Hi, I was just wondering if we will always have these growth spurts for the rest of our lives. I finished the program 3 years ago and still continue to have growth spurts. My anxiety does not stop me from doing what I want to do anymore. But when I do certain things, out of the blue I have to deal with an episode of dizziness or feeling of unreality. Thanks to the program I am able to do this but it still makes me feel like this will be a lifelong struggle. To be honest it really ticks me off. I am having such a good time and then bang out of the blue I have to do my 2/4 breathing and my positive self talk. It works great! But the point is will I always have to go through it. Does it ever just stop?
Thanks
Kimberlee

Great question, Kimberlee.

I am wondering about that, also. I am going through the program for the 2nd time and I think I am looking for the answer to that question so that I know what to expect. I've been looking for everything (symptoms)to go away and stay away and they're not. Maybe if I knew that I will always have to deal with them, it would make recovery easier--you know, "expect less, get more"!!! (Lesson 4 reference!!!)

Take care.

Lucinda does specify in the tapes that you can have growth spurts for the rest of your life.

I can tell you that since I went through the program more than 7 years ago, I have had fewer and fewer growth spurts and with less and less intensity.

I suspect you were like me, wanting the painful emotional and physical symptoms to go away. You have to look beyond the symptom to what is causing the pain. Only then can you fix the dizziness, feelings of unreality, and all the other physcial reminders of your low self esteem.

I have a poem on my bathroom mirror. "Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger." Each time I felt defeated I asked myself if I was praying to be stronger or praying for an easy life. Each time I realized I was praying for an easy life.

Pray to be stronger and help others be stronger too. We can Attack Anxiety together.

Tammy

Thank-you, breath. I just went over lesson 4 and it really helped. Thanks for the reminder
Blessings
Kimberlee

Tammy,
Thank you for taking the time to help me out with this. What you have said about praying makes sense. I have and continue to pray for the strength to help me through each and every day. Im a little confused though. Are you saying that the dizziness etc.... are caused from having low self esteem? Is this what causes anxiety? If we had high self esteem would we be "cured"? Hmmm this really has got me thinking. If you could explain a little more that would be great
Blessing
Kimberlee

Baked Pears,

I too was wondering about growth spurts. I am now pregnant and still on medication. I was too concerned about getting off meds while being pregant and dealing with all sorts of emotions. I will be having a baby in October however out of the blue I begann to have scary thoughts- what if I hurt the baby or my husband- I know it is so stupid but this actually scares me. Anyway, is this basically arising because I am having a life changing event? Is this normal?

Kimberlee
Sorry I missed your question. Is dizziness caused from low self esteem? Let me trace the anxiety path for you.

First you have a thought. Then your body releases hormones in response to the thought. Next, you have a thought about the body sensation. Depending on whether the thought about the body sensation is positive or negative, you will have an increase or decrease in self esteem.


Example:
Negative: Oh no! I feel dizzy! Dizzy means I am a weak, pathetic, pitiful person. I don't like feeling dizzy and I don't like me. (decreased self esteem)

Positive: Oh no! I feel dizzy. Ok. Slow down. Dizzy means I may be stressing. Could be tense muscles. I don't like feeling dizzy, but I do like me, so I am going to take good care of myself. I'm learning to take better care of myself all the time. I feel really good about taking care of myself. I'm someone I can depend on! (increased self esteem)

Self esteem is the way you "esteem" or respect and honor yourself. Scaring yourself is not being a good friend to yourself.
If you have high self esteem, you have less fear about how your needs are going to be met. Less fear about who will love you. Less fear means less anxiety. Less anxiety means fewer body symptoms like dizziness. So in a way, higher self esteem does help to "cure" you.

Hope this helps
Tammy

Thank you Tammy,
This really makes sense to me now. I wonder why I never really broke down the word "self" "esteem" like that before. You have made it so much more clear to me now.
Thanks so much
Kimberlee