Re: Sitting With Values but moving on to defusion

[Guest guest]

although I think is saying that 'shortening the length of panic attack'

is a not wholly desirable outcome, which I can't quite get my head around.

>

> Or, when it comes to safety issues, observing that 'my heart is jumping

around in my chest, I am having the thought that someone is in the house with

bad intentions'. This last one has been very effective in shortening my panic

attacks at night when my partner is away (he works away a month then is home a

month). I really appreciated what had to say about 'welcoming the

anxiety' a few posts back.

>

> Cheers

>

>  

> 'It's just a step to the right....put your hands on your hips and bring your

knees in tight'

>

[Guest guest]

<snip> " Techniques " -- even ACT ones -- will abandon you if the goal is reducing

anxiety.

Even if that happens (and unfortunately it often graaaadually does) that is not

the goal.

You will stop feeling anxious when you are dead.

" No anxiety " is hardly the great outcome your mind tells you it is. The goal is

liberation. The goal is life.

WITH anxiety when anxiety is here.

Use acceptance and defusion for that; then expand into the rest of the model and

exposure as you expand your life <snip>

It was the above statement from in a post with the topic, OCD, that I was

referring to Helena. In particular, the bit in brackets that says 'and

unfortunately it often gradually does'. I have taken that to be referring back

to 'reducing anxiety' ..... but now you've got me wondering....maybe it's

referring to ACT 'techniques' abandoning you. The whole paragraph is a game

changing statement. I guess it's challenging to switch from the goal of 'ending

anxiety' to 'liberation. Life WITH anxiety when anxiety is there' and that's why

I'm confused.

Is it possible, , for you to say a little bit more to clarify that

paragraph?

People might find it odd but I find it incredibly comforting to read in a more

recent post that you still struggle. (Actually I just realised the structure of

this last sentence is another example of what I'm confused about. Do I mean

people might find it odd that I'm comforted or do I mean that people might find

it odd that still struggles?) I meant the former.

cheers

> >

>

> > Or, when it comes to safety issues, observing that 'my heart is jumping

around in my chest, I am having the thought that someone is in the house with

bad intentions'. This last one has been very effective in shortening my panic

attacks at night when my partner is away (he works away a month then is home a

month). I really appreciated what had to say about 'welcoming the

anxiety' a few posts back.

[Guest guest]

ah the ambiguity and paradoxes inherent in the English language...probably a

reflection of life in general! Thanks Helena, Terry and Darrell, I've enjoyed

the laughs and the decoding attempts.

>

> > I'm no Steve expert decoder, but I'll take a stab at this since it's

fun: I'm pretty sure he means the comments as a caution. That reduction in

anxiety as one practices ACT can prove seductive in the sense the mind will want

to turn it all into a formula..e.g., the mind will tend to conclude:

> > " Oh, cool..I just need to do x, y, z (plug in ACT process) more often ( or

do it this way and only this way) and then my anxiety will continue to diminish

each and every time " .

> >

> > As the mind grows convinced it's got things figured out (in this case,

anxiety), look out! The mind is back in the driver seat and you are shrinking

more and more into oblivion, less present with what is working, less flexible

with the current context. (Such as the point in the discussions about taking

medications, like the posts about beta blockers).

> >

> > Not that reduction in anxiety is bad. We all want less anxiety. I think,

right? I sure do. But at what cost? So guess it's just that you really don't

want to start setting that up as the expectation, as the end result, as the

goal. If reduction in anxiety happens, it happens. And if it doesn't, it

doesn't.

> >

> > Am I making sense or confusing things more? ;-)

> >

> > terry

> >

> >

> > To: ACT for the Public <ACT_for_the_Public >

> > Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2012 9:27 AM

> > Subject: Re: Re: Sitting With Values but moving on to

defusion

> >

> >

> > Maybe he means that it is unfortunate that reducing anxiety happens

" graaadually " instead of quickly, lol. I, too, would like further clarification

now that I read the entire thing.

> >

> > Helena

> >