A client, who we will call Ms A, has given The Clinical Hour, permission to share her story with you to illustrate the example of last week’s post (dancing with the worry). Ms A had embarked on a very stressful time in her life that included a recent change in job, then a change in management, and became a homeowner during economic downturn. She was listening to a radio talk show in which the male host was recounting, in great detail, a very embarrassing experience of busting his face on the treadmill during peak hours at the gym. He described an exceedingly painful, face blundering, skin burning, humiliating experience. Later that day, without consciously remembering, the client said that she began feeling heart palpitations as she approached the treadmill. Five minutes into the run, she was paralyzed with fear of falling on her face. She stepped off to the side, told herself “stop that,” and proceeded with the jog. That lasted all of about two minutes. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that it had already happened to her. She proceeded with the remaining portion of her non- cardio routine.
This pattern continued for about a week. Although she wasn’t avoiding the treadmill, she was unable to complete the run and the dread came earlier every day. She had not reflected on what was happening physically, emotionally, or psychologically. When she came into session we talked about her fears, what was happening in her life currently and closely attending to the way these events were affecting her physically. We imagined together what her next experience would be like and what she could say when her fears and worries began predicting the outcome. The next day she said she walked up to the treadmill and said out loud (to alert passersby that if this little convo didn’t go well, they may want to call for help), “Is it possible that I will land on my face, grab the attention of most of this gym as one of my shoes flies up, comes down, and slams my face back into the conveyor belt that will result in some horrific snaggle tooth situation?” She assured herself that “Yes, it is possible that I will knock out a few teeth, “but is it probable? No.” She later laughed to explain “my issue with balance is going up stairs and I’ve only suffered a sprained ankle and mildly injured a small animal.” She said that while she was trying out the skills we talked about, the noise crept in again about all my mishaps. She exclaimed, “The difference this time is that I welcomed the thoughts. And not only did I agree that it was possible, I hoped that if it did happen it would put me in the center of youtube attention where people could laugh and maybe adopt a safety check of their shoe laces before lapping it out.”
While this is a tongue and cheek story, acceptance is the heart of many moderate to severe anti-phobia, anti-anxiety interventions. I would not recommend going so far as inviting a thought unless you have a professional working with you. It is most beneficial to talk about the process in a safe environment before trying it out.
Look for an upcoming post, Memory-Just a Rumor that reviews a new and exciting finding in neuroscience that explains how people can modify their emotional memory.
Written by: Julie Barbour, LCSW owner and founder of Clinical Hour, LLC
Disclaimer
Diagnosable forms of anxiety disorders are characterized by uncontrollable worry; correlated somatic symptoms include muscle tension and sleep disturbances that ultimately cause impairment in daily functioning. If you feel that you may be suffering from a form of anxiety disorder, intervene on your own behalf by contacting your local mental health clinic, primary care doctor or a licensed mental health professional.
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