OT: Panic/Phobia Support

[newhosehead]

First, thank you for reading and if you can respond, it will be greatly appreciated. I know I have seen several posts here from people who suffer from panic disorder. Perhaps some of you have phobias also. I have one that may cause me a great deal of trouble in the near future: driving over bridges. Does anyone here know of a good online support group for such subjects? I have searched a bit and am unsure of what I have found. My PD has really not been a big factor in my life for several years now (a fact for which I am profoundly grateful) but this phobia is something I have not been able to conquer...and I am going to need to.

Thanks very much for any assistance/advice you may be able to give. This is a sensitive subject for me, so my trust in you folks is pretty high.

Jeanette

[tattooyu]

I wish I could be of more help. I don't have any specific phobias, except maybe dying itself. However, I haven't visited any forums for panic disorder or phobias. Would you be willing to share what about driving over bridges scares you? I do have disturbing dreams about driving over bridges but never had any trouble in real life.

All the best...

[elena88]

Hi Jeanette...

Im sorry you are having trouble with this one particular thing about driving over bridges..

I tried to find a good panic disorder video, this is very short, but this fellow also wrote a book which seemed to be helpful to those
who reviewed the short video.. they seemed to be helped a lot..
here is the video its on youtube..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5bpe6fXuPk

Now then, we have a very large bridge in san diego, the coranado bay bridge.. and I used to freak out when my husband would drive me across
that bridge... I could see OVER the railing, see the water, we were hundreds of feet up.. I think this was a problem because I had so many
driving over a cliff dreams... lots of death dreams.. THAT WAS BEFORE I got my OSA treated.. Now I havent had a one!
I think almost suffocating every night, somehow will cause your brain to try to make sense of it.. at least thats what I think..
Some people have choking dreams, I had those too, but mostly the driving off cliff dreams.. Oh the stories I could tell you!

I think in my dreams I have driven off every cliff you can think of, ones near me, even one in peru? OMG.. in a lincoln town car in the middle
of nowhere? Oh, I hate those dreams..

So anyway... I know that feeling of.. OFF the cliff.. and waiting to hit the bottom, and it seems soooooooooo real....

I got over my fear of going over that big bridge by thinking.. What is the worst thing that can happen? Go off the bridge? And then what?
I already KNOW what that feels like because I have dreamed it so many times! so what ? what were the odds? about the same as hitting the lottery..
I can go across that bridge anytime now.. bring it on!
I have also learned that OSA can cause anxiety.. well heck, you can get pretty anxious when you are suffocating every night! I know I was having
panic attacks in my sleep.. every night... so its natural something would spilll over into the daytime hours.. sooner or later..
Maybe your PD will improve soon! I wish you all the luck with this honey!
elena

[DreamOn]

[post deleted]

[elena88]

OMG, that is too funny!

I bet we have driven over that bridge thinking the same darn thing!

Thats a big bridge too! woo hoo! (well for our town it is!)

but its worth it to get over to have brunch at the hotel del.. YUMMY!

is anyone else getting over stuff like after they have been on cpap?

I have gone from being a hyper chihuhua to a lab in three months!

yawn... why is there now yawning icon????


I can yawn like a normal person now!!!


edit: p.s. here is one of those peruvian cliffs I dreamed I drove off! I was not driving the car though!

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/newsle ... G_6596.jpg

[Janknitz]

If your panic/phobia is severe, you might want to seek professional help rather than an internet support group. A psychologist or psychiatrist who specializes in panic disorders can provide proven cognitive, behavioral, or desensitization treatments that you cannot do over the internet and even medications if needed. This is a very treatable issue and responds well to therapy.

I think that panic disorders and phobias are very common in people with respiratory conditions. I know that I have a mild to moderate one myself (and bridges are my nemesis, too, but I live in the SF Bay Area and they can't always be avoided--deep breaths, take deeeeeep breaths!). It may even be a result of long term OSA, because we are always primed with adrenalin and I think more sensitive to stressors because of it. You may find your panic disorder decreases some with OSA treatment (I think mine is slightly better).

An internet support group could be a great adjunct to real therapy for panic disorders, but I don't think it should replace it. (Sometimes for me, hearing other people's fears just gives me more to panic about next time I'm in that situation!)

[newhosehead]

Thanks so much to all who responded; it is appreciated. I want to try to respond to your comments.
First, my PD really hasn't been an issue in my life for many years. It started when I was in my early thirties and made my life a living Hell for far too many years. At one point I was unable to leave my house. I have gone the medical route, counseling, meds, etc. and nothing ever really worked all that well except the passage of time. I take no meds now and intend to keep it that way.
In fact, PD is not really an issue for me anymore with the exception of the "bridge thing." The area I live and work in does not present me with that challenge so I have been able to live without confronting it. My circumstances may be about to change and I am going to need to beat this one to live my life without boundaries.
Tattooyu, you asked what it is that bothers me about bridges. Wish I knew. I do have a fear of heights so I suppose that is part of it. If I know a bridge is ahead of me, I start to get uneasy long before I get there and when I actually hit the approach, it feels as though everything in my body is on red alert and/or shutting down. My vision dims, I shake, I sweat, I am convinced I am going to die IMMEDIATELY or drive off the edge of the bridge. It is horrible and vanishes the second I drive off the bridge, leaving me completely exhausted. It has always amazed me that the fact I MADE it over bridges time and again is not something I can use for self-talk to convince myself I can do it. Phobias and anxiety can be so powerful, something folks who have not had the experience cannot understand.
Janknitz, I appreciate your comment and I do understand your point. I have gone that route in the past when all this was much bigger than a bridge phobia. I think it was mainly the passage of time that helped me, thank goodness. I am just left with this one and hoped to find a place where I could talk about it with people who have experienced the same thing. Again, your point is well taken and if I were at a different point with the whole PD thing, that is where I would be headed and may well have to do so yet.
DreamOn and elena, thank you both for your input. It is just nice to know someone else can relate, even though I wouldn't wish this on anyone! Thanks, DreamOn, for the pm! Funny thing, I used to live in SD and have been over that bridge many times (NOT at the wheel though!)

Jeanette

[BlackSpinner]

It started when I was in my early thirties and made my life a living Hell for far too many years. At one point I was unable to leave my house. I have gone the medical route, counseling, meds, etc. and nothing ever really worked all that well except the passage of time. I take no meds now and intend to keep it that way.

There have been some changes in styles lately. CBT is used a lot these days as well as some therapy to do with eyes. You need to keep investigating and trying. Mental attitude is everything when doing this, including a strong believe that it will work for you.

For me it is being UNDER a bridge with a train or truck going over it. However for the last 6 years I have lived between TWO railroad bridges - sigh. If I want to go anywhere I have to go under them or go out of my way and use the level crossing where invariably there a is freight train chugging slowly along for 10 -15 minutes. I have gotten a lot better, my hair doesn't tingle anymore when I go under a bridge but I still have been known to take the long slow route when there is a big freight train overhead.

[Madalot]

Hi Jeanette --

While I don't have any suggestions for online support for this, I can relate. I have a couple of phobias, one of which is too stupid and embarassing to share! But the bridge thing -- I get that too.

A few years ago, my family was going on vacation and I was driving. I had no idea that the route we were taking was going to take us on a HUGE and extremely HIGH bridge. I saw it before we got to it, but there was no way to stop and switch drivers so I could ride and just close my eyes. What you describe -- the panic. OMG -- it set in like you would not believe. It was one of the most horrible experiences I've had recently.

Because I was driving, I had to deal with it. I gripped the steering wheel tightly (I had to pry my fingers off of it when it was over) and focused on looking at the road ahead of me. I never looked up or over the side of the bridge. I concentrated on looking straight ahead and down and just kept forcing myself to keep driving and remain calm (and breathe -- got to remember to breathe).

On the return trip, I made darn sure that my husband was driving for that portion!!

[Uncle_Bob]

as well as some therapy to do with eyes.

EMDR Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_moveme ... processing

Been there, done that

[newhosehead]

as well as some therapy to do with eyes.

EMDR Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_moveme ... processing

Been there, done that

Does "been there, done that" mean you have and it works, you have and it didn't work or you just think it's really funny???

[nucleus13]

Are you sure that you don't have apnea? I used to get panic attacks only when driving before I got on a CPAP machine.

[cindy58]

I experienced multiple daily panic attacks for one month prior to knee surgery. I wish that back then I had this tool to work with. It's called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique.) or "tapping" and perhaps other names. Currently I use this to work on rage and out of control irritation, that is lessening as CPAP therapy gets better with time (started April 6). I found this by Goggling EFT: EFT Downunder is also a great site. There is a place in the site where I could find practicerners in my area. Contacted and worked with a good therapist who got me started and taught me how to do it. Working on my own now the last two years and with a small group once a week. When things/people push my buttons I find a quite place and tap. Within a few minutes I feel better, not so out of control.
Wishing you well and all healing!
Cindy

[newhosehead]

Are you sure that you don't have apnea? I used to get panic attacks only when driving before I got on a CPAP machine.

Oh yes, I have apnea. My equipment is listed at the bottom of my posts and I am five months into treatment.

I also want to say that somehow I must be leading everyone astray here. I was diagnosed with panic disorder in my early 30's. I turned 58 yesterday. I have not had a panic attack in years (it all started to get better at menopause which is not unusual with panic disorder). The ONLY time I still have a problem with panic attacks is when I try to drive over a bridge. I can feel it coming if I see a bridge in the distance. This has not been a huge barrier in my life as I don't have to drive over bridges to go to work, shop, nothing. There are only a couple of places I go from time to time that pose a problem. However, I am looking at a possible life change that WOULD bring the bridges, and the panic, back into play. That is why I am looking for some resources.

I should probably add that yes, I have tried to drive over a bridge since being on CPAP. It was no different than it has been in the past. And you know, I had kind of hoped that CPAP might make a difference.

[newhosehead]

I experienced multiple daily panic attacks for one month prior to knee surgery. I wish that back then I had this tool to work with. It's called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique.) or "tapping" and perhaps other names.
Cindy

I will check it out online, thanks, Cindy.

Jeanette