We are undeniably living in challenging times. Pandemics, wars, and the absence of any stability highlight that we can rely only on our internal values. In the present, a large number of people are suffering from anxiety disorders and panic attacks. Many attempt to cope with their anxiety through medication, food, alcohol, or drugs.
Let’s take a different perspective on anxiety or panic attacks.
Imagine that your anxiety could speak. What form or shape would it take? Perhaps it would come to you as a person or a creature. How would it look?
If you manage to encounter the image of your anxiety, try to feel what is happening to you. It is no longer inside you; it is separate from you, allowing you to understand that you cannot directly feel the anxiety. Now, you are in direct contact with it, with its image.
Start by observing whether your energy increases or decreases in its presence.
The most interesting aspect is that the majority of clients who come for counseling or psychotherapy note that the energy level actually increases upon encountering their anxiety.
What comes out is that the reluctance to do something with this energy compels people to suppress it using medications, food, or, in some cases, trying to discharge it through uncontrolled masturbation, sex, or exhaustive physical work, including physical experiences during panic attacks.
If your unconscious generates such a significant amount of energy, it likely wants you to finally take certain steps, to dare to do something for which you previously lacked the resources or experience.
Invite your anxiety to the table or for a walk. Make it your ally.
Often, when clients come with complaints of heightened anxiety or panic attacks, I metaphorically present an example to them:
“Imagine that you are traveling, gradually exploring the world, and it becomes understandable to you. At some point, you approach the edge of a large, mysterious forest. What would you most likely feel? Most likely, it would be anxiety. Going back may not make sense, and entering the unknown darkness does not seem particularly appealing. The forest appears dark and unexplored, and you don’t know who or what might be there. Perhaps it is dangerous, and then anxiety can be your protector, a guide with a lot of energy. On the other hand, just beyond a short stretch of darkness may lie a bright, incredibly beautiful world. In this case, anxiety can become your friend, a teacher for exploring and adapting to it.”
The choice is always ours—getting rid of something new and unknown or, on the contrary, moving towards it, developing, becoming a better version of ourselves.
Combining medication for anxiety or panic attacks with psychotherapy yields a much faster and lasting result compared to solely medication-based treatment.
The goal of psychotherapy is to help understand oneself, not just alleviate symptoms.
The goal of resource psychology and psychotherapy is to help individuals understand and accept themselves, learn to rely on themselves, and then on the external world.
Article by: Ivan Dmytryk , MD, psychologist-psychotherapist, Chairman of the Association of Resource Psychology and Psychotherapy.