Rhonnie,
Yes, Jumping up, clapping and shouting STOP in public may get you more mental assistance than you really want. :)
I kind of figured it was an "at home" exercise.
Mike
Hi cdg I'm from Vancouver, B.C. and I needed my doctors referal to get into the program. It has helped me sooo much!!! The program on this site is CBT therapy and if you're doing it, continue! My last class was tonight and I learned alot!! If you have any questions, please ask anytime!
Hi Mike Sorry I should have mentioned that you do the clapping and shouting at home and it leads you up to the stop sign so that all you do is imagine the stop sign and the thoughts stop. However your idea made me laugh!
rhonnie,
That "jumping up and shouting [b]STOP[/b] while clapping your hands" method sounds like it would be pretty effective but maybe not too practical in public :)
I have been using the "excuse me" method as mostly self talk. But I think I am going to start faking a sneeze when the thought begins, and then use the self talk "excuse me" bit.
In private, the sneeze can act as the shouting "stop" part, and in public most often a sneeze will bring a "bless you" from someone which will lead to a "thank you" from me and so re-direct my thoughts.
I will beat this thing yet and when I do, I will share with everyone.
Mike
Good idea Mike!!
Rhonnie,
I'd like to know how you got involved in CBT. I live in the Dallas area & I cannot find a hospital that will even deal with anxiety or panic.?
Did the CBT program work for you?
I'd really like to find a good program to get involved with.
Thanks,
Chanda
Great idea Mike!! In CBT therapy at the hospital, we were taught to clap our hands , jump up and yell STOP then clap your hands and say STOP then vision a stop sign in your head and eventually after doing this many times,all you have to do is vision a stop sign in your head and the thoughts stop. I haven't worked on this enough but a girl in my class said it works very well.
Ive been noodling some coping skills around in my head looking for a simple re-direction method. I thought that when the negative thoughts reared their head I would knock them down with thoughts of the beach or some other pleasant experience....but it wasnt working.
Then I had this idea while watching a show on TV. This lady was ill and was sneezing all the time. Each time she would sneeze near someone she would say "excuse me but I've been sick". The people always understood and were always kind to her. So that got me thinking....
Im sick too! I dont have a cold but I am sick enough that my negative thoughts come on sometimes as often as a sneeze. What if I just said to myself each time the thoughts came upon me..."Excuse me, but i've been sick". that way I could respond like the people in the film that were always understanding and I could be kind and forgiving to myself.
Im not sure if this will work but I'll try it out...the other re-direction stuff I was doing wasnt working so I dont have a lot to lose here. :)
Anyone have any re-direction methods that you find helpful?
Mike
