That's a very common fear - remember from the video: anxiety = overestimation of danger + underestimation of coping When we remember our strengths and that we can cope with failure and the difficulties that life throws us, we feel less anxious. If you have trouble making a coping plan for your "worst case scenario" a good cognitive therapist can help you develop that skill.
I too very much appreciate your work Dr. Korol. I currently live in Taiwan, where CBT is extremely rare. From the moment they meet you, docs just want to put you on meds. Good to see some in your profession still believe in talking and thinking things through.
Cognitive therapy is an effective treatment for anxiety & worry and I've had good results using it in my practice....and on myself! Cure doesn't mean we get rid of all anxiety though. Just like we wouldn't disconnect a smoke detector because it went off when the toast burns, we don't want to completely ignore our internal alarm system. Anxiety is there for a reason - and we want to cope well with it when it arises, reduce the false alarms & stop the worrying that keeps us going in circles.
Absolutely! I just moved to Vancouver and I'm slowly getting organized. I should start making more videos in October 2013 - so stay tuned. I think a video on PTSD is a great idea and the answer is absolutely yes, there is help for PTSD. Cognitive therapy is a very effective treatment. To find a local therapist who might have training in this area please check the Academy of Cognitive Therapy's website.
Thank you! I'm happy that you are enjoying the videos - and that your are getting help for your anxiety. I started making these videos for my patients so they could watch them in between therapy sessions and speed up treatment. It's great to hear that this is working for you too!
This is amazing. I'm currently suffering from GAD and depersonalization, but this has instantly helped me see what's wrong with me and explained nicely. Again, thank you!
Hi Carl - I'm glad that you took the time to talk to your doctor about your headaches. If you're starting to feel down about your anxiety and headaches (and I have seen many people with both) it may be time to talk to a therapist who can help reduce your anxiety and/or cope better with the headaches. There's some good research on meditation (in addition to medical intervention) being helpful for headaches so you might check out my meditation video too or find a meditation group near you.
Oooohhh...you bring up such a good point! I could do a whole class on this one. This is why so many of us with anxiety are baffled - because we often can find a number of "scary" things that we can do without problem but while other things cause us panic. Arousal is arousal - and when you expect it (like when your skydiving) it's no problem - but if you think you're going crazy or dying (typical of panic attacks) then it stops you in your tracks.
I don't agree 100% with you. I have been suffering GAD for 6 years but I am a snowboarder, paraglider and skydiver. It's a different kind of rush. It is very strange as I fear dying from my symptoms (especially the heart palps) but don't fear doing those activities more then the rest that do them and really enjoy doing them.
I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling with vertigo. I hope you have a good team helping you - your doctor, a physiotherapist who specializes in vertigo and possibly a psychologist who has expertise in helping people cope with difficult medical conditions or behavioural medicine.
Hi Christine, Thank you for all of the great videos. Quite informative. I have some very difficult times with my sleeping. I am 57 years old and sometimes I average only 4 hours a night. I believe that a great cognitive therapist can be difficult to find in that insomnia has a lot of different factors involved in the problem. You really have a "onion" that has many layers to peel away to get to the core of or true cause of the problem.
I think cognitive therapy is pretty amazing, too! I'm glad that you found the video helpful. For the record, I never think there is anything wrong with someone because they have thoughts that increase their anxiety - it just feels lousy. But, I agree, that it does help to understand what's happening when you're feeling anxious. I really wish that these strategies were taught in schools because it would save a lot of suffering - but for now I'll settle for youtube! :-)
There is a great deal that can help anxiety and panic - but the only info I can provide here can be of a general, educational nature. Fortunately, there are many great cognitive therapists around the world. Depending on where you live, there are local cognitive therapy associations or your family doctor might be able to recommend someone in your community. You should also see your family doctor if you think you might be having asthma attacks to get that checked out and treated first.
Well, I am a psychologist, not psychiatrist - so I can't prescribe meds (talking is all I've got...lol). I think your best bet for finding a cognitive therapist near your is to contact the psychology department at a local university. I peeked at the National Taiwan University Psychology Department website and many of the Clinical Psychology faculty were trained abroad and locally. If they don't use CBT someone there might point you in the right direction.
Hi Stormy - There are a few different things that could be causing the type of anxiety you describe. My best advice is to see your family doctor and a psychologist familiar with anxiety disorders to give you more specific advice based on their diagnosis. The strategies and treatment plan can be quite different depending on the specific anxiety disorder diagnosed and I'm not able to provide those sorts of recommendations here.
Thank you so much for these videos! Do you think these practices can be used for anxiety stemming from chronic pain? Thank you again - and by the way, I liked that you didn't edit the ending, it makes it more natural and it makes me more easily relate to you and your teachings. Many blessings of much love!
i have a really big fear of death and it makes me not want to go do things like going on roaller coasters because i always think "what if " something goes wrong and it collapses or in a car im afraid of crashing and i do that with everything and at night i even think someone is going to break in and kill me and i lock my bedroom door and windows and i hear things that arent really there but its not voices,so how do i cope with that if its something you wont be able to controll after it happens?
Once you visit your family physician to rule out any physical problems, it is a good idea to see a good cognitive therapist to teach you how be less afraid of the physical symptoms of anxiety - your family doctor might even be able to recommend someone they know in your community. There is so much that can be done to help those of us with anxiety feel better - don't hesitate to reach out to find help.
This can be explained by the concept of misattribution of arousal - first described (I believe) by Don Dutton, a psyc prof at UBC. RU-vid won't let me post a link here - but google "Don Dutton Capilano Bridge study" and you should find a good description on straight.com (a Vancouver mag) Arousal is arousal - but how we think about it determines our experience of it. Cool, huh?
Hi! I haven't heard of a definition that referred to anxiety as a permanent state of worry and nervousness. It's hard for me to say what they might have meant without seeing the definition in context. Anxiety is a tense emotional state, but it is not permanent (even if you have an anxiety disorder it will go up and down throughout the day). Anxiety is also very treatable - so I'm stumped too about what they might have meant by it being permanent. :-)
Hi Anshuman, It can take some practice to learn how to consistently challenge your anxious thoughts. You should look for a psychologist who treats people with health anxiety and can help you worry less about your symptoms and possible diagnoses. I also like the book Feeling Better by Barsky and Deans and the Centre for Clinical Interventions has a great free workbook on health anxiety (you'll have to google it because youtube won't let me post links).
Hi! I have been diagnosed positional vertigo and this causes a lot of anxiety and even depression coz i cant do the things i used to enjoy doing. A vertigo is hard enough to cope at home so i worry about having it outside. My triggers could be a slight dizzynes or humming in my eras and "hello anxiety" + more anxiety = more dizzyness. :(
Thank you Christine! I appreciate your help and thoughts very much. Will look into some Cognitive Therapists in Denver, CO. Wish you great success in your practice. Best, Dan :)
i get bad anxiety when i'm waiting for something to happen... i'll start walking around my house and my heart will start to race. other times it just strikes randomly, i'll be sat down and all of a sudden i'll notice my heart is beating really fast, i can actually sometimes see my heart beat through my t shirt - it has actually got to the stage sometimes when i have had to hide my heartbeat from someone say next to me because i was so anxious. i take beta blockers sometimes...
Finishing up my note from below (youtube only lets you posts responses that are so long): It looks like there is an Asian Cognitive Therapy Conference but I had trouble finding out much more because of the language barrier for me. I imagine that there is an Asian Cognitive Therapy Association who might have a therapist directory. If anyone else has any info, it would be great if you could post it here. I do get many people who ask me how to find someone in their part of the world! :-)
The Academy of Cognitive Therapy has a great website with international listings of certified cognitive therapists. That would be a great place to start a search.
Hi Christine,I have a fear that I have one or many disorders of the mind.I've diagnosed myself with scizophrenia,social anxiety,insomnia,language disorder,thought disorder and many more.I did CBT coupled with mindfulness on my own & it really helped.I could see that I wasn't genuinely afflicted with any of those conditions,it was the "what if" anxiety of having those that had me worried but recently my job has been stressful & those fears r returning how can i be more consistent wid my thinking?
Thanks, Tobias! I draw my cartoons on a Cintiq and I thought that I should use that nice piece of equipment for the videos too. My husband is also a big help - he's my IT dept :-)
Hello Christine! First of I would like to say thank you for you all that you do! Your helping so many people! What brought me here is my extreme GAD ive been suffering from. Ive also been suffering from Headaches for the last 2yrs (Daily 24/7). Feels like Tension headaches but one doctor said its most likely migraines. Have you ever worked with anybody that has related systems? I've tried always everything and i'm really getting desperate and its making me really depressed :( HELP!!!
