Stress Center Peer Support

Hi this is my first post here. I have done the program tapes and they helped to a degree when I did them a while back but I am struggling now and looking into other alternatives that do not include meds. I have heard great things about cbt and want to read some books on it so I would love recommendations and any other suggestions you guys have? Thank you.

You say you listened to the CD's. Did you also have the guidebooks and do the homework?
If you want to learn about CBT, start with the founder:
<A HREF="http://www.beckinstitute.org/Library/In ... 95FCB28%7D" TARGET=_blank>http://www.beckinstitute.org/Library/In ... 5FCB28}</A>

PS, when you visit the website, check out their consumer book store. The book store link is listed in the far left column. I hope you find what you need here. Libraries have most, or can order all, of these for you.

JR5: I haven't followed Lucinda's program but I have done CBT. From what little I know about this program, Lucinda's follows many CBT exercises and teaching (anyone can feel free to correct me if that is wrong). So pecos comment as to "did you do the homework" will be the same comment you get with CBT. I did make progress with CBT after my bad bout with panic and anxiety started 8 months ago. After the 12 weeks though, I thought that I was "cured" even though I still experienced symptoms. When a new stressor came along unexpectedly and I relapsed, my mood also crashed as I couldn't understand how this had happened again. The problem was that I had stopped working at and doing my own self guided homework. CBT is not a silver bullet...nor is Lucinda's program I'm sure....you have to work at it until you change your thinking. It takes work over a lot of time to create new conditioning in your brain. And yes it can suck to keep working at it, having set back, working at it, having set backs, etc. I would suggest you not dive into CBT until you truly have done all you can with Lucinda's program...you may be disappointed to find CBT expects a lot of self-work too so you should have a clear expectation. I am pushing hard daily (Some are easier than others) to change my thinking/fear of anxiety/panic and of situations I don't like....I believe I am progressing again. You can too, go back to the homework and start knocking it out....and then do it again....and again....etc.

CBT and the program are similar. You need to work at getting better. I did the program back in 2003, and here we are in 08...I'm still very much a work in progress. The thing is you know the principles of the program so apply them everyday. Its not magical, its work and eventually you'll realize that just because you are feeling something it does not control you or the world around you. Just because you feel like your antisocial and don't get along with others, they may not see it that way and so what if they do (just an example)? Its about you, your experience. Your life and enjoyment. Life is about the how you react to the things going on around you. Some things are just scary, but that's ok, other people feel that way too. Try to find comfort in that you are not alone. Go thru the program again if you can

yeah, listen to irish.

keep on plugging. it does get better.

i am at a point now where i can look back at my distance that i have travelled, but also i can step outside of myself and stand in awe of the power of our brain.

not to sound narcissistic (spelling?), but this journey, if nothing else continues to be such an amazing journey of self-discovery peeling back the layers of the 'onion'...so to speak.

but it is work. i am not at a point yet where i can string together a week of no symptoms. foggy head seems to be the most consistent. i have a day, maybe 2-3 in a row of feeling symptom free, but then get a pleasant reminder the next day or something when i wakeup (like so many others who post here).

for me, it took along time and ALOT of work to get me into a panic disorder state. So, it will probably take just as long AND with as much work to get out of this state.

but you are worth. we are all worth the effort.

keep it up!

Thank you all very much for the detailed replies and pecos for the link also. I did do the homework and it has helped. I am just not where I want to be (yet) and a bit frustrated, Perhaps I have not worked on it long enough or hard enough and need to go back to it. I also ordered the cbt book by Sam Obitz several people here mentioned and I am going to give it a try. Thanks again for all the encouraging and informative replies.

Thanks again to all who replied. The CBT exercises in the book I got by Obitz are similar to a lot of Lucinda's stuff but in a simplified format. I have been doing the TEA form thought exercises for about two and a half weeks and I am starting to feel like I am getting it and feeling a little better. But what has really been helping is the wrist counter exercise in the book and how it teaches me to focus on what I have accomplished instead of focusing on what I have not gotten done. It makes a world of difference and is really easy.