RE: On Edge

August 30, 2008

Hi G - Your anxiety sounds like mine so I might be able to help. First, you are on the right track with The Happiness Trap. I've worked with several other books, , Brantley and Forsythe, and found this one pulled all the concepts together for me. May be it just takes me four trys because all are good. There is no substitute for practicing the exercises frequently and committing them to habit. When says do them "ten times a day" he means it. I'm learning to play the banjo and wish I could play it like Earl Scruggs right now but I only practice when I want to. I will master the banjo when I practice religiously. Ditto with ACT. Mastering the banjo means training my muscles. ACT means training my brain. Try subscribing to 's twelve week online "refresher" service. It's an excellent automatic reminder of the most important aspects of ACT - $12.95 with a money back guarantee!!!!!!

The C in ACT has turned out to be the most helpful aspect to me = Commitment. Mindfulness and awareness set the stage for a calm mind but my anxiety disappears along with the edginess when I "move ahead with my hands and my feet with committed action towards a valued life." (Forsythe I believe). I am retired and have lots of discretionary time that is not filled by my daily routine. This time is fertile ground for my thinking self to highjack my brain and send it down a rabbit hole (catastrophizing). But if I get busy on my goals/values stop the hijack. I regularly attend an open meditation class at a local Buddhist Shambhala Center here in Boulder. I amazed at how many people think that meditation/awareness by itself will calm the mind. Many are stuck in bad situations - job/relationships - an are hoping to meditate their way out of them. If one's life is not congruent with one's values the thinking self has a field day. Until I did the values work in ACT I was stuck. There is nothing so calming as focusing my attention and actions on what's really important to me. That sounds like a form of awareness/mindfulness to me!

Are you familiar with the ACT hexiflex? It's a graphic representation of the six key aspects of ACT. To me it is a map through the thicket when the thinking self is trying to run the show. It helps me figure out where I'm stuck with a blank look on my face about what to do next. Most often I find that I've done the acceptance/defusion/awareness stuff and simply need to get on with living a valued life. My therapist gave me a copy of the heliflex. Perhaps one of the ACT professionals who monitor this lestserv can give you a link to it. In the meantime I will try to find a clean copy of it to send you. Mine is cluttered with the essence of ACT and would not be helpful in its current form.

My thinking self loves it when I wait/watch for more anxiety and is more than happy to fill the void. It is relatively quiet when I am focused on moving ahead with my hands and my feet towards a valued life.

I hope this helps. Hang in there. We all want you to find your way.

Bill

To: ACT_for_the_Public From: mayne75@...Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 03:46:17 +0000Subject: On Edge

Hi all, I am relatively new to this group and this is my first post. I have been suffering from anxiety / generalised panic disorder forthe last 9 months now. I have slowly been making progress with the help of a psychologist andam nearly finished reading the Happiness Trap by Dr. Russ whichhas been a terrific help lately. The defusing and mindfulness techniques have been very helpful howeverI cannot seem to overcome the feeling of being 'on edge' all the time.i.e. not feeling 100% and not liking the sensations I feel in my body.I know that the purpose of ACT is to accept the sensations and notstruggle with them, and then of course my mind tells me stories that Iwill never get over this and am doomed to live a life of feelinganxious all the time. I 'thank' my mind and try to go on with my dailytasks. I have improved over time to being able to not believe the horrorstories my mind tells me or 'catastrophising'but am usually now in aconstant state of being on edge. I take it that with continued practice of diffusing & mindfulness thisfeeling of being on edge (i.e. expecting to feel anxious or have apanic attack or looking for signs of anxiety, constantly experiencingphysical sensations associated with anxiety) will pass in time. My question / or reason for this post is to see whether other peoplefeel the same way and if so how do they or did they deal with this? Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Cheers, G.

August 30, 2008

bill, that was an amazing summary of your experience of ACT--user-friendly, down-to-earth and practical. i'm printing it out and i suspect i'll use some of your thoughts/summaries with my clients. thank you!

On Edge

Hi all, I am relatively new to this group and this is my first post. I have been suffering from anxiety / generalised panic disorder forthe last 9 months now. I have slowly been making progress with the help of a psychologist andam nearly finished reading the Happiness Trap by Dr. Russ whichhas been a terrific help lately. The defusing and mindfulness techniques have been very helpful howeverI cannot seem to overcome the feeling of being 'on edge' all the time.i.e. not feeling 100% and not liking the sensations I feel in my body.I know that the purpose of ACT is to accept the sensations and notstruggle with them, and then of course my mind tells me stories that Iwill never get over this and am doomed to live a life of feelinganxious all the time. I 'thank' my mind and try to go on with my dailytasks. I have improved over time to being able to not believe the horrorstories my mind tells me or 'catastrophising'but am usually now in aconstant state of being on edge. I take it that with continued practice of diffusing & mindfulness thisfeeling of being on edge (i.e. expecting to feel anxious or have apanic attack or looking for signs of anxiety, constantly experiencingphysical sensations associated with anxiety) will pass in time. My question / or reason for this post is to see whether other peoplefeel the same way and if so how do they or did they deal with this? Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Cheers, G.

August 30, 2008

(sorry for any confusion but my original post / profile became

corrupted so I am now posting from this new profile)

Thanks Bill so much for your comments. They have been very helpful and

given me some insight. A couple of weeks ago I just got up to the

'values' part of the Happiness Trap but was been tardy in continuing

on as I was feeling considerably better by this stage. It sounds as if

the values is a critical aspect of ACT and I would benefit greatly

from this.

It is also clear to me now that I had become complacent with my

improvement and stopped practicing ACT as I was improving which has

possibly exacerbated my general feelings of uneasiness.

I am working full time so don't have a lot of down-time. I do fill

this down time with a weekly yoga class, and hitting a few balls at

the driving range which greatly assist relaxation. The feeling of

uneasiness usually arises when I stop.. or am doing something I truly

value, such as spending time with my wife and 21 month old son, as if

to sabotage the things I truly value. Talking this through in this

forum just now as made me realise I must continue with the values

section of the Happiness Trap.

Thanks again for reading and letting me get this off my chest and for

your comments which have given me renewed hope.

G.

>

> bill, that was an amazing summary of your experience of

ACT--user-friendly,

> down-to-earth and practical. i'm printing it out and i suspect i'll use

> some of your thoughts/summaries with my clients. thank you!

>

> On Edge

>

> Hi all,

>

> I am relatively new to this group and this is my first post.

>

> I have been suffering from anxiety / generalised panic disorder for

> the last 9 months now.

>

> I have slowly been making progress with the help of a psychologist and

> am nearly finished reading the Happiness Trap by Dr. Russ which

> has been a terrific help lately.

>

> The defusing and mindfulness techniques have been very helpful however

> I cannot seem to overcome the feeling of being 'on edge' all the time.

> i.e. not feeling 100% and not liking the sensations I feel in my body.

> I know that the purpose of ACT is to accept the sensations and not

> struggle with them, and then of course my mind tells me stories that I

> will never get over this and am doomed to live a life of feeling

> anxious all the time. I 'thank' my mind and try to go on with my daily

> tasks.

>

> I have improved over time to being able to not believe the horror

> stories my mind tells me or 'catastrophising'but am usually now in a

> constant state of being on edge.

>

> I take it that with continued practice of diffusing & mindfulness this

> feeling of being on edge (i.e. expecting to feel anxious or have a

> panic attack or looking for signs of anxiety, constantly experiencing

> physical sensations associated with anxiety) will pass in time.

>

> My question / or reason for this post is to see whether other people

> feel the same way and if so how do they or did they deal with this?

>

> Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

>

> Cheers,

>

> G.

>

August 30, 2008

G - My thinking self loves to crash my party right when I am having my best moments. That's what thinking "selfs do." It's trying to protect me from what it thinks is complacency or unalertness. I simply thank it (acceptance) and go on enjoying my valued life (committed action). , in his book Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life (GOOYMAIYL), uses the analogy of the eccentric aunt that shows up uninvited to your family party. Simply invite her in (acceptance) and go about enjoying your other guests and the party (committed action). If you try to send her away she will huff and puff and try to blow your house down and no one will have a good time!!! If you invite her in she will not be nearly so disruptive. Acceptance is often moving on to plan B instead of holding out for plan A. Interestingly, what seems a lot like plan A will often appear.

After I have an especially exciting trip down a rabbit hole my body is pumped full of the adrenalin and other great stuff and it takes a while (days) for it to wear off and for my thinking self to take calm down. My therapist suggested "lots of water and lots of sweat." Give it a try.

Good luck on the values work. Don't underestimate its value and never think you are done with it.

Bill

To: ACT_for_the_Public From: anxiousgm@...Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:23:31 +0000Subject: Re: On Edge

(sorry for any confusion but my original post / profile becamecorrupted so I am now posting from this new profile)Thanks Bill so much for your comments. They have been very helpful andgiven me some insight. A couple of weeks ago I just got up to the'values' part of the Happiness Trap but was been tardy in continuingon as I was feeling considerably better by this stage. It sounds as ifthe values is a critical aspect of ACT and I would benefit greatlyfrom this. It is also clear to me now that I had become complacent with myimprovement and stopped practicing ACT as I was improving which haspossibly exacerbated my general feelings of uneasiness. I am working full time so don't have a lot of down-time. I do fillthis down time with a weekly yoga class, and hitting a few balls atthe driving range which greatly assist relaxation. The feeling ofuneasiness usually arises when I stop.. or am doing something I trulyvalue, such as spending time with my wife and 21 month old son, as ifto sabotage the things I truly value. Talking this through in thisforum just now as made me realise I must continue with the valuessection of the Happiness Trap. Thanks again for reading and letting me get this off my chest and foryour comments which have given me renewed hope. G. >> bill, that was an amazing summary of your experience ofACT--user-friendly,> down-to-earth and practical. i'm printing it out and i suspect i'll use> some of your thoughts/summaries with my clients. thank you! > > On Edge> > > > Hi all, > > I am relatively new to this group and this is my first post. > > I have been suffering from anxiety / generalised panic disorder for> the last 9 months now. > > I have slowly been making progress with the help of a psychologist and> am nearly finished reading the Happiness Trap by Dr. Russ which> has been a terrific help lately. > > The defusing and mindfulness techniques have been very helpful however> I cannot seem to overcome the feeling of being 'on edge' all the time.> i.e. not feeling 100% and not liking the sensations I feel in my body.> I know that the purpose of ACT is to accept the sensations and not> struggle with them, and then of course my mind tells me stories that I> will never get over this and am doomed to live a life of feeling> anxious all the time. I 'thank' my mind and try to go on with my daily> tasks. > > I have improved over time to being able to not believe the horror> stories my mind tells me or 'catastrophising'but am usually now in a> constant state of being on edge. > > I take it that with continued practice of diffusing & mindfulness this> feeling of being on edge (i.e. expecting to feel anxious or have a> panic attack or looking for signs of anxiety, constantly experiencing> physical sensations associated with anxiety) will pass in time. > > My question / or reason for this post is to see whether other people> feel the same way and if so how do they or did they deal with this? > > Thanks for taking the time to read my post. > > Cheers, > > G.>

August 30, 2008

Thanks for your affirmation. It helps me believe I might really be getting it. Bill

To: ACT_for_the_Public From: robyn1001@...Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:21:47 -0500Subject: RE: On Edge

bill, that was an amazing summary of your experience of ACT--user-friendly, down-to-earth and practical. i'm printing it out and i suspect i'll use some of your thoughts/summaries with my clients. thank you!

On Edge

Hi all, I am relatively new to this group and this is my first post. I have been suffering from anxiety / generalised panic disorder forthe last 9 months now. I have slowly been making progress with the help of a psychologist andam nearly finished reading the Happiness Trap by Dr. Russ whichhas been a terrific help lately. The defusing and mindfulness techniques have been very helpful howeverI cannot seem to overcome the feeling of being 'on edge' all the time.i.e. not feeling 100% and not liking the sensations I feel in my body.I know that the purpose of ACT is to accept the sensations and notstruggle with them, and then of course my mind tells me stories that Iwill never get over this and am doomed to live a life of feelinganxious all the time. I 'thank' my mind and try to go on with my dailytasks. I have improved over time to being able to not believe the horrorstories my mind tells me or 'catastrophising'but am usually now in aconstant state of being on edge. I take it that with continued practice of diffusing & mindfulness thisfeeling of being on edge (i.e. expecting to feel anxious or have apanic attack or looking for signs of anxiety, constantly experiencingphysical sensations associated with anxiety) will pass in time. My question / or reason for this post is to see whether other peoplefeel the same way and if so how do they or did they deal with this? Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Cheers, G.

August 30, 2008

Hi Bill,Thank you very much for your comments, particuarly regarding meditation. I've often turned to meditation to try and " fix " myself even when I had convinced myself that I was somehow " not attached " or without expectations of any kind. Needless to say, I found such meditation experiences very difficult, because the real work I needed to do was outside the dhamma hall.

Steve

Hi G - Your anxiety sounds like mine so I might be able to help. First, you are on the right track with The Happiness Trap. I've worked with several other books, , Brantley and Forsythe, and found this one pulled all the concepts together for me. May be it just takes me four trys because all are good. There is no substitute for practicing the exercises frequently and committing them to habit. When says do them " ten times a day " he means it. I'm learning to play the banjo and wish I could play it like Earl Scruggs right now but I only practice when I want to. I will master the banjo when I practice religiously. Ditto with ACT. Mastering the banjo means training my muscles. ACT means training my brain. Try subscribing to 's twelve week online " refresher " service. It's an excellent automatic reminder of the most important aspects of ACT - $12.95 with a money back guarantee!!!!!!

The C in ACT has turned out to be the most helpful aspect to me = Commitment. Mindfulness and awareness set the stage for a calm mind but my anxiety disappears along with the edginess when I " move ahead with my hands and my feet with committed action towards a valued life. " (Forsythe I believe). I am retired and have lots of discretionary time that is not filled by my daily routine. This time is fertile ground for my thinking self to highjack my brain and send it down a rabbit hole (catastrophizing). But if I get busy on my goals/values stop the hijack. I regularly attend an open meditation class at a local Buddhist Shambhala Center here in Boulder. I amazed at how many people think that meditation/awareness by itself will calm the mind. Many are stuck in bad situations - job/relationships - an are hoping to meditate their way out of them. If one's life is not congruent with one's values the thinking self has a field day. Until I did the values work in ACT I was stuck. There is nothing so calming as focusing my attention and actions on what's really important to me. That sounds like a form of awareness/mindfulness to me!

Are you familiar with the ACT hexiflex? It's a graphic representation of the six key aspects of ACT. To me it is a map through the thicket when the thinking self is trying to run the show. It helps me figure out where I'm stuck with a blank look on my face about what to do next. Most often I find that I've done the acceptance/defusion/awareness stuff and simply need to get on with living a valued life. My therapist gave me a copy of the heliflex. Perhaps one of the ACT professionals who monitor this lestserv can give you a link to it. In the meantime I will try to find a clean copy of it to send you. Mine is cluttered with the essence of ACT and would not be helpful in its current form.

My thinking self loves it when I wait/watch for more anxiety and is more than happy to fill the void. It is relatively quiet when I am focused on moving ahead with my hands and my feet towards a valued life.

I hope this helps. Hang in there. We all want you to find your way.

Bill

To: ACT_for_the_Public From: mayne75@...Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 03:46:17 +0000

Subject: On Edge

Hi all, I am relatively new to this group and this is my first post. I have been suffering from anxiety / generalised panic disorder forthe last 9 months now. I have slowly been making progress with the help of a psychologist and

am nearly finished reading the Happiness Trap by Dr. Russ whichhas been a terrific help lately. The defusing and mindfulness techniques have been very helpful howeverI cannot seem to overcome the feeling of being 'on edge' all the time.

i.e. not feeling 100% and not liking the sensations I feel in my body.I know that the purpose of ACT is to accept the sensations and notstruggle with them, and then of course my mind tells me stories that Iwill never get over this and am doomed to live a life of feeling

anxious all the time. I 'thank' my mind and try to go on with my dailytasks. I have improved over time to being able to not believe the horrorstories my mind tells me or 'catastrophising'but am usually now in a

constant state of being on edge. I take it that with continued practice of diffusing & mindfulness thisfeeling of being on edge (i.e. expecting to feel anxious or have apanic attack or looking for signs of anxiety, constantly experiencing

physical sensations associated with anxiety) will pass in time. My question / or reason for this post is to see whether other peoplefeel the same way and if so how do they or did they deal with this? Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Cheers, G.

September 2, 2008

Here are two versions of the ACT Hexiflex

– they are modified in that I have put simple explanatory phrases underneath

the key technical terms. The “professional” version uses official

ACT terms; the “public” version uses some slightly different terms,

introduced in The Happiness Trap.

Cheers,

Russ

Dr

PO Box 5079

Alphington, Melbourne

Vic 3078, Australia

www.thehappinesstrap.com

www.actmindfully.com.au

From: ACT_for_the_Public [mailto:ACT_for_the_Public ] On Behalf Of BILL CAMERON

Sent: Saturday, 30 August 2008

11:32 PM

To:

act_for_the_public

Subject: RE:

On Edge

Hi G -

Your anxiety sounds like mine so I might be able to help. First, you are on the

right track with The Happiness Trap. I've worked with several other books,

, Brantley and Forsythe, and found this one pulled all the concepts

together for me. May be it just takes me four trys because all are good. There

is no substitute for practicing the exercises frequently and committing them to

habit. When says do them " ten times a day " he means it. I'm

learning to play the banjo and wish I could play it like Earl Scruggs right now

but I only practice when I want to. I will master the banjo when I practice

religiously. Ditto with ACT. Mastering the banjo means training my muscles. ACT

means training my brain. Try subscribing to 's twelve week online

" refresher " service. It's an excellent automatic reminder of the most

important aspects of ACT - $12.95 with a money back guarantee!!!!!!

The C in ACT has turned out to be the most helpful aspect to me = Commitment.

Mindfulness and awareness set the stage for a calm mind but my anxiety

disappears along with the edginess when I " move ahead with my hands and my

feet with committed action towards a valued life. " (Forsythe I believe). I

am retired and have lots of discretionary time that is not filled by my daily

routine. This time is fertile ground for my thinking self to highjack my brain

and send it down a rabbit hole (catastrophizing). But if I get busy on my

goals/values stop the hijack. I regularly attend an open meditation class at a

local Buddhist Shambhala

Center here in Boulder. I amazed at how many people think

that meditation/awareness by itself will calm the mind. Many are stuck in

bad situations - job/relationships - an are hoping to meditate their way out of

them. If one's life is not congruent with one's values the thinking self has a

field day. Until I did the values work in ACT I was stuck. There is nothing so

calming as focusing my attention and actions on what's really important to me.

That sounds like a form of awareness/mindfulness to me!

Are you familiar with the ACT hexiflex? It's a graphic representation of the

six key aspects of ACT. To me it is a map through the thicket when the thinking

self is trying to run the show. It helps me figure out where I'm

stuck with a blank look on my face about what to do next. Most often I find

that I've done the acceptance/defusion/awareness stuff and simply need to

get on with living a valued life. My therapist gave me a copy of the heliflex.

Perhaps one of the ACT professionals who monitor this lestserv can give you a

link to it. In the meantime I will try to find a clean copy of it to send you.

Mine is cluttered with the essence of ACT and would not be helpful in its

current form.

My thinking self loves it when I wait/watch for more anxiety and is more than

happy to fill the void. It is relatively quiet when I am focused on moving

ahead with my hands and my feet towards a valued life.

I hope this helps. Hang in there. We all want you to find your way.

Bill

To: ACT_for_the_Public

From: mayne75

Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 03:46:17 +0000

Subject: On Edge

Hi all,

I am relatively new to this group and this is my first post.

I have been suffering from anxiety / generalised panic disorder for

the last 9 months now.

I have slowly been making progress with the help of a psychologist and

am nearly finished reading the Happiness Trap by Dr. Russ which

has been a terrific help lately.

The defusing and mindfulness techniques have been very helpful however

I cannot seem to overcome the feeling of being 'on edge' all the time.

i.e. not feeling 100% and not liking the sensations I feel in my body.

I know that the purpose of ACT is to accept the sensations and not

struggle with them, and then of course my mind tells me stories that I

will never get over this and am doomed to live a life of feeling

anxious all the time. I 'thank' my mind and try to go on with my daily

tasks.

I have improved over time to being able to not believe the horror

stories my mind tells me or 'catastrophising'but am usually now in a

constant state of being on edge.

I take it that with continued practice of diffusing & mindfulness this

feeling of being on edge (i.e. expecting to feel anxious or have a

panic attack or looking for signs of anxiety, constantly experiencing

physical sensations associated with anxiety) will pass in time.

My question / or reason for this post is to see whether other people

feel the same way and if so how do they or did they deal with this?

Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

Cheers,

G.

September 2, 2008

russ,thanks for the hexiflex - a handy summary!steve

Here are two versions of the ACT Hexiflex

– they are modified in that I have put simple explanatory phrases underneath

the key technical terms. The "professional" version uses official

ACT terms; the "public" version uses some slightly different terms,