Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 7:28 am
I have been experiencing panic attacks and anxiety for over 3 years now. They were brought on by the deaths of several close family members, including my father. Actually after going through therapy and counseling I have discovered that I have always had anxiety issues and just never realized it.
When I started "researching" whether or not I was going to purchase this program, I spent a lot of time on this message board. My favorite reads were from people who had triumph stories. I made a promise to myself that someday I was going to write my own, and here I am.
When the panic attacks first came, I tried Lexapro and had a bad reaction to it, so I just took Xanax. I wound up staying on it for almost 3 years and never took anything else for my anxiety. I went to a counselor but didn't get much out of it and so I quit. My anxiety would come and go, but never really go away. I actually made an excel spreadsheet to track my daily anxiety level and the occurence of my panic attacks. I was trying to find a pattern.
I gave up caffiene and alcohol completely, I tried accupuncture, herbal supplements, adjusting my diet, and eventually wound up at a hollistic clinic. I didn't want to be on any drugs at all. The hollistic doctor refered me to a therapist who specialized in "guided image therapy" and told me I would be cured in 5 sessions. I went to her and she did help me some. It was like hypnosis regression. Finally one day she asked me what I was ultimately afraid of, and I told her I was afraid of dying. She asked me what I thought would happen if I died and I told her I belived I would go to heaven, so then she asked if I truly had that faith then why would I have fear?
It triggered something in me. I decided to quit therapy. It had been 5 sessions and I wasn't a whole lot better, but now I had a new idea, one I hadn't considered... I started to read my Bible. I have been a Christian all my life but I have never read more than a very tiny bit of the Bible. I started with the New Testament and read through, skipped Revelations (it always scared me as a child) and I started back at the Old Testament. I was amazed at how much it soothed me and comforted me.
Finally I started tapering off of my Xanax and I had a new job with a comfortable environment, and then suddenly one day I was in a very stressful situation and I felt like I was going to faint. I made it through and from that point on I was dizzy. Not like the room was spinning; just like it felt like I was walking on a boat all the time, and I felt spacy. I thought I must have something wrong with my ear, so I went to an ENT. Nope, not my ear.
I had been under the care of a family doctor I'd been going to for 10 years and who was "treating me" for my anxiety. I decided to try a new doctor. My new family doctor was appalled at how long I had been left on Xanax and he devised a plan... he switched me to Valium (which was not a comfortable transition but very worth it) and once I had done that he started me on 20mg of Cymbalta. I was very reluctant but I felt like I could trust him.
Also from the dizziness I had spent more than a week off work, and when I returned my boss had a talk with me and told me I needed to "get help" because she couldn't afford for me to not be there. To prevent losing my job (and at the time I thought I was about to lose my mind) I made an appointment with a therapist who I found through my minister and started sessions with her.
I promise I'm coming close to wrapping this up. This new therapist has done wonders for me. It's just talk therapy, but she's the only therapist or counselor I have talked to who I feel really "gets" me and why I am the way I am. She's fabulous. It wasn't long before I started feeling better.
While on this road of new doctors, therapists, newfound faith and new medications, I decided I would go full force and purchase Lucinda's program. I got the program in January of this year and I think I did a pretty good job of following it the way you're supposed to. Week by week I felt better. I can't even tell you when the dizziness stopped, but I just remember driving in my car one day and I realized that I felt... just fine! No worries! No symptoms!
Well my true test came a couple of months ago when a mentor of mine offered me a job at the law firm where she works. It was the greatest opportunity I had ever had, but I was SO AFRAID to take the leap, leave my job and go for it. Honestly if I wasn't so hard up for income I don't know if I would have done it or not, but I practially had no choice. I accepted the position, I used my skills I learned in the program, and now here I sit in my big office on the 16th floor with a view of downtown making 50% more than I was one month ago. And you know what? I just realized I have not had a panic attack since last year.
For the longest time I wanted to come here and write about my success, but I was convinced that if I did, surely I would have a relapse and regret doing it. Well the "new me" refuses to buy into that kind of thinking and I reminded myself of how inspired I was when I read "Motor City Madman's" triumph story.
For those of you out there who are still reading this beast of a post, I pray that you will write your triumph story someday too. If you have questions or want to talk, feel free. I think we can all attest to wanting to not just help ourselves, but help each other too.
God bless you,
Sandina
When I started "researching" whether or not I was going to purchase this program, I spent a lot of time on this message board. My favorite reads were from people who had triumph stories. I made a promise to myself that someday I was going to write my own, and here I am.
When the panic attacks first came, I tried Lexapro and had a bad reaction to it, so I just took Xanax. I wound up staying on it for almost 3 years and never took anything else for my anxiety. I went to a counselor but didn't get much out of it and so I quit. My anxiety would come and go, but never really go away. I actually made an excel spreadsheet to track my daily anxiety level and the occurence of my panic attacks. I was trying to find a pattern.
I gave up caffiene and alcohol completely, I tried accupuncture, herbal supplements, adjusting my diet, and eventually wound up at a hollistic clinic. I didn't want to be on any drugs at all. The hollistic doctor refered me to a therapist who specialized in "guided image therapy" and told me I would be cured in 5 sessions. I went to her and she did help me some. It was like hypnosis regression. Finally one day she asked me what I was ultimately afraid of, and I told her I was afraid of dying. She asked me what I thought would happen if I died and I told her I belived I would go to heaven, so then she asked if I truly had that faith then why would I have fear?
It triggered something in me. I decided to quit therapy. It had been 5 sessions and I wasn't a whole lot better, but now I had a new idea, one I hadn't considered... I started to read my Bible. I have been a Christian all my life but I have never read more than a very tiny bit of the Bible. I started with the New Testament and read through, skipped Revelations (it always scared me as a child) and I started back at the Old Testament. I was amazed at how much it soothed me and comforted me.
Finally I started tapering off of my Xanax and I had a new job with a comfortable environment, and then suddenly one day I was in a very stressful situation and I felt like I was going to faint. I made it through and from that point on I was dizzy. Not like the room was spinning; just like it felt like I was walking on a boat all the time, and I felt spacy. I thought I must have something wrong with my ear, so I went to an ENT. Nope, not my ear.
I had been under the care of a family doctor I'd been going to for 10 years and who was "treating me" for my anxiety. I decided to try a new doctor. My new family doctor was appalled at how long I had been left on Xanax and he devised a plan... he switched me to Valium (which was not a comfortable transition but very worth it) and once I had done that he started me on 20mg of Cymbalta. I was very reluctant but I felt like I could trust him.
Also from the dizziness I had spent more than a week off work, and when I returned my boss had a talk with me and told me I needed to "get help" because she couldn't afford for me to not be there. To prevent losing my job (and at the time I thought I was about to lose my mind) I made an appointment with a therapist who I found through my minister and started sessions with her.
I promise I'm coming close to wrapping this up. This new therapist has done wonders for me. It's just talk therapy, but she's the only therapist or counselor I have talked to who I feel really "gets" me and why I am the way I am. She's fabulous. It wasn't long before I started feeling better.
While on this road of new doctors, therapists, newfound faith and new medications, I decided I would go full force and purchase Lucinda's program. I got the program in January of this year and I think I did a pretty good job of following it the way you're supposed to. Week by week I felt better. I can't even tell you when the dizziness stopped, but I just remember driving in my car one day and I realized that I felt... just fine! No worries! No symptoms!
Well my true test came a couple of months ago when a mentor of mine offered me a job at the law firm where she works. It was the greatest opportunity I had ever had, but I was SO AFRAID to take the leap, leave my job and go for it. Honestly if I wasn't so hard up for income I don't know if I would have done it or not, but I practially had no choice. I accepted the position, I used my skills I learned in the program, and now here I sit in my big office on the 16th floor with a view of downtown making 50% more than I was one month ago. And you know what? I just realized I have not had a panic attack since last year.
For the longest time I wanted to come here and write about my success, but I was convinced that if I did, surely I would have a relapse and regret doing it. Well the "new me" refuses to buy into that kind of thinking and I reminded myself of how inspired I was when I read "Motor City Madman's" triumph story.
For those of you out there who are still reading this beast of a post, I pray that you will write your triumph story someday too. If you have questions or want to talk, feel free. I think we can all attest to wanting to not just help ourselves, but help each other too.
God bless you,
Sandina
) all things are possible! He is in the miracle business.