[JustWantPeace]

I was having a harder time than normal this last winter with panic and fear. I can't recall how many books I read, videos I watched etc trying to find some type of peace. I did however find an author from Australia by the name of Claire Weekes that is a little dated but by far the best thing I have ever done for my panic attacks and fear. I am not trying to sell anything I just can say I know for a fact how horrible panic and fear can be and I hate to see others suffer as well. The material didn't completely heal me but I was able to eat in a restaurant this year for the 1st time in forever w/o freaking out (several times in fact).

Atm I am weaning off of Valium which is a hell in itself not to mention I have been on them almost 30 years. The state I live in decided that anyone writing prescriptions for any type of anxiety reducing drug in the benzo family was a big no-no. Talk about lazy legislature, let's just assume everyone taking pills are druggies...what fools. Seriously. What is this world coming to? I'm down from 15 mgs a day to .5 mgs every so often. The 1st few months were absolutely nightmarish as I was coping with losing 5 close friends around the holidays last Oct through Jan 1st and my old dog of 20 years. I finally figured out I had been ruminating about "how not to get depressed" and got so consumed into it that instead of preventing depression I actually became that way. Thanks to the depersonalization etc from withdrawals I also was consumed in fear and morbid reflections about the meaning of life.

I can say with absolute conviction that I am SICK of frickin fear and anxiety. I have had it since I was a child and I wish I could just yank it out of me and torture it the way it has tortured me most of my life. If wishes were horses right??

Anyway, I was Googling and saw this board as I had typed in the search engine "I am sick of being afraid" (due to coming off of valium and feeling insecure about my future without it) and this popped up. I read what you beautiful souls had posted and felt the urge to post this and let you know that I had benefited from the Claire Weekes stuff, although it doesn't fix all of the anxiety it has been by far more informative than years of therapy regarding the issue of fear and anxiety specifically. Of course therapy has helped me greatly (CBT and Mindfulness) but no-one has ever told me what I read and that is really what I needed. I woke up this morning with withdrawal hell thinking if I didn't have fear I wouldn't need a stinking shrink or pills. I so wish I could have remained normal.

Anyway, I didn't mean to bore anyone and I thought maybe someone might find some of what I say helpful as well.

May you find Peace and Security,

JustWantPeace

If anyone happens to know of a good book for positive thinking or hope I would be greatly appreciative but especially hope. Thanks

[Mustkeepjob32]

I love the book "Quiet the Mind." It's a blue book. Also I applaud you for coming off of Valium after being on it for so long. I can't even imagine doing that or how difficult that must be.