Bronwyn Fox
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Bronwyn Fox |
 About Bronwyn Fox  View The Anxiety / Panic Archives |
 "Power Over Panic" |
(Bronwyn Fox's 2nd visit to Power Surge) Dearest: Tonight's guest is BRONWYN FOX, the author of "Power Over Panic: Freedom From Panic/Anxiety Related Disorders" and the The 2nd edition, Power Over Panic, plus the wonderful audio cassette, Anxiety Panic: Taking Back the Power Bronwyn doesn't just speak and teach about anxiety and panic, she lived with it! Having been housebound with panic disorder/agoraphobia for over two years, one day she discovered the power of Mindfulness Meditation, which helped her gain control over her fears and she's been involved in the area of Anxiety Disorders since. Bronwyn co-founded PADA, Australia's Panic Anxiety Disorder Association. Her Panic Anxiety Management Workshop is in every capital city in Australia. She also does workshops online, on her Web site, The Panic Anxiety Hub. Leading anxiety disorder specialists have assessed her workshop to be 85% effective for people who experience an Anxiety Disorder. Great to have you back in Power Surge, Bronwyn. Anxiety, fear, shock, resentment, insomnia, depression, the loss of a feeling of security are at epidemic levels since the traumatic events of September 11th. One can't turn on the tube without hearing about more biological warfare scares. How do we even begin to cope with these horrifically overwhelming feelings? Bronwyn Fox: It is great to be back Alice. There is no doubt the horror you are all experiencing and the way through this is to know and accept that the levels of fear and anxiety that everyone is experiencing is very normal, very normal, and it is so important for everyone to allow themselves to feel what they are feeling. I know that sounds difficult but many people fight these feelings and/or if people already have an anxiety disorder the normal feelings of this normal anxiety can be added into the mix of anxiety disorder anxiety which then makes everything so difficult. Alice if I may, can I take a couple of minutes to explain in detail what I mean? Dearest: Of course you may :) I think we all need it! Bronwyn Fox: As Alice said in the introduction there is a whole range of emotions that everyone is experiencing. The trauma and grief of the actual events of 11th September, the loss of a way of the way of life since these events, the grief for this loss, the ongoing daily horror of the ongoing threats. We all need to understand that the feelings of grief and loss are going to be very strong and these need to be worked through at our own pace and in our own time. Sometimes with professional help. The ongoing horror and fear is, as I said, producing normal high anxiety. There is a lot we can do to help ourselves and that is allowing ourselves to feel what we are feeling but also being very mindful and not adding into the mix on going thoughts of "what if", etc. We need to pay careful attention to our thoughts and deal with things as they are right now not what we think could happen. Dearest: Thank you, Bronwyn, for that wonderful and caring explanation :) Bronwyn Fox: Thank you HSpec: I teach high school freshman in NYC, just 7 blocks from ground zero.As you can imagine there is extreme feelings of anxiety amongst my students.Unlike adults, they have far fewer skills for dealing with this trauma. As their teacher how can I help them cope? Bronwyn Fox: Firstly, as you would be doing, allowing them to talk through their experiences, talking about the current situation as it is each day, but also paying attention to the thought processes of what if all the horror scenarios of what could happen. These thoughts will only create more distress and it would be of benefit for you to learn some cognitive skills that you could teach the children so that they can stay with what is and not what could be. Dearest: Wonderful answer, Bronwyn. It's so comforting having you here at this time, especially. HSpec: Thank you-you have given me the first solid piece of advice Bronwyn Fox: Thank you both! Jeanc40: After two years I think its time for more than Xanax. I have Buspar, Effexor or Prozac to choose from but I am very leery of going on any of these Bronwyn Fox: You need to look at this decision very carefully. Xanax is very addictive and people can become addicted within 2 - 4 weeks as this is a shorter acting tranquilliser. If you become addicted you can experience withdrawal symptoms every 4 -6 hours and these include panic attacks and anxiety, so I would speak with your doctor and see what alternatives they can offer. I need to add if anyone is taking Xanax they must not under any circumstances go cold turkey. Any withdrawal does need to be done under medial supervision and that applies to any other medication as well. Jeanc40: They offer the antidepressants, but I am afraid of side effects. Bronwyn Fox: Unfortunately, all medication has side effects, but that does not mean you will. Speak with your doctor and discuss it thoroughly together. DeeDee: I don't know if I am off topic here, but can low blood pressure contribute to anxiety and panic? Bronwyn Fox: Interesting question and one I have been trying to find out about for years because so many people with panic disorder have low blood pressure. DeeDee: Okay I notice that when my blood pressure drops my anxiety levels rise. Joa: I don't worry about much, but every single time I hear a police siren, I imagine that someone I love has been hurt. Why do I think that, and how can I stop it? Thanks. Bronwyn Fox: It may be doing so because you could be thinking What if...Oh no here it comes again. Joa, this is another common fear. I am not sure of your circumstances or why you are having these thoughts but this is where mindfulness / cognitive techniques can help you work through this. Panickedmel: I have had panic disorder for about a year now and was doing cognitive therapy but it doesn't seem to be working. Is there any other options for me to look at? Bronwyn Fox: Panick, there would be a reason why it is not working. Have you discussed this in detail with your therapist? With CBT we sometimes need to be working with it every waking moment Panickedmel: She said to just to keep working at it! Bronwyn Fox: Sometimes, I use mindfulness which is a bit different than normal CBT. We don't use thought replacement, we use a technique of letting go. Panickedmel: How does it work? Bronwyn Fox: Far to detailed for me to go into detail here. It is on our website if you are interested. Dearest: For those who don't know, CBT - cognitive behavioral therapy. Panicked, if you have additional questions, please type another question mark to screen. We have others waiting with questions. LisaMarie: I cannot afford to take prescription drugs-is there an natural remedy I can take to help relieve my anxiety? I seem to have all of the symptoms of panic/anxiety disorder, including the low blood pressure. I am not the best person for my husband and kids to be around these days. Is there another alternative? Bronwyn Fox: I don't usually recommend any specific medication herbal or prescribed because everyone is different and has different reactions. Can you speak with perhaps your doctor or pharmacist who can advise you, plus you can look at meditation/mindfulness or CBT. Dearest: LisaMarie, you can also E.mail me at Dearest@aol.com and I'll send you additional information plus Bronwyn's info as well. ATHENA, GO AHEAD, PLEASE. Bronwyn Fox: Thanks Dearest LisaMarie: Thank you Athena: Back to ansiolitics - I am taking the wrong thing - Lorezapam or Bromazepam (1 mg). Anti-depressants do not agree with me and I don't suffer from depression. I'm looking for natural products not drugs (like everyone). What could you suggest? Sorry, my question has just been answered I believe. Bronwyn Fox: Meditation/mindfulness or CBT really works! This is how I am. So many have recovered. Athena: Thank you Dearest: Bronwyn, could you take a moment to explain to everyone here how your online seminar works for those suffering from anxiety and panic disorder? Thanks. I should add that I attended it and found it excellent. I was surprised :) Bronwyn Fox: I run a six week program on line. I am now going to be using the text of my new work book, Working through Panic which was released last week. Bronwyn Fox: During the program I will be teaching people about meditation and mindfulness. I have found working online in the programs to be really beneficial and I know how much it is assisting people to work with their disorder. Dearest: I must say that, although I, of all people, shouldn't have doubts about online support and help. I did, but I was very pleasantly surprised to find it so effective in helping me deal with my own anxiety. Thank you! Bronwyn Fox: Thank you Dearest. Even I was surprised at how effective it is. Jeanne: I think I can tell anxiety from hormone imbalance and other types of anxiety. There seems to be a real different feeling, am I right, is there a difference? (and I feel wooky a lot by the way) Bronwyn Fox: Yes, Jeanne, there is a difference and seeing this can really help you work through it all. Jeanne: Cool :) Thank you Diva: Although I've had panic attacks and panicky feelings for about 12 years, in the past year, it's turned into full-blown agoraphobia, I can't leave the house without someone with me.. How do I begin to break this cycle? Especially the feelings of shame and frustration. Bronwyn Fox: Let's take the shame first. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I know I can say that, but you need to look at all the reasons why there isn't and you need to believe them. It is not your fault that this has happened and you can use the feelings of frustration, to help you become disciplined in working with Mindfulness or cognitive therapy. Our feelings of frustration can be used in very effective ways. It is called 'Recovery with attitude'! Can you see a CBT therapist? Diva: I'm not sure if there's one in my area. Bronwyn Fox: We have links to CBT therapists on our website. You can email me and I can send them to you. Diva: Thanks for the kind words, Bronwyn. I'll get in contact with you. Bronwyn Fox: Thank you! Panickedmel: I have been having CBT but it's not working? Bronwyn Fox: I am not sure why your therapist is not able to assist you with the difficulties you are having. Could it be that you are not believing the rational responses that you need to make with the CBT techniques? Dearest: What about the feelings of helplessness people are experiencing, the loss of that secure feeling, like everything is out of control and there is nothing we can do. Any strategies for addressing those feelings? Bronwyn Fox: Yes, Dearest there is. Although the external situation is beyond our control there is much we can do to help ourselves. We can ensure that we are taking care of our mental health. That means allowing ourselves to work through our feelings, allowing ourselves to feel the very normal feelings of anxiety in this situation, making sure we take time out to help our stress anxiety levels by becoming disciplined in a relaxation technique or meditation and by working with out thinking and staying with what is not what could be and we can follow the advice of Leaders of the country and do what we can to help us feel relatively safe within our own environment. Dearest: How about immediate things like exercise, walking, listening to music instead of the NEWS! Bronwyn Fox: Yes Dearest, definitely! Exercise and walking can help us to ease the feelings of the fight and flight response. Dearest: Thanks, Bronwyn. Debrikkia: I had my first real "physical" anxiety attack while bowling, years ago. I didn't bowl again until recently. It has happened again, each time. I do not understand why this happened, as I have bowled for years, and always enjoyed it. Any suggestions for getting over this? Bronwyn Fox: How are you approaching this -- when you go to bowl are you thinking "What if...?" This is where cognitive work is so important. We need to see how our thoughts are creating so much of our distress Debrikkia: I am not aware of doing that, although it is possible. I literally freeze, and can't move. Dearest: Deb, that is exactly how it happened to me years ago, but I wasn't bowling. It was during a rainstorm and every time it rained for years, I had the same experience. I think it sets up a "fear" pattern, yes, Bronwyn? Bronwyn Fox: There would be a series of thoughts that bring you to this point. Yes Dearest, it is and our thoughts set us up for it time and time again. When we can see our thought processes we begin to understand how it all happens and we can then do something about it. Debrikkia: Makes sense - thanks, and thanks Dearest, it helps to know I'm not the only one--you certainly feel like it when no one understands. DeeDee: How can I start to overcome this new fear of being alone which started when I started an anti-depressant. I have been trying staying alone for 1/2 an hour or so at a time. Bronwyn Fox: Again, it comes back to how you are thinking about it...It is the way that we think that turns on the anxiety and panic. If you are thinking to yourself how can I be alone, "what if". I am trying to stay by myself, but "what if", etc. All this is doing is increasing the anxiety/panic. This is why learning a cognitive technique is so important DeeDee: Yes, that is true. What if there is a fire and I'm afraid. Stuff like that? Bronwyn Fox: What can you do to help you feel safe when you are alone? DeeDee: I'm not sure because what I am afraid of is real. Bronwyn Fox: What type of emergency plans can you put into place so that you know what you can do if something happens and once you have done that then you need to do the work on your thinking? DeeDee: I have thought of all of that Dearest: Bronwyn, why don't you give DeeDee your E.mail address? Bronwyn Fox: Yes DeeDee it is real and this is where we need to work with it. My email address is aphub@bigpond.com Dearest: Thanks. EileenG: I grew up thinking it was good to anticipate every little thing that might happen in the future. I am trying to change that now. What one thing would you advise I tell myself when I start to do this? I have always gotten a lot of "strokes" for being the "prepared one" but I know it has hurt my emotional and physical health-- but It's been difficult to let it go. I'm ready to do it though! Bronwyn Fox: Good on you! It is learning to take one day at a time, and work with it as it is, cognitively. It is knowing that you can deal what comes your way as it is, rather than what is anticipated and it is learning to trust yourself and have confidence in you....this way you give the strokes to yourself and this is really mentally healthy. EileenG: Thanks Bronwyn -- that was really helpful! Bronwyn Fox: Thank you! Yuenlan: I am depressed and I am having anxiety too.slightest things can worries and irritates me (especially regarding my son-I feel that I am responsible for what he is now---can't read and having some attitude problems towards learning. He is going to be 7 years old. I blame myself for it!) Bronwyn Fox: Blaming yourself is only going to increase your anxiety and depression, as you know, and that means you go around and around in circles. Yuenlan: I can't help it Bronwyn Fox: What can you do at this point to assist your son? Yuenlan: I am in tears a lot of times. Bronwyn Fox: I can understand. When I say assist your son, I meant have you spoken to him and asked him? Yuenlan: Yes, I did. Bronwyn Fox: Are you able to ask him what he needs and what you can both do together to help him through this? It would also be of benefit for you to be able to speak with someone to take some of the personal pressure from you. By that I mean coming to understand, that you are not to blame. Yuenlan: He just want to play and thinks that learning is too difficult for him. That why I am writing now, thanks for listening. Bronwyn Fox: I am not sure what country you live in, but here in Australia they have school counsellors that can assist with learning difficulties. Wildflowers: I am in the process of medical tests to find out why I feel short of breath and dizzy (at times, this has subsided, the breathing has not too much), anxiety has been brought up as a possibility..all started while driving..what do you consider to be low blood pressure? Mine is (today) 117/74, usually is 110/80 Bronwyn Fox: With low blood pressure, I don't have a specific reading that I use. I simply go on what people tell me their doctor has said. Wildflowers: Mine says it's normal. Jeanne: I have taken Xanax off and on for about a year since my stroke and heart attack all within a year. I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms at all, isn't it an individual thing? Bronwyn Fox: Yes, it is. Very much so Jeanne: Just wanted to clear that up for us that take it. Bronwyn Fox: Thanks, Jeanne. Athena: Back to ansiolitics (again!) :-) but out of curiosity, do you think that sedatives/antidepressants produce lack of concentration, memory loss etc. even on a short-term basis? Bronwyn Fox: Athena, the symptoms you mention can also be very much part of anxiety panic and depression symptoms and so it is again very individual, if you notice these have increased as a result of your medication you can speak with your doctor about this and be advised by what they say. Athena: I understand but I wondered if independently they can be produced by the medication. Bronwyn Fox: You can always check out the side effects of the individual drugs. Athena: Thanks Irene: I have had episodes of anxiety/panic since I was an adolescent (am now 58). After 20 years of virtually no panic and only occasional anxiety I went into full blown anxiety with some panic in October of last year getting increasingly worse for a few months and is still a problem for me over a year later. The anxiety started after my 12 year old daughter was struck by a vehicle getting of her school bus. She is fine and fully recovered. I'm currently taking Tranxene with little effect. Bronwyn Fox: Irene, the trauma of the experience could have triggered it again. Are you seeing someone that works with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? They would be able to assist you. Irene: No I am not. Bronwyn Fox: Can you speak with your doctor and ask for a referral to a PTSD specialist? Irene: Yes I can thank you. I guess I wasn't looking at it as PTSD. Bronwyn Fox: Irene, it sounds as if it could be. Wildflowers: I have tried cognitive therapy years ago, and yes it does work, wasn't for anxiety then..a weird mother in law LOL. Do you think I should try this again or wait for these tests which could take 6 weeks at the least? Also am in the perimenopause years -- I just don't relish the idea of more appointments if it's not anxiety, maybe a good book on this would help meanwhile. I was just prescribed Xanax to be used as needed. It helps, but don't take much. Bronwyn Fox: I think it is a good idea for you to wait until you know, but it is also a good idea to start working with CBT now. This way it can help you work with the anxiety that you may be feeling waiting to find out what is exactly wrong. Wildflowers: Thank you. Dearest: Bronwyn, can you give a brief description of CBT - cognitive behavioral therapy to the audience? Bronwyn Fox: CBT teaches you to look at your thoughts and to see how they create so much of our anxiety and panic. Included in this is looking for the evidence that supports your thoughts. For example, the panic disorder fear of what if I go insane? Where is the evidence that supports that thought and people with panic disorder do not go insane..there is no evidence and so the thought is replaced with 'I am not going to go insane. I have been reassured by my doctor that this won't happen'. The problem is some people do not believe the thought replacement let alone the evidence!! With mindfulness we do things differently. We take thinker out of thought, whereas CBT uses thought to combat thought. With mindfulness, we teach people to stand back from it and see how moment to moment how it all happens - thought, anxiety/panic and seeing how it all happens shows us very clearly why there is nothing to fear and rather than thought replacement we teach people to let the thought go and let themselves feel what ever they are feeling. And when people can do this, the anxiety panic stops. Dearest: Thank you for that explanation, Bronwyn. Harper: What do you believe are most effective treatments (medication,natural remedies, types of therapy) for Post Traumatic Stress? Do you think Hakomi therapy is an effective, lasting treament? Bronwyn Fox: I have not heard of Hakomi so I can't comment on this. But the most effective therapy can be a combination of medication and working with a PTSD therapist on the specific trauma through therapy and cognitively. With PTSD I do feel that it is also important to be working with a PTSD therapist. Harper: Hakomi is basically what you spoke of, body-centered mindfulness. Thank you. Dearest: Bronwyn, thanks for staying overtime to answer our questions and thank you for another fascinating chat. I can't recommend Bronwyn Fox's book, Power Over Panic enough. The 2nd edition will be available at the end of this month. You can visit Bronwyn's Web site, The Anxiety Hub, at http://www.panicattacks.com.au and E.mail her at aphub@bigpond.com. Bronwyn Fox: Thank you, Dearest. Good night, everyone. Take care Dearest: Goodnight, Bronwyn and everyone. See you at next Thursday's guest chat on the Web site at: www.power-surge.com/chat.htm Read Bronwyn Fox's first transcript Read Bronwyn Fox's third transcript Read Bronwyn Fox's fourth transcript Disclaimer: Every guest in Power Surge is a highly respected professional whose opinions are his/her own. An appearance in Power Surge does not constitute an endorsement of a guest's views. None of these transcripts may be reprinted or reproduced without the express permission of Power Surge™ and the respective guest. Read other transcripts by returning to the Library. Dearest aka Alice Stamm Power Surge Founder, Facilitator, Host Copyright©1994-2008 by Power Surge. All Rights Reserved.