I joined a CBT group which is what I am hearing Lucinda's program is rooted in and I have gone from having panic attacks nearly everyday to not having any at all in a short period of time. The exercise called a TEA form that we learned in the book by Sam Obitz and Michelle Craske taught me how to counter my thoughts and not blow things out of proportion all the time. I have continued working on my TEA forms even though my group has finished and they have become essential for me in keeping my anxieties under control. I am also off of all medication now for the first time in years and feeling fabulous

Wow, that is awesome. How did you find your CBT group? Is that something free in your community? I would like to pursue that, you have provided the motivation. Dianne

Wow! That is awsome. I would also like to know how you found out where there was a group. Thanks for giving the authors names, I am going to look for the book tomorrow.

I just checked online and found a book titled "You Can Change Your Future Not Your Past". I wanted to say "Thanks Again"

Donnamarie
Is that the books she was referring to. I have a lot of panic attacks and would love to know how to get those books and hope I can learn more about how to find out about the group she joined.

Hi Dianne, Donna & BKB. First thank you all for your supportive replies and I am glad it has provided motivation for you Dianne . My group was free other than materials and was started by a recent graduate of UCLA's psychology program who was trying to build her business as a therapist. I noticed that Donna is in Boston and there is a recommended CBT program at Boston University in the back of the book as well as the one at UCLA. I do not know if those are free of charge but they would be worth looking into if you live near either one of them. The book's title is Been There? Done That? DO THIS! but the back cover says you can change your future but not your past at the top. I ordered my copy through the internet direct from the authors homepage which has more info on the book and the complete foreword to the book on the site (www.tao3.com). It's a tiny book and tells the authors story of battling anxiety and is not technical at all except for the part on the exercises he focussed on like the TEA form but even that is pretty basic stuff. I hope I answered all of your questions and have been hlpful to all of you. Sorry for the blanket response, I'm pressed for time this morning.

Hi Chrissy, I'm glad I found this post of yours because I posted a note to you asking where the book by sam obitz book could be ordered on another thread a couple of weeks ago and had not heard back from you yet. My former therapist recommended this book to me a year ago but I never bought it. Now that I have the website I am going to order a copy. Thank you very much for your inspiring note and the website address.

I just saw your other post you mentioned and responded there. I'm glad my story was inspirational to you and hope you find similar success with the book and TEA form exercise

Chrissy I got the book and have started on the tea forms. Thanks again I am more excited about getting better than I have been in a couple of years. See my reply to you on your other thread for more details. Thanks again!

What are these TEA forms? Can you share with us? Please...???

Hello Donna, I just saw your reply so I am sorry I did not get back to you more quickly. The tea form stands for thought-error and analysis. It helps you correct the thinking errors you make that cause anxiety and panic. I have only been doing them for a short time but they seem to be helping me. My biggest concern is I am having some difficulty in catching all the thoughts and do find myself countering a lot of similar ones regularly in them so I may not be getting as much out of them as possible. Any suggestions Chrissy?

This is an interesting thread. However how would you change this thought? I was just up at my daughters school and I went to the school office. I spoke to two different office personel. With each person I felt on edge, hot and off balance. The off balance feeling is the worst. I seem to get it when shopping, talking to others, and even at home. Soooooo......when in the school office I am sooo uncomfortable that all I can think of is getting out of there.
What would be a good remedy for this. How would I need to think in order to stay in that situation without wanting to run????

Thanks,

Coco

Coco2, I get that off balance feeling alot too. I now know it is just anxiety. Some of the things I do to feel more secure is to find something to lean against to steady myself. If I am going shopping even for just one item I will use a shopping cart. That way if I get stuck in a long line at the checkout I can lean against the cart and not feel off balance.

Hi,

I think this forum was for triumphs and I would like to share mine with the group. I used to be anxious everyday. I had panic attacks and could not leave home at times. I could NOT travel. I kept a knotted up stomach and worried about everything. I had obsessived scary thoughts about *******. Little by little I read books got stronger in my faith (Christian). And I feel like I was lead down the path to wholeness. I got Lucinda's program and worked through it and did some Recovery.Inc. meetings which both of these helped tremendously. I can now say that I worry only on occasion, no panics and can travel alone or with others. I do what I want to do and if I feel nervous about something I remember my tools and do it anyway. O really love life and enjoy everyday. I would love to share with others what I have learned but when you go in chat its not about getting better most of the time. Its about cussing and fighting with one another and talking about sex and such as that. Some people in there are very nice and in there for real help the others just distract from others getting the help they need. Its very sad but a fact.
Sandra

Coco I am still learning but I would say the first thing you need to do is find the thought that enters your mind that causes you to feel on edge, hot and off balance because that it is what is causing the anxiety. I'm just speculating here but the thought could be something like I am going to sound stupid to them, or they won't take me seriously. Anyone having those types of thoughts would feel uncomfortable like you did. Both of those thoughts have the error jumping to conclusions in them which is one of the most common thinking errors that cause anxiety and panic. Now the thought you did say in your note was, I gotta get out of here. Again to really feel less anxious you need to get at the deeper thought behind that one that makes you feel that way and I suspect once you counter those thoughts the anxiety will reduce to a manageable level. The hardest part initially is finding those deeper thoughts but the more I practice the better I am getting at catching my problem thoughts and when I do find them the countering really seems to work well. There is also an exercise in the book called putting things back into perspective that is helping me a lot and is useful in helping bring out those deeper thoughts. I hope this is useful for you. I'm still pretty new at this stuff so hopefully Chrissy will see your note and give you more experienced advice on all this stuff.