Stress Center Peer Support

Okay, its about time that I post my first posting here. Its 4:25am, I cant sleep and I'm tired.

I will post my intro. some other time. Fow now I just some support from the caring people on this forum.

I have an irrational, and kind of embarrasing fear of using a couple of the relaxation tapes I have. I understand and know that relaxing is a key piece to healing from anxiety....if repeated, it allows for our nervous system to heal and alleviate the sensitivity of our thoughts and emotions.

I'm currently using the programs tape (Lucinda's calming voice) and this other progressive muscle relaxation tape that I got from one my college classes. My problem is that I keep having this irrational thought that that makes me anxious...."what if the tapes have some subliminal message in it". My thoughts began to race and next thing you know, I'm anxious while I'm trying to relax. Its stopping me from relaxing. I know it sounds stupid and in some mannor quite humerous but...it bothering me.

All I need is to hear is from some here that....this is a normal symptom of anxiety (racing irrational thought). That if I continue to force myself to do the relaxation tapes that I will eventually get pass this. Somebody please tell me that his is irrational fear and that it will pass soon.

The crazy thing is that I wouldnt know a "subliminal" message if it was staring me right in my face.

Please help! Thank you and God bless!

Sometimes I think we are afraid of succeeding more than we are afraid of failing. So afraid of success that we create roadblocks in our heads to stop ourselves from going anywhere.

There's no subliminal messages in the tapes. But even on the miniscule slight chance that there were, your mind wouldn't allow anything into it that it disagrees with.

I once attended a party at a club where there was a hypnotist. One of the guests told me that she went to another party with a hypnotist and she started to feel hypnotized just watching him from the audience. That concerned me, and then when the hypnotist started grabbing people from the audience and manipulating them to his will I had a full blown panic attack thinking this might happen to me, but it never happened, you know why, because my brain wasn't going to let in any uninvited outside thought take over except my own inside anxiety about it.

One last thought, I've actually tried using subliminal tapes and they didn't work for me. Maybe that's why, because my brain only allows thoughts from myself, and maybe that's not a good thing in some ways, because it inhibits real growth.

Enjoy the relaxation tape, I'm sure you'll get a lot out of it.

Thank you Shifrah. I do feel a little embarrased bringing this up. But its started as an anxious thought then starting the racing thoughts and from there....I'm anxious. I use them twice a day but just this one last time....i couldnt relax fully because of the thought.

Thank you.

I so agree with you...I have done that all my life...I start a program or a project and everytime I am half way through or close to finishing I quit for some reason. Then that has given my mind the power it needs to keep me right where I am....not this time. Good Luck...your sooooo right.