Transpersonal Coaching & Therapy Network Forum


Transpersonal Coaching and Therapy Network (TCTN)

Use of this forum is exclusively for TCTN members.

.

For information about TCTN membership (free) visit the TCTN page.

.

Register or login below to add a new forum topic or respond to an existing topic.
Dealing with anxiet...
 
Notifications
Clear all

Dealing with anxiety

3 Posts
3 Users
0 Likes
786 Views
(@jessica-dreamtime)
Joined: 6 years ago
Posts: 4
Topic starter  

Does anyone have any experience in dealing with clients who suffer from extreme anxiety? It seems to be so common and is, from what I see, experienced in a number of different ways.  I work with a young boy of 14  who has spontaneous bouts of anxiety attacks that arrive at any moment - he cant feel them coming on and doesnt relate them to anything. I heard him talk about it in April and showed him some EFT tapping excerises, which he said helped him alot. Then I witnessed an attack last weekend and felt rather inadequate. Afterwards I asked him a few questions (so that I could understand more) but boys of 14 dont give out much info. I know he has had an extremely traumatic early childhod and is dealing with other big issues that most teenagers dont have to deal with. I would really like to understand more so that I can be a helpful mentor. This boy has such potential to shine, hes amazing. Any tips, suggestions, stories? I would be so greatful to learn more.


   
Quote
(@teresa)
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 2
 

Hi Jessica, 

Well done for mentoring this young boy, he is really lucky having you to help. 

Before I start any suggestions, just wanted to highlight that the most important thing is to stablish rapport and get agreement that he is happy to talk and deal with the issue.

The first thing that comes to mind is to try and figure out what is the positive intention of the attacks. He will probably not know and will say that there is no positive intention but it is worth exploring as it may be serving a purpose that can be fulfilled in another way. He may get the attention that he needs and didn't have as a kid or maybe that fulfils his need for feeling connected and loved or feeling important, etc. Once you have more clarity on that you could look at ways for him to fulfil that need without going through such pain. 

If you think it is safe for him you can do past resourcing where he can go to the first time that happened and get more clarity. I would create a safety anchor beforehand and spend time holding the space before the exercise. 

If he is happy to go through open awareness meditation and do the past resourcing like that it may be more beneficial as he doesn't need to talk too much about the situation and if you see that he doesn't want to talk  he can even write his experience on paper. 

I hope this helps, let us know how you are getting on 

Kind Regards, 

Teresa 

 

 


   
ReplyQuote
(@mandy-beart)
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 5
 

Hi Jessica,

Building on Teresa's post, I think it is important to bear in mind that there are many types of anxiety, including generalised anxiety, social anxiety, phobias, panic attacks, and agoraphobia.  I’m sure that we can agree that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to dealing with anxiety.  Each person identifies with, manifests and feels anxiety differently, and each person will have their own response to different techniques and choices that may be available to them. 

We know that people experience various symptoms of anxiety, including physical and psychological symptoms, and I believe that it is useful to start by noticing how one’s body reacts to anxiety – Physically: do you feel tense and freeze up, or do you feel an irresistible urge to run away; do you feel it mostly in your stomach or in your chest; do you go weak at the knees; do you breathe or sweat heavily; feel nauseous; do your palms go clammy?  And psychologically – do you feel hyped up or on edge; do you feel a sense of dread; are you having difficulty concentrating; has your mind gone blank; do you feel irritable?

This is all information that can be used, and being proactive can be a great way to positively manage one’s anxiety.  As soon as you notice your first signs of anxiety, acknowledge the signals that your body is sending to you and make use of an attention shifting method such as Open Awareness.  Then do something that you know will help you to feel calmer so that you are able to feel safe once again. 

Fear is how we respond emotionally to a real or perceived imminent threat, and anxiety is the anticipation of that future threat.  States of fear and anxiety overlap in many areas - we might think we’re feeling anxious when, actually the threat is already present, and what we are really experiencing is fear.  Fear is associated with fight or flight behaviours, while anxiety is associated with avoidance behaviours.  

So, if anxiety often comes from worrying about future events, and people often respond to anxiety with avoidance, then, although it might be tempting to avoid doing the thing that makes you anxious, instead of putting it off, do it right away.  And for the things in your life that you really can’t control, like hurricanes and bad bosses, doing whatever you can do to prepare for them will help to ease your anxiety.

 Warm regards

Mandy


   
ReplyQuote
Share:

THIS FORUM IS FOR:

  1. Exploring the value of transpersonal perspectives in coaching or therapy.
  2. Investigating the usefulness of transpersonal interventions in coaching or therapy.
  3. Engaging in conversations to inspire and motivate a transpersonal vision among coaches and therapists.
  4. Introducing and discussing transpersonal models and processes that can be applied in coaching or therapy.
  5. Sharing ideas, knowledge, experiences and resources that are useful to transpersonal coaches or therapists.

FORUM RULES:

  1. Only TCTN members are permitted to post in the TCTN forum. Membership is free 
  2. Posts that are offensive, biased, unethical, unfair or generally negative will not be accepted.
  3. Any misconduct on the part of a member will result in that member being removed from TCTN and all their member benefits withdrawn.
  4. It is acceptable to link to published papers, articles and resources that are directly related to the topic of the forum post, however, promoting of services will not be allowed unless the service is relevant and has been granted the IACTM Stamp of Approval.

The Evolution of Coaching Psychology article