Help please. Need help please.

[mewtwo]

Hi it has seemed that i have posted this before but does anyone know of places close to south dakota that teach taoism and other eatstern things, or anywhere in the uinited states? I will need to do it in person no over the internet. I am trying to learn and one of my dreams is to go to china and live in a taoist monastery there. I get sever anxiety attacks and I am goling through one right now. I just dont know what to do I mean I am 18 and am searching for this stuff it just seems like there is nothing around me. I mean I go to my local borders and half the stuff on taoism is just different translations of the tao teh jing, and another one fourth is different i chings. The rest of the books there I have read.

 

 

Any help would be greatlyt appreciated.

Edited March 20, 2008 by mewtwo

[Mal]

Hi Mewtwo,

 

We must go online at the same times

 

Do you have any breathing exercises or Tai Chi that you can do when you get "anxiety attacks" ? I find just reconnecting with that deep breathing can be helpful if it just gets overwhelming.

 

Your right about the bookstore, at least you have a Borders and it has a Taoist section I have to travel 1,000km to get that! I must plug Eckhart Tolle - The Power of Now, a great book that is available in most shops.

 

And have you looked at Ken Cohen stuff, it's quite interesting and well done, I have :-

THE ESSENTIAL QIGONG TRAINING COURSE:

100 DAYS TO INCREASE ENERGY, PHYSICAL HEALTH, & SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING

 

A bit expensive (it was a present) but really useful information.

 

I hope someone can help you out with a contact local for you.

 

Hang in there

[松永道]

Hi it has seemed that i have posted this before but does anyone know of places close to south dakota that teach taoism and other eatstern things, or anywhere in the uinited states? I will need to do it in person no over the internet. I am trying to learn and one of my dreams is to go to china and live in a taoist monastery there. I get sever anxiety attacks and I am goling through one right now. I just dont know what to do I mean I am 18 and am searching for this stuff it just seems like there is nothing around me. I mean I go to my local borders and half the stuff on taoism is just different translations of the tao teh jing, and another one fourth is different i chings. The rest of the books there I have read.

Any help would be greatlyt appreciated.

 

I don't know about Daoism, but South Dakota is potentially the best place to find Native American wisdom traditions. Just an idea.

 

Going to China isn't as hard as you might think. I know a guy with only a high school diploma who teaches English at an elementary school here. Some Chinese colleges are also looking to become more international and love taking foreign applicants. Though, once you get here finding a good teacher still isn't easy. The parks are full of so-so teachers. You can shell out a lot of money to Wudang or Shaolin but odds are slim you'll ever learn any real neigong that way. There's another poster at Dao Bums, 林道彧, who I believe has lived in the monasteries, that's not an easy option though. Then there are the adepts who live in the city, and it's hard to find them them unless they want to find you.

 

In either case, 18 means you should have a long life to go. No need for worries or rushing. Fast is slow, slow is fast. You can still lay a foundation in the mean time. Foundational exercises are simple but will take you right to the end. Sit and follow the breath. Practice wuwei standing. Until you master the basics, the basics are all a master would teach you anyway.

[Taoist81]

Before looking for any spiritual tradition, seek professional psychotherapy (this does not have to mean drugs) for the anxiety attacks. According to most here (and elsewhere) "masters" won't take you unless you are balanced already, so, take care of the basics first. If you want to get started, just do some deep breathing and qigong like Aiwei said, but don't neglect the professional help. People who don't get the mundane straightened out before going to the spiritual tend to just make things worse for themselves.

[Leidee]

As a person who previously suffered with severe anxiety attacks, I can offer the following:

 

Maintain a journal which lists your triggers (food, emotional stresses, hormonal changes - if a lady);

Realise that, just as you have formed a habit of having anxiety attacks, you can also break that habit;

Eat well and regularly; don't let blood sugar swings etc occur

Sleep up to 8 hours per night (or whatever your body's natural requirement is).

 

I would also try some guided meditations or full body relaxations, each evening before bed. But be aware that in a state of high anxiety (even if you aren't suffering an attack at that exact moment), trying to meditate may actually increase your general anxiety levels, so try to be concious of this and don't push yourself to meditate if you are feeling particularly anxious. Anxiety cannot be pushed through. You have to come at it from the side and disarm it!

 

Consider a magnesium supplement - Bioceuticals Muscleze is a good one. It has muscle relaxant qualities and will also help you to sleep better.

 

Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs, if you aren't doing that already.

 

Get some counselling to help you through.

 

The above list are the things I found most helpful. I have been anxiety attack free for over 4 years.

[mwight]

an anxiety attack sounds like an imbalance with your upper chakra's especially your heart chakra.

 

Get into a luke warm shower and sit there feeling all the anxiety draining out and into the water.

 

Feel, dont visualize it.

 

This is a basic grounding meditation, make sure the drain is open and the water can flow away.

 

Also the herb KAVA as a drink not as a pill is great for anxiety and panic attacks.

 

 

Also you don't really need to be taught in person if you are a sincere student. There are lots of courses available online and sometimes for free.

 

Spring Forest Qigong 1-4, Ken Cohens course, Robert Peng, Robert Bruce,

 

Lots of great books, I recommend:

 

All books by Robert Bruce, especially his newest: Energy Work

 

The Tao of Meditation: Way to Enlightenment by Tsung Hwa Jou

 

Pillars of Bliss by Lama Dorje

 

The Secret of the Golden Flower (available online I think)

Edited March 20, 2008 by mwight

[freeform]

Hi Mewtwo

 

For panic attacks I recommend you visit www.emofree.com - have a read through, download the free ebook and sincerely use the techniques. It takes a little while, but the technique has been very effective with everything from panic attacks and phobias to physical health issues.

 

In terms of Taoism you're getting some great advice from the others...

 

(actually the EFT technique is based on the meridian system and tapping acupuncture points - which is all based on traditional Taoist medicine)

 

Let us know how you get on

[rain]

..................

Edited April 18, 2008 by rain

[cheya]

 

 

I get sever anxiety attacks and I am goling through one right now.

Hi Mewtwo,
Don't know if this will apply to you, but years ago I found that my blood sugar was triggering anxiety attacks, often straight out of sleep in the middle of the night, no nightmare required. Mine were easy to take care of: I had to give up caffeine and sugar, and eat frequent small meals containing protein and some fat (cheese, eggs, meat, fish, sardines, peanuts) along with a SMALL amount of carbs. When you eat sugar and caffeine, your blood sugar rises and you feel great for a little while, but then your blood sugar takes a dive and you get the shakes and get emotional or emotionally unstable. When your blood sugar falls, your body dumps out adrenaline to crank your blood sugar back up, so your heart starts beating fast and you may start sweating. Then, if you're like me, you start saying "What's wrong? What's wrong?" and start making up stories about what might be wrong to make you feel so bad! It's enough to really freak a person out!!!

Finding out about blood sugar was a huge relief to me, knowing that it was only that I'd screwed up my blood sugar and triggered an adrenalin release. No story needed. Easy to fix. Just take some deep slow belly breaths (to calm down the fight or flight response) and go eat a protein snack. Also, sitting around while you're having an adrenalin rush will just make you nuts. Nature means you to burn that adrenalin off. After you eat the snack, get some serious exercise, go for a walk up a hill, anything that takes some physical effort.

Good luck!