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Anticipatory Anxiety
“Anticipatory anxiety” is the anxiety one experiences before starting a challenging activity. Most often, anticipatory anxiety is a lot higher than what you actually end up experiencing.
www.paniccure.com/Overcoming_Agoraphobia/Anticipatory.htm

Back To Basics
Perhaps it is simply human nature to want a "quick fix." All of us, especially when we are suffering, want relief NOW. That's natural. But is there a magical, fast track cure for phobias and anxiety?
www.encourageconnection.com/art04.html

Belly Breathing
This is a very powerful and very simple technique. It teaches you slow breathing from the "diaphragm" or belly.
www.paniccure.com/approaches/meditation/ISM_1.htm


Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the only form of therapy widely shown to be effective for panic disorder and agoraphobia.
www.paniccure.com/approaches/cbt/cognitive_behavioral_therapy.htm


Depression - understanding and minimising the effects
For many people depression sneaks up on us gradually. We are going about our daily lives and it is only in looking back that we start to realise that our attitude to life has changed. Often it is our family, friends or work colleagues that notice these changes before us. We no longer have the same motivation levels either at work or in our personal lives. We are generally feeling low, continually down and disinterested in activities that we used to enjoy and lack energy. www.depressionet.com.au/articles/effect_depression.html

Diaphragmatic Breathing
One of the very first things I ask my clients with panic disorder to do is to learn and practice deep breathing (also known as diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing). I urge you to learn it as well. Print out and review these instructions.
www.anxietycoach.com/breath1.htm#continue

Diet and Supplementation
The mainstream view in the PD community is that neither diet nor dietary supplementation is sufficient for the management of PD, but that both can make substantial contributions. There is a sizable minority, though, who contend that it is in fact possible to manage PD primarily or entirely with diet and supplementation. www.algy.com/anxiety/NEWS/700.html#Diet

Drug List
Search for information on more than 4,500 popular drugs written in plain English - includes natural remedies
www.rxlist.com

How to practice when you're upset
Here's an example of how I practiced when I was emotionally upset:
www.paniccure.com/Overcoming_Agoraphobia/When_upset.htm

If I have a panic attack while practicing, will that be a setback?
PDA (panic disorder with agoraphobia) is a very challenging condition. But you can overcome it by continuing to practice and by giving yourself credit for your successes, no matter how small they may seem.
www.paniccure.com/Overcoming_Agoraphobia/If_I_have.htm

Insight into Agoraphobia
This is to explain a little about the greatly misunderstood subject - AGORAPHOBIA, and for those when on a program that leads to independent living. It is hoped that it will impart some knowledge to help sufferers conquer the phobia which now has them sensitised through confusion, bewilderment, ignorance and a lack of understanding on the subject. Once understood, it will require motivation, effort and some help, depending on the degree of severity.
www.tne.net.au/~swag/in.html

Is Panic Disorder a Mental Illness?
by William T. Riley, Ph.D. The most difficult question asked of me at ABIL meetings is "Is panic disorder or
agoraphobia a mental illness?"
www.anxietysupport.org/ee01menu.htm

Keep challenging the anxiety
When I was overcoming agoraphobia, there was a point where I felt like staying within my newly expanded "safe zone". It's important to rest, but it's also important to keep challenging the anxiety and expanding your safe zone. www.paniccure.com/Overcoming_Agoraphobia/Keep_challenging.htm

Making Time
When I was healing, my own therapist suggested doing outings – called "practicing" – at least 4 times per week. I practiced 6 times/ week, taking a day off each week.
www.paniccure.com/Overcoming_Agoraphobia/How_much_time.htm

Natural Helps
Natural therapies can be a good way to help your anxiety. Although taking natural remedies, like St Johns Wort, can help some people, a lot of the therapies below are more therapies that may help to relax your mind and body. www.trustweb.20m.com/natural.htm

Nutritional Causes of Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Nutritional imbalances can result in anxiety, panic attacks and phobias. Many people with these disorders have deficiencies of essential minerals, an excess of toxic metals, hypoglycemia and other biochemical imbalances. www.encourageconnection.com/art01.html

Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia in Children and Adolescents
Panic Disorder is more likely to start in late adolescence or in adulthood. However, it can occur in children. The incidence of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia is lower than the incidence of simple phobia in children and adolescents.
www.baltimorepsych.com/Panic.htm

Panic Disorder and Pregnancy
Having panic disorder raised some different concerns for me, as well. I worried about my medication; would I be able to continue to take it, and what about side effects to the baby? I worried about the delivery; how would I ever manage the normal anxiety associated with labor and delivery compounded with my heightened level of anxiety because of the panic?
www.encourageconnection.com/art07.html

Productive Thinking
In the past this has been difficult, because not enough was known about agoraphobia, although experiences taught the agoraphobe to avoid - a high price to pay, but not in the future - PRODUCTIVE THINKING AND EXPRESSION is directed towards external goals within our environment and coping with any given situation where agoraphobia has caused difficulty - problem solving by using an example of PRODUCTIVE THINKING e.g. the learning of the transferring of thoughts, for gain, from negative to positive is one of the answers.
www.tne.net.au/~swag/pt.html

Self Esteem
Self esteem is an important issue with a lot of people and I think very much so with people with anxiety disorders. I wanted to add this page as I think it is important to improve the loss of self esteem we can get from living with an anxiety disorder. It not only goes a long way to help us in our day to day lives. But also to recover.
www.trustweb.20m.com/esteem.htm

SSRI treatment
Among clinicians new to treating PD or new to using SSRI-type medications,
www.algy.com/anxiety/NEWS/700.html#SSRI

Suicide
I don’t know who you are, or why you are reading this page. I only know that for the moment, you’re reading it, and that is good. I can assume that you are here because you are troubled and considering ending your life. If it were possible, I would prefer to be there with you at this moment, to sit with you and talk, face to face and heart to heart. But since that is not possible, we will have to make do with this.
www.metanoia.org/suicide

Handling a Call from a Suicidal Person
By David L. Conroy, Ph.D
www.metanoia.org/suicide/sphone.htm

Suicidal warning signs
Studies have found that more than 75% of all completed suicides did things in the few weeks or months prior to their deaths to indicate to others that they were in deep despair. Anyone expressing suicidal feelings needs immediate attention.
www.metanoia.org/suicide/whattodo.htm

"Support Person" Perspective
My belief is that those close to someone experiencing agoraphobia, in particular, can take an active role in the recovery process. With a truly supportive "team," a recovery process can be especially effective.
www.encourageconnection.com/art00.html

The Recovering Agoraphobic in your life
It is justifiably perplexing--and perhaps even frustrating--to attempt to really understand what agoraphobia is if you have not experienced it yourself.
The points made here may be new to you, or even contrary to the ideas you may have held. Agoraphobia is a complex condition, not easily explained. To truly understand, one must have actually had the experience themselves, or must be willing to study the issue in great depth.
www.encourageconnection.com/art02.html

Telling Others About Your Healing Path
For me, one of the big turning points in my healing from panic disorder and agoraphobia was when I started to be open with my friends and family. Secrecy and shame were a big part of the condition, and starting to be open was a huge step in my healing.
www.paniccure.com/Short_Essays/Telling_others.htm

Terminology
In light of the variety of types of panic disorders and conditions that mimic them, the term "Panic Disorder" seems about as useful and scientific as "Tummyache Disorder."
A more descriptive term in many cases would be "chronic dysautonomia," "neuropathic dysautonomia," or in some cases, "idiopathic dysautonomia."
www.algy.com/anxiety/NEWS/700.html#Terminology

The Medical Viewpoint on Panic
by William D. Kernodle, M.D
www.encourageconnection.com/art99.html

There Is Life After Letting Go Of Perfectionism
I confess, perfectionism is a trait I continue to work on. Letting go of perfectionism is a process just like our agoraphobic/panic disorder recovery is. Wouldn't it be fantastic if those of us who suffer with "having to be perfect" could wake up one day ....and poof...that aspect of ourselves was no longer with us?
www.encourageconnection.com/art08.html

Understanding your physical symptoms
This is a simple explanation of the physical symptoms suffered by an agoraphobic. This knowledge is a vital main step on the track to recovery. Knowing and understanding the physical symptoms will help you to know yourself and once you have this knowledge, you will learn to accept the symptoms and it will reduce worry and fear (anxiety) and aid your recovery.
www.tne.net.au/~swag/physymp.html

Compiled By Becki