found a new therapist but i think im getting worse?

[erin626]

I finally got insurance and was able to find a new therapist who I like and am comfortable talking to. However I had a major setback this past weekend.

Saturday I came down with some sort of cold virus. I felt awful and I had a fever for 2 days that went up to 101.8. I nearly lost my mind. I had a severe panic attack over the fever on sunday where I couldn't stop crying or hyperventilating. I am so terrified of being sick with anything that I just lost it.

I discussed this with my therapist on monday but am still pretty shaken up about how anxious the cold made me.

I'm worrying that therapy won't help me. Has anyone ever not benefited from therapy?

[mammo]

I agree that it's too early, be patient with yourself and give therapy some time. Hang in there, you can do this!  Best wishes.

[erin626]

That's what I think my problem is. Talking about things that make me anxious is making me focus on those things. I love my therapist...he's great. He's nice and understanding and a pretty funny guy. I'm just uncomfortable talking about things that make me anxious bc then I focus on them. I've only seen him twice and my next appt is monday. Maybe its just too early to judge about how I'm doing.

[mammo]

Hi.  Often therapy can make us feel worse before we feel better, mainly because we are re-visiting issues or discovering new ones that we thought we had neatly tucked away or had forgotten about.  This shouldn't go on for a real long time, and a good therapist will address one issue at a time before moving on to the next, this is how we get better. I tell people when in therapy if the therapist is talking about something that upsets you, this is when we want to run, but what we really need to do is stay.  This is usually a sign that they are touching on something we don't want to face and deal with.  This is the beginning of a breakthrough for us, and often the idea of facing the issue is scarier than doing it.  If you're with a therapist that jumps all over the place and you feel like nothing is being accomplished, either address this with him/her or find another therapist.  No, therapy doesn't always help, but you owe it to yourself to give it a try.  I personally gained a lot from it, and learned a lot about myself along the way. Be patient with yourself and therapy.  I hope this has helped and take care.

[Alisonj29]

I had a fantastic therapist. She was so funny and calming and even suffered from panic attacks on occasion herself. But for some reason after I saw her I started to realize I was more anxious than before I went. I thought maybe it was just a fluke but after months and months it was the same. I would have horrible anxiety after seeing her. Then I realized that when I saw her I had to talk about the things that made me anxious and other upsetting things. The talking about it was not making me better but making me focus on it all and creating more anxiety. As much as I hated it I had to stop going. Sometimes therapy isnt always the answer. Or maybe that particular therapist or therapy.

[trdofbeingtrd]

I have benifited greatly from the therapist I found. Here are the main tips/techniques I use and even though I can have terrible panic attacks because of these dang norcos, before I got hurt, they helped me conquer my panic disorder, my dp and my dr. Here they are.

Ok, there are pre panic tips and full panic tips.

Let's start with the pre panic tips.

A rubber band around the wrist can help if you use it before the anxiety turns into an anxiety attack. As soon as you start to feel weird you snap the rubber band onto your wrist. For some people, this can "snap" (pun intended) them out of going into the anxiety or panic attack.

When you start to feel the anxiety coming on, think of the most odd thoughts you possibly can. Wonder what a star would look like if it were really a circle in disquise.......how many cattapilars would it take to reach from the earth to saturn if they were drinking caffine. Distracting your thoughts with such bizaare thinking will redirect your mind from getting worse.

Sit down on a bench or chair, put your head between your legs, and force yourself to breathe in deeply, and breathe out deeply. It's when the breathing gets to short and quick that the panic gets worse. At first you might feel like you  can't do it, but with practice, you can.

If you wear correctional glasses, take them off. For some reason sight plays into some peoples anxiety problems.

Ok, now for when you are in an actual panic attack.

Cold water on the face, forehead, neck, and wrists can help calm the anxiety or panic down. If it's cold enough, it's kind of like shocking you out of the attack.

To add to the cold water technique, if you are in full blown panic attack, find ice as soon as you can, put it into some kind of rag or cloth, wet it, and rub it all over your head, face, neck, and behind your ears. Again, the cold shocks the mind out of the anxiety.

Here are some tips to prevent the anxiety and or panic attacks.

Stay away from caffine, as a rule, it is the MAIN reason people suffer from anxiety disorder and panic disorder.

Surround yourself with comedy whenever you start to feel off. Laughter is another technique that can fool the brain into concentrating somewhere else.

Keep a herbal tea you made handy when you are out and about. If you want, as long as you make sure it is safe for you, I will send you some "calm down" recipies that are 100% natural and legal.

If you already know these, and want more, I am more than happy to help. If you need someone to talk to, I am here, just send me a message.