hi

[Raine]

I'm obviously new here. Not sure what to say of myself but I'm interested in being more active in my understanding of the Tao. I'm hoping for a bit of intellectual stimulation.

[Stosh]

Personal interactions are most powerful , jump in , lots of willing teachers here , few students.

[Raine]

I'm always a student when I teach and always a teacher to those that guide me, as we all are. I made this account in march bit, haven't been back. Life had lessons for me. Now I rest and maybe keep actively learning here while doing so. Nice to meet you Tao Bum

 

♡

[Songtsan]

What's are your goals/objectives?

[Raine]

Good question. Health and happiness, in short. I need to work on attachments though. I'm chronically depressed due to Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

[Songtsan]

Good question. Health and happiness, in short. I need to work on attachments though. I'm chronically depressed due to Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

 

I can relate as I have that too in a way...this will be a good place for you to find useful advice...

[Raine]

That's good. Any suggestions on where to start?

[Songtsan]

I think GAD is often related to an exaggerated fight or flight response and what is called 'hyper-vigilance' i.e. the tendency to constantly track incoming sensations as if a threat might be present. Often this is due to too much head energy...qigong techniques will definitely assist you. I am too sleepy right now to say much on it, but I will get back to you.

[Raine]

I think GAD is often related to an exaggerated fight or flight response and what is called 'hyper-vigilance' i.e. the tendency to constantly track incoming sensations as if a threat might be present. Often this is due to too much head energy...qigong techniques will definitely assist you. I am too sleepy right now to say much on it, but I will get back to you.

 

I have a qi gong book and I like it. I'm hyper-vigilant but. It's supposed to be a neurotransmitter thing that disrupts two different routes. I'll get back into the qi gong and let you know if it works. Gn and ty

[Songtsan]

There are tons more things to do for GAD/hyper-vigilance than just qigong..I am going to write you something big tomorrow or the next day...some mind tricks, some nutrition tricks, some supplement tricks, etc.

[Raine]

Wow, okay, sounds fantastic!

[RiverSnake]

Welcome to the TaoBums. Have fun while you're here.

 

My 2 cents, Peace

[xor]

Hi, regarding panic/depression do you also have stomach problems?

Edited July 27, 2013 by Guest

[Raine]

Hi, regarding panic/depression do you also have stomach problems?

 

Irrital bowel and systemic yeast that I control through diet, most often.

[Raine]

Ty OldChi

[xor]

Irrital bowel and systemic yeast that I control through diet, most often.

 

Yeah I figured. These three things, GAD, depression and irritable bowel syndrome seem to usually coexist. I have some personal experience with this which after some personal research made me dump most grains(cereals) and most artificial sugar from my diet. Wish you the best of luck with this.

[Raine]

Never use refined or artificial

Yeah I figured. These three things, GAD, depression and irritable bowel syndrome seem to usually coexist. I have some personal experience with this which after some personal research made me dump most grains(cereals) and most artificial sugar from my diet. Wish you the best of luck with this.

 

Never use refined or artificial sugars and ferment or sprout all grains, nuts, and seeds before processing them myself because my kids are intolerant otherwise. Mostly though, we don't use any of it, nor do we use much animal products besides butter, occasionally. Its pretty much just vegies and leafy greens, friuts and berries, and homebrewed concoctions. We use a lot of fermented, raw or blended plant matter (wild foraged perferably). Because of all this, I dought my diet plays much of a role. Stress, on the other hand, would be cause enough.

[xor]

That sounds good! It looks like you have pretty much the diet I came up with when I was researching IBS though I didn't take it as far as it sounds like you have. Have you noticed effects on your depression or GAD yet?

Edited July 27, 2013 by Guest

[Raine]

That sounds good! It looks like you have pretty much the diet I came up with when I was researching IBS though I didn't take it as far as it sounds like you have. Have you noticed effects on your depression or GAD yet?

 

I take the diet so far because my children and I have food and chemical sensitivities that are severe enough to be the cause of " failure to thrive", due to asthma and nausia, confirmed through an elimination diet and an alergy test. Also, hubby has diabetes. Most diseases are metabolic in nature so, its just my holistic approach to things. I have no idea if its helping with GAD though, as mine is a derivative of childhood abuse.

[Songtsan]

OK - hyperirritability, PTSD, BPD, hypervigilance, exaggerated fight or flight reponse, heightened startle response, etc. etc.

 

These things are all chemically mediated. They are also bioelectrically mediated.

 

Here is the big problem - if you are in these states, your kidneys are on overdrive - producing lots of excess and unnecessary adrenalin/nor-adrenalin or epinephrine/norepinephrine all the time. Your amygdala (in the brain) is one of the primary agents of fear-based reactions. Some of this could certainly be due to excess head energy. Take an anti-anxiety med such as klonopin, valium, etc. and your CNS is depressed (or drink alcohol)...but then you have a drug problem...

 

There are of course nutraceutical solutions..many fine things which I can discuss if you want: GABA, L-theanine, L-tryptophan, or herbals...some of these are great to take every day, some of these have side effects....There are certain things I can recommend if you have the money/interest.

 

What is most useful is to reprogram your brain using mental cultivation techniques...

 

First of all, this heightened startle response represents energy! Yes, you can channel this energy into more useful things, whether it be mental, emotional, or physical.

 

Let's say that you have mostly mental anxiety...perhaps you think people hate you, you worry about your bills, etc. This is energy use gone wrong. You simply have to redirect the flow. Watch your brain to see how it works. Use that emphasis that it has on connecting things and worrying about things to connect and worry about more important things, such as the purpose of life, sex, drugs, or rock and roll. Yes, I am being flippant, but behind the flippancy lies the way. You want to use your excessive mental energy and redirect it to something of more interest (something more useful too). So if you are worrying about bills, but can't do anything about them, because you are doing all you can, start worrying about your health instead. What? (you say). Yes! See this excessive rumination can be used to solve problems. So if your problem cannot be solved and all you are doing is running around self-defeating yourself with thought loops, use this tendency somewhere where it is better placed. I use health as an example because maybe you have a problem that you aren't sure how to handle, you aren't clear on, etc. Use your tendency to hyper-ruminate and put it to work to solve problems. If you have a busy beaver that is trying to chew your favorite tree down, take him and put him to work out back on that old stump you always wanted to have removed.

 

That is one example.

 

Now let's say that you don't have hyper-rumination, but have an excessive anxiety of everyday things, like shadows, noises, flashes of movement, etc.

 

What I do here is to become ultra aware all the time (like meditating!)...turn yourself into a master Buddha...turn this sensitivity to sense stimuli into a bonus check by becoming super-conscious! It works...Embrace all incoming stimuli - don't shrink away from your sensitivity, instead, expand it further. Allow. Allow. Allow. Stay relaxed in your center, but be aware of the slightest change in the outside world - focus entirely on the outside world...make your tendency to hyperfocus on novel stimuli a moving meditation. Become ultra aware of everything around you. Stop thinking altogether and keep watching everything and realize the bliss that your heightened awareness can bring.

 

All clouds have silver linings.

 

If you have excess energy that you cannot get rid of...use it somewhere - redirect the force (go workout, do a project, do some emotional cathartic release!)

 

Nothing is totally bad - spin that disc until you meet something good.

 

These things might be useful, however, before I go further, can you tell me your exact condition? I will analyze and produce a personalized program of mind cultivation for you. Be as detailed as you can...if you don't want to post here, PM me and we can do it there.

Edited July 28, 2013 by Songtsan

[xor]

Forgive yourself for weakness or anything else that put you in a bad situation, forgive your enviroment the allowed it, forgive whoever caused harm and forgive yourself for not forgiving earlier.

 

Whatever you do I wish you good luck healing.

[Raine]

Forgive yourself for weakness or anything else that put you in a bad situation, forgive your enviroment the allowed it, forgive whoever caused harm and forgive yourself for not forgiving earlier.

 

Whatever you do I wish you good luck healing.

 

Thank you

[Raine]

Songtsan, that was incredibly helpful in itself and I do those things, though usually to avoid myself. I will pm you. I don't mind everyone knowing but, I'm just unsure my garbage will be useful to others.

 

... but, I tell anyone if they ask

 

[Basher]

Raine, nobody here is in any position to judge anyone else.

You only need share what you wish, or feel comfortable sharing.

But whatever it is, may be of help to others in a similar situation.

Basher

[Raine]

Hmm, well, its a mix of genetic mutation from dioxin toxicity, chaotic & frightening events as a babe, and a particularly nasty form of conditioning gender roles. Agent Orange + Lunatic Vet Father + parents that sexualize women to the extreme. I ended up with chemical sensitivities, disrupted nervous system from dioxin dioxin toxicity, expressive language disorder, attention deficit disorder,cocognitive disorder, and intimacy issues. That the extreme short of it all but the Agent Orange exposure caused a permanent disruption. I had two sisters. One died at six months and the other was born with Hydrocephalus. Both had disfigured hearts. Two of my daughters and my living sister have scoliosis. All of my kids have ADD and language disorders, as well as chemical sensitivities. Its just a mess to deal with and the gov. still will not recognize what they've caused.