CALM – Conquering Anxiety with the Linden Method

The Linden Method Newsletter

Issue 3

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Hi Donald,

Welcome to CALM, Conquering Anxiety with the Linden Method .

This issue includes…

1. “PHYSICAL SENSATIONS: Let’s Get Physical!” Or at least, let’s TALK physical! I’m talking about the physical sensations that happen to you when you’re anxious. Read my article to find out why you experience physical sensations… and why they’re NOTHING to be afraid of!

2. Continuing our series of real-life case studies, I’d like to introduce you to KEVIN, a man whose anxiety caused him to become obsessive about his health. In KEVIN’S STORY, read how he use d The Linden Method to eliminate his anxiety – and the frightening physical sensations he endured for nearly ten years.

3. “anxiety bites…” – but with these morsels of useful, inspiring and handy guides, anxiety doesn’t have to hurt! Download your FREE audio on physical sensations!

4 “What do YOU think?” Tell me what you think of CALM… suggestions, ideas and feedback are always welcome!

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1- “Physical Sensations: Let’s Get Physical!”

My wife, Beth, often accuses me of being an old romantic at heart. And she’s probably right!

And you probably know what that feels like! The PHYSICAL sensations we all experience when we’re falling in love are very real. We get nervous butterflies… our pupils dilate… our cheeks flush… we stammer as our throats clam up and our mouths go dry… our palms get sweaty… we feel unacc ountably happy and excited just to be in the presence of our loved one. These are just some of the physical feelings we experience when we’re falling in love!

We all share these sensations; they form an essential part of our primal make-up. The rules of attraction and courtship are as vital to us now – in days of computers, MTV and rocket science technology – as they were to our primitive ancestors. These rules mean we, as a species, survive from one generation to the next. And these ‘pleasant’ physical sensations are a part of that.

In the same way, our survival instinct has been honed over centuries of human development. When our primitive ancestors felt threatened, for instance, when they were confronted by a dangerous animal, an in-built alarm sensor went off. This sensor was the survival instinct which we call the ‘flight or fight’ response.

This ‘flight or fight’ response triggers a whole load of physical sensations, not all of them as ‘pleasant’ as those w e experience when we’re falling in love… but still very much vital to our survival.

Racing heartbeat… muscle tension… shallow or rapid breathing… focussed thinking… chest pains… dizziness… nausea… disorientation.

You may be reading this and ticking them off one by one! That’s because these PHYSICAL SENSATIONS, the kind you experience in the face of danger, are the exact same ones that people with anxiety suffer from – often in extreme forms!

These are all NORMAL reactions to the ‘flight or fight’ stimulus. Think about it. You perceive a threat – real or imagined – maybe a sensation or thought. What happens? Your in-built alarm sensor starts sending frantic messages all over your body….

* Your brain is telling your body to prepare for imminent physical effort. Your breathing quickens, becomes rapid and shallow. As an anxiety sufferer, your body may react to this stimulus by hyperventilating… or you may start to experience difficulty drawing breath. You may become dizzy, light-headed or panicky.

* Your brain has triggered your body to release chemicals, hormones designed to heighten your awareness and maximise your ‘flight or fight’ performance. Adrenalin courses through your body, preparing you for the physical effort you’ll need to confront the danger - but in your anxious state, this over-abundance of adrenalin just leaves you wobbly on your legs, disorientated and nauseous.

* Your brain signals the need for greater oxygen intake. Chest muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, heart rate increases… but rather than pumping your body with oxygen in anticipation of the ‘flight or fight’, you’re left in pain and discomfort, convinced that you’re experiencing a heart attack.

You see, in your anxious state, all these PERFECTLY NORMAL PHYSICAL RESPONSES WHICH ARE VITAL FOR YOUR SURVIVAL ARE TRIGGERED INAPPROPRIATELY! That’s right… the physical sensations aren’t in themselves wrong… it’s the fact they’ve been triggered inappropriately, when you’re not in any imminent physical danger, that’s wrong!

When you’re anxious, your in-built alarm sensor – your AMYGDALA – has gone wonky. It fails to discriminate between REAL and PERCEIVED danger… and can only go from ‘NO DANGER’ to ‘RED ALERT’! It’s lost the ability to switch to ‘PROCEED WITH CAUTION’! Your Amygdala has become 're-set' at a higher level of anxiety than normal.

I know how real these physical sensations are. Regardless of whether the perceived danger is real or imagined, there’s no doubt that these sensations are very real to you when you experience them. But I only have ONE thing to say about them. THEY ARE JUST SENSATIONS. And nobody has ever died from sensations!

Yes – they can be scary.

Yes – they’re very real and can cause alarm, pain and discomfort.

But NO! You aren’t going to die as a result of a wonky amygdala! You’re not in any real danger. There isn’t anything wrong with you. You haven’t succumbed to some mysterious illness.

These sensations and thoughts aren't about 'REAL FEAR' they are about the SENSATION of fear!

When I conquered my anxiety using my Method, I’d spent years convinced that I was on the verge of dying. I’d experienced every physical sensation going. I thought I had every condition, disease and ailment imaginable!

Looking back, I realize that those sensations didn’t mean I was at the point of DEATH. Far from it! I now know that these sensations showed how ALIVE I was… they revealed in me a highly sensitive awareness of my own life force and my will for survival!

Surely then, these sensations aren’t so worrying, they aren’t something to be scared of!

Yes – we should learn to recognise the difference between REAL and PERCEIVED danger.

Yes - we should be more aware about our reactions to the ‘flight or fight ’ trigger.

Yes – we should learn to re-train our Amygdala to stop it responding inappropriately.

But NO – we shouldn’t be scared of mere physical sensations! Nobody ever died from sensations!

2 - KEVIN’S STORY

Kevin (53) found The Linden Method two years ago, having spent almost ten years suffering with anxiety – mostly undiagnosed. “The worst aspect of my anxiety was the constant sense that I was dying.”

At its worst, his anxiety had reached the point where Kevin’s life was dominated by a series of varying physical sensations that left him feeling debilitated and frightened for his health.

“From the moment I woke in the morning to the time I closed my eyes I was aware of every sensation in my body. I’d examine every feeling, wondering whether it was ‘normal’. But of course how do you measure ‘normal’? There’s no clock inside your body telling you that that’s how fast your heart should be beating… nobody telling you that you should be feeling like this or like that.”

What began as a pre-occupation with his internal physical functioning rapidly became obsessive… as his anxiety became more severe.

“Looking back now from a non-anxious perspective, there was nothing specific that triggered my anxiety. I guess I was hitting middle-age and becoming more aware of health risks… cholesterol, diet, blood pressure, diabetes… just generally ageing! I read around the subjects… but, you know, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing! Before I knew it, I was obsessing about every physical symptom. I was convincing myself that I was sick – and on the verge of dying. “

Kevin wasn’t aware that the root cause was his anxiety. It was his anxious state that was causing him to obsess about his health and making him acutely aware of the very real physical sensations in his body.

“Finding out about The Linden Method really turned it all around for me. It made me realise that no matter what physical sensations I experienced, I wasn’t going to die from them! The effect was immediate and I haven’t been anxious now for two years!”

Find out how The Linden Method achieved this for Kevin by clicking HERE for the FULL story

3- “anxiety bites… PHYSICAL SENSATIONS.”

With today’s issue of CALM, you can download “anxiety bites… PHYSICAL SENSATIONS”. Exclusive to CALM members, you can hear my ideas on frightening physical sensations and how you can use my Method to eliminate them. You can download this by clicking HERE

4. “What do YOU think?” Tell me what you think of CALM… please e-mail your thoughts and feedback to calm@panic-anxiety.com

Regards and very best wishes

Charles

Charles Linden
www.anxiety-beater.com
 

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