is change really a reality?

Is there anyone out there who has overcome their fears or anxiety that can tell me how they did it? I am sooo desperate.My mind keeps telling me that I'm going to be this way until I die. My significant other has never seen me when I am in full mode of a panic attack or my ritual I do when I learn a storm is on the horizion,but I've told them what happens and they said they don't know if they could handle seeing me like that. Their very judgemental when it comes to my bipolar and my phobias. We've been together for 3 years and I don't know if were going to make it to 4. So please if anyone can reassure me that's it's possible to get rid of my phobias. I was thinking about asking my psychatrist about hypnosis because right now I will try anything.

Hi there,

I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling right now. I have had success in dealing with my OCD intrusive thoughts, which paralyzed me with fear for quite a while, and caused 3 hospitalizations.

What my psychologist and I did was ERP (exposure response prevention), which is where you basically EXPOSE yourself to your fears, bit by bit, until you no longer feel anxiety towards them. For example, I feared that I would kill a worker in the hospital, so I avoided him and did rituals and punished myself with SI...but my psychologist got me to be around the worker more, to prove that I wasn't homicidal. It was a slow process, this exposure, but eventually I wasn't afraid anymore, and I knew I wasn't really homicidal, they were just intrusive thoughts!

I also did meditation, thinking about the thoughts that feared me for short periods of time at first, but then grew to longer periods of time. Soon I could think of my fears and be OK!

I wish you the best of luck.

Hello afraid. melissa,

I think melissas' idea is a good one. I am hoping to try that method soon. I managed to do 2 of my most fearful things but I don't know how long it will be before I'm capable of repeating the success.

I have an absolute morbid fear of flying. I've flown on 2 occasions recently but unfortunately the 2nd one DJ had to literally come get me as I couldn't remotely approach flying back. I could only do it with him next to me. He was wonderful.

But don't give up whatever else happens if you give in then its beaten you. Just maintain the push until you win (says she who has only beat 1 phobia
so far)...

Good luck with this afraid..if I can get on a plane you can walk on water

While I've had highs and lows, I had a DRAMATIC, virtually overnight change once. I have OCD, and literally, I woke up one day after starting on Anafranil, and I was different. I suddenly could touch things I couldn't before, I didn't worry about things that made me nervous or anxious as much, and I felt freer. Most anxiety doesn't change that quickly, but yes, it is possible, and I'm the proof.

I suffered from anxiety and depression in a very serious way for many years and followed many a road I should not have due to these two monsters. I tried meds, but found out that my addictive personality really did not agree with them.

I have tried to face my anxiety in many different ways, eventually I came across a very effective technique which helps you to establish a relaxed state 'anchor point' and I must say, this has given me a degree of freedom from my anxiety which you can not believe.

It is a simple guided mental exercise which takes about 12 minutes of my time a day, during the exercise you reinforce your anchor point while in a state of complete relaxation. My anchor point is touching my tongue against the roof of my mouth, so throughout the day if I feel my anxiety building too much I simply touch the roof of my mouth with my tongue and I can immediately feel my anxiety subside, it truly is amazing.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the exercises name is the Bagha
Hope it helps a bit and all the best in your journey, always push ahead in a positive direction even if it is only one small step at a time.

what was the first event that started this fear of storms- it was learned so you have to remember what specific thing in your life caused you to choose storms.

there had to be a single incident. maybe if you found that out, you can make peace with it, that would be a start and go from there?

Feary,I remember i think one day i was standing in a hallway outside and it was storming and where i was standing i moved over from where i was standing and lighting struck where i had been standing,but the thing is I don't know if it really happened or is it imagined.but ever since then i have been terrified of storms.I didn't use to be afraid of storms but now it has taken over my life.I wonder sometime if i am the only one whose this afraid of storms.

melissa,rhiannon,maven and dave thank you all for your insight and support and suggestions I have to say since joining pc there have been one storm and instead of running in the bathroom and crying uncontrollably i sat in my living room still anxious but not like usual prayed and tried to sit through it until i heard a big boom and i walked not ran in the bathroom then it was over,so everyone here helped me to be able to go that far,i've never tried to sit it out(too scared) so thank yall again,it's good to know i have a place to come to when i'm feeling scared and anxious.

Love to you all!

Afraid, I remember when I was a child and use to play in the rain after a thunder storm? I use to collect the worms in the gutter, thinking they needed to be on the grass (they were coming up out of the rain-soaked ground where they were drowning :-) and just love the warm rain that comes after a storm.

So, in my 20's I was living alone and afraid of the lightning and thunder, I had such a large window in my little apartment and could see really far/lots of lightning and I was afraid and didn't like being afraid so I remembered how, when I was a child I loved going out in the rain and decided the next storm I was going out for a walk! And I did! I was in a big City and there wasn't any lightning near, it wasn't that close, so I went out walking during the storm (praying while doing so not a bad idea :-) and now I have THAT memory so it's not so bad when a storm goes through.

Maybe next time it's just a regular summer thunderstorm without much wind or too much darkness, open your front door and go stand on the porch/out in the front yard? Feel the difference between how hot and sticky it's been and how cool the rain feels on your skin. See how long it takes for you to get completely wet and notice other little enjoyable things rather than the lightning and thunder.

That had to be scary with the lightening, afraid. Good for you in facing what you fear. You made it through another storm intact. Takes some gumption to do that. If you can keep stretching out the time while looking around and realizing you are safe, you are on your way to defeating this scourge that has plagued you.

You are in my thoughts.