Re: New to ACT and confused and struggling

[Guest guest]

Rodney,

Thank you so much for the reply I found it very helpful.

At this stage I'm just starting to see the relationship between my own avoidance

strategies, their costs, and effectiveness. It is funny to observe how my mind

works during different states of anxiety/depression. When I'm caught in a high

anxiety/depression state I'm primarily focused on how I feel and do not " hear "

my thoughts very well. They scream through my head like rocket and are pretty

much all ugly. When I'm in a less anxiety/depression state I view my experience

much differently where my thoughts are slower and when I look in retrospect at

the earlier heightened anxiety/depression experience I can see the avoidance's,

and am starting to see the costs. I identify with a poster in a different thread

where I seem to spend a lot of time checking how I feel. At this point I see

this and in time hopefully deal with it.

In regards to my meditation I can see now that I may be using it as an

avoidance. I used to get great relief from a good sitting meditation but now not

so much.

Thanks Again,

> >

> > Hello everyone my name is and I'm new to ACT but have lifelong

struggle with depression, anxiety and using substances (alcohol) to sleep. About

7 years ago the depression and anxiety got to the point where I realized that I

had a problem. I started buying self help programs like Lucinda Bassett and self

help books and they all provided short term relief but nothing lasting. About 3

years ago I started seeing a CBT therapist who I saw for about 1 year. I never

took or was able to Apply the CBT methods, why I do not know but it just was.

About 3 months into the CBT therapy I found Mindfulness and started a daily

sitting meditation practice. I found periodic relief in the meditation. Several

months after finding Mindfulness I found Dr GOYM book and started on self

hep ACT. The concepts of ACT make so much logical sense and ring so true and

describe my struggle that I knew I had found " something " that I could work with.

After about a month of working with GOYM I lost my job and ended up in a mental

health facility for 10 days after a suicide attempt.

> >

> > I landed another job in the same company a few weeks after my discharge

which semi stabilized me. It was at this time I stopped seeing the CBT

therapist.

> >

> > Fast forward a year or so filled with ups and mostly downs and I reached out

and found an ACT therapist who I've been seeing for several months. So I'm back

on the ACT path again.

> >

> > Sorry for the long preamble but I like to paint the big picture.

> >

> > I'm in the beginning of my therapy where I'm identifying my negative feeling

and memories and what I do to relieve the pain and what costs are associated

with my coping strategies. I've been doing this for several days and can see

that avoid quite a few things.

> >

> > I know there is a question here somewhere I seem to have lost my trainof

thought since I start typing.

> >

> > Okay my first question: when I get " spun up " and full of strong negative

emotions I can't seem to break free and hear my thoughts it is as if I'm on

autopilot. I remember a few delusion techniques from my earlier go around with

ACT and try to employ them but can't seem to break free. It's hard to think " I'm

having the thought that " when I can't hear thought.

> >

> >

> > Alright there are two questions: When I meditate I find it very hard to stay

with my breath, I end up lost in thought and " spun up " . Does anyone have.

another meditation technique that may be used?

> >

> > Sorry for the long post and thanks for reading,

> >

> >

> >

>