for this patient group.

Treatment of mental illness often isn't as effective as treating a bone fracture, but here we've shown that treatment of psychiatric disorders can be equally effective."

[CBT = Cognitive Behavioural Therapy]


Related:
Let go of your social anxiety by realizing that no one gives a damn

Decreased social anxiety among young adults who eat fermented foods

Cognitive behavioral therapy the best treatment for social anxiety disorder

Is that nervous feeling social anxiety disorder, or is it simply a case of being shy?

Genetic Variation Cues Social Anxiety In Monkeys And Humans

[Tam]

Posted by Wind (here)

Posted by Indigris (here)
eczema

Is a major sign of gut problems, perhaps of candida too. I suffered from a really bad eczema in my hands for years and it too was linked to gut problems & anxiety. At times it was so painful and itchy that I don't even want to express how low it made me feel on a constant basis. I've gotten those skin problems under control with dietary changes and supplements.

Yeah, we found that out too. He's had it all over his body for years, and it's a major disability.

We cut out sugar, processed food, and dairy 100% this month, and intend to keep doing so as long as it takes.


We also minimized gluten intake.

So far his eczema has gotten worse, but I've a feeling that was going to happen. 'It gets worse before it gets better' kind of thing.

Thanks for the insight

[ErtheVessel]

So many good suggestions here, but I want to offer some cautions, too.

Meditation can be very good, but it may not be good for everyone, or at least not for some people at certain stages of their journey. Here is an interesting article about the pros and cons of meditation:

https://plasticbrainblog.com/2015/11...ess-psychosis/

I have studied herbs and various supplements on my own for a number of years, and have tried many, many herbs on myself as a kind of research and self-education as well as to heal myself. (An herbalist who writes insightful books that I would recommend is Matthew Wood.) I want to offer a caution about Wild Lettuce, however (also called Prickly Lettuce).

All healing modalities exist within a context. Herbology does not really exist within the same paradigm as the western medical model. So be aware that herbs have energetic properties including heat and cold. Some herbs will heat the body and some will cool the body - this is specific to the nature of the plant. I have found on myself that Wild Lettuce is very heating. This is a property that will not work favorably for all people. All of us are different. Some people's bodies chill more easily and are dry. Some people's bodies tend to be more moist and warm. Herbs will effect these aspects of your body.

So all I'm saying is to be mindful of these things. If you take an herb, watch your (or your boyfriend's) body's response very closely. Try to make correlations and be aware of subtle changes. Wild Lettuce makes me sleep like I'm drugged, but also gives me night sweats and makes my mouth very dry - so watch for stuff like that. Also another example, the herb California Poppy is supposed to be good for anxiety, but for me, it actually increases anxiety.

Lastly, about ashwaghanda. Ashwaghanda is an herb from the Indian Ayurvedic tradition, which is very ancient and has its own complex context. Within the context of Ayurveda are the three doshas, or types of bodies. Not all bodies, as I stated about, respond well to the same herb. Ashwaghanda, if I remember correctly, is usually used for the Vata dosha, which means it's (put somewhat simplistically) for people who tend to be cold, thin, and wiry. If your boyfriend is not of this constitutional type, this herb may not be useful for him.

In summary, it's good to do research on all of these things on your own, and if you experiment, to be aware that each of us is different and will respond quite differently.

I wish you both much success. Healing is an amazing journey, and a real opportunity to explore oneself. I agree with Bill in post #6 wholeheartedly - healing is both physical and psychological. In my own healing, after many decades of struggle, I discovered that a great deal of my pain, both mental and physical, was rooted in unremembered childhood trauma. And I imagine there is some past life trauma in there as well. Uncovering these psychic wounds can be painful and full of grief, but ultimately well worth the journey.

[norman]

Complete abstention from dramatic fiction, TV and movies does it for me.

I've had 'through the roof' anxiety that was as if it had a will of it's own. Nothing anyone advised me to do would work. I used a prescription knockout to break it off. It stopped. I've since found that if I sit down in front of a TV and absorb fictional drama from it, I soon feel the anxiety returning. I've had it so bad that I don't fool with it once I feel it coming on. I never want to go back to that nightmare.

There's something about actors that triggers me. I can't deal with it.

[Joe from the Carolinas]

Posted by Indigris (here)

I was simply wondering if anyone has had any success holistically/naturally treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

<>

What I'm asking is, essentially, is if anyone has had any luck with methods of healing beyond eating right and exercising regularly. While this undoubtedly has a very good impact, I know it won't suffice to rid him of it entirely, and I was wondering if any of you or those you may know have. Since, by any conventional standard, being diagnosed with GAD or chronic depression or the like is like a terminal sentence; there's pretty much no hope of being 'cured'. It's like a send-off.

I know that this is totally wrong, and that in most cases, something can be done.

I'm open to pretty much anything, so long as you have had/know of real results. I'm aware meditation can help a lot, but he has a very hard time with it due to the nature of his illness, so if you have any tips/methods of meditation, those would be appreciated as well.

Thank you for reading, and I look forward to discussing it with you all

Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (talk therapy with a trained, licensed professional) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of correctly diagnosed major depressive disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder (among others).


I would think an honorable, ethical practitioner would refer someone for empirically-validated talk therapy, rather than go straight to meds... then again, I'm old fashioned

Here's references on cognitive behavioral therapy for GAD:

https://www.div12.org/psychological-...iety-disorder/

[Tam]

We'd love for him to see a therapist, but alas...it is far beyond what we can afford, and his insurance is pretty average, so it won't cover mental health related things, other than meds like Xanax

Thank you for the suggestion, though.

[Joe from the Carolinas]

Posted by Indigris (here)
We'd love for him to see a therapist, but alas...it is far beyond what we can afford, and his insurance is pretty average, so it won't cover mental health related things, other than meds like Xanax

Thank you for the suggestion, though.

You're welcome. Insurance can be quite frustrating. I see that you're located probably on Earth. I'm not sure which country you are in-- but most mental health providers operate on what is called a sliding scale fee (i.e. whatever the client can afford even if they have no insurance). Ya'll might want to look into counseling centers connected with a university, which offer sessions at an extremely affordable rate. I recall a university psychology doctoral program charging patients $5 an hour.

[Tam]

Posted by JoefromtheCarolinas (here)

Posted by Indigris (here)
We'd love for him to see a therapist, but alas...it is far beyond what we can afford, and his insurance is pretty average, so it won't cover mental health related things, other than meds like Xanax

Thank you for the suggestion, though.

You're welcome. Insurance can be quite frustrating. I see that you're located probably on Earth. I'm not sure which country you are in-- but most mental health providers operate on what is called a sliding scale fee (i.e. whatever the client can afford even if they have no insurance). Ya'll might want to look into counseling centers connected with a university, which offer sessions at an extremely affordable rate. I recall a university psychology doctoral program charging patients $5 an hour.

We're in Texas. So, garbage coverage.

I wasn't aware of the sliding scale fee, nor of the university discount. I will certainly look into it.

Thanks so much!

[dynamo]

Many great posts with awesome advice, let me add my own insight from personal experience.
I have been using benzodiazepines (serax, xanax, etc) for decades and was afraid that getting off of them would lead to shock.
I found it rather easy to do by following these steps, many of which are already listed in this thread:
1) "natural", balanced diet, limiting meat. Plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, many times in a blender with cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, nuts, etc. I lost 30 pounds of weight in 3 months and my energy level was sky-high!
2) slowly cutting back on the benzos over the course of 2 to 4 weeks to the point where I was taking none or maybe 1/2 a dose per day (usual dose was 3 full tabs 3 times/day...big difference)
3) removing myself from sources of what I found stressful as much as possible
Granted, I do "yo-yo" back and forth with these steps but when i feel overwhelmed, I try to get back on them as soon as possible.
Getting in shape physically really helps to calm me emotionally.
Good luck to you and your boyfriend, he can do it and with your support, he can do it with greater success!