Meditation To Reduce Anxiety

[Deleted member 1860]

Hi all,

I have been using meditation extensively over the past year and a half to reduce my anxiety. My therapist does a meditation with me that involves God and feeling him as a warm presence. Well, for me it's more of a cold presence, but to each their own. Anyway, as I practiced my meditations, I realized that I can bring on this cool/cold feeling on my own, and that it is extremely calming. It is almost the opposite of the physical anxiety that surges through my body when things get really bad (and I know most of you know exactly how that feels!)

I'm wondering if anyone is able to do something similar? I guess I'm amazed that I've gotten to the point where my mental thoughts can so quickly effect my physical feelings, as it literally happens within a few seconds. (I never thought anything like this was possible after being a slave to my emotions.)

Thanks!

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Wow this is great, so meditation really helps. Can you share your meditation with me? I have early morning anxiety and the only thing that helps is anxiety medication. I am at the end of my rope, I will want to try what you are doing.

It was something you said about being a slave to my emotions. I do not want to do this anymore. For along time I was ok in the morinings. I had a driving phobia where I was experiencing alot of anxiety. Now I have gotten over that.

I want to end this. I am pretty desperate. Will you please share your meditation with me? I am besides myself. I am really excited about the potential of the meditation. Thank you.

 

[anthony]

Practice makes perfect. Congratulations....

 

[amethist]

My husband uses meditation a lot, since he was taught it in Jaunary.

Sometimes in the bath, as the soothing water helps him to relax, sometimes first thing in a morning when he gets up.

He gets so far into it sometimes, he falls asleep and ends up snoring on the sofa. :rolleyes:

 

[kers]

My therapist has also done guided meditations with me. I had tried mindfulness meditation previously and it was helpful, but it also sometimes led me to ruminating, triggering thoughts. The guided meditation gives me something else to focus on and helps me get calm--often I can do mindfulness meditation afterwards.

I downloaded some from iTunes, just search "guided meditation."

 

[amethist]

There is quite a few pieces of music you can meditate to in the Media section, under the Therapeutic heading.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Gizmo,
I work with a therapist who does quite a few different meditations with me. One of the first ones involves God (or changing the wording if you're not religious) pouring peace into your body. The peace is a warm light that fills your body (or rather in my case, cold). My therapist also guides my breathing, envisioning breathing in through your heart and out your abdomen. (She discusses chakras, thus drawing on Hindu and Buddhist teachings as well). This is the very basic gist of the meditation, and I know that just reading it probably isn't going to help a lot.

She also does guided visualizations with me that for the most part are helpful (save one that sent me into a bad episode as it involved my abuser).

I urge you to find someone who can help you with meditations, as I know I would never be able to give you the nitty gritty details! My therapist offers meditation classes which are cheaper than therapy, so maybe finding a class would help. There is also a ton of info on meditating online, or perhaps a book would help.

It took me a LONG time to turn to meditative techniques when in an anxious moment. It takes a lot of practice, but I don't want to discourage you by that, rather say that you shouldn't give up if meditation doesn't work for you right off the bat.

 

[Bullying Survivor]

Hi,
I'm brand new to this forum, and only recently diagnosed with complex PTSD (as a result of relentless childhood bullying in combination with an alcoholic parent). When the trauma first started to erupt (after years of grinding anxiety, intermitent insomnia, and general disassociation)/numbing), I thought I was totally and completely falling apart. Well, I still do actually...

Anyway, I meditate every day using the Guideded Body Scan. This guided meditation is sometimes my only peace in a day otherwise filled with anxiety and full frontal crying. I highly recommend it; anything to find a tiny slice of stillness.

In the fall I begin the 8 week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program which teaches meditation, among other techniques, for managing the symptoms associated with chronic pain, anxiety, PTSD, etc. Not sure if anyone has taken the program; I hope it helps.

 

[just me here]

I went as far as I felt I could get with guided meditation, both with a therapist in a teaching role one on one and in a group setting. I was doing OK with it but it wasn't ever easily achievable in a work environment or in public places in general. It took too long to get anything like a positive effect.

The best approach for me has been bio feedback training. I can use what I have learned almost anywhere that I can get away from people, like at my desk or in my car (parked) or even on a bus if no one is bothering me. It is probably a lot like what some have described as "body awareness" meditation, but also involves thought modification and relaxation.

I think that after you can learn to objectively take stock of your body sensations without judging any feelings as bad or good it is easier to take stock of your emotions with the same objectivity. That seems to be the value of the technique that took me farther than the other approaches.

The biggest thing that stops my successful use of the techniques is losing my very tenuous hold on the idea that all emotions are temporary and everything is transient. I fall into thinking that my anger is unending, or my frustration is just a continuation of years of frustration that will never end. After just a little bit of that I give up and try again later.

I sometimes wonder if the reason the techniques I learned through bio feedback feel more successful only because I have learned there are times that it (or any meditation) just will not work and don't waste time on a dead end session. I suspect that when I was using the guided meditations I had occasional dead end sessions and started feeling that I was as far as I could get with that approach but bio feedback gave me a measurement that quantified the effectiveness and taught me when I was just unable to make it work.

Just like anything else, some times you just have to give up and try again later. Bio feedback at least showed me when I was mentally flailing about pointlessly.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Just Me Here,

Yup, i do EEG Biofeedback aka Neurofeedback as well. Its like a one-two punch! My therapist uses NF to calm my mind and then teaches me to use meditation so that i can calm my mind on my own. (I do realize that older biofeedback is different than EEG biofeedback, although I have never done regular non-EEG biofeedback myself.)