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Disarming Anticipatory Thoughts
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David Carbonell, Ph.D.
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Jun 16, 2008 07:08 PDT
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THE ANXIETY COACH®
Helping People Thrive in an Anxious World
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Volume 9, Issue 6
IN THIS ISSUE:
Dr. Carbonell offers a simple experiment to make a point
about anxious thoughts.
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INDEX
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1. Dave's Note
2. Disarming Anticipatory Thoughts
3. About The Anxiety Coach®
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Dave's Note
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June 16, 2008
Dear Reader,
This month's article is about the problem of anticipatory
thinking, and how to respond to it.
If you'd like more help handling such thoughts, I can send
you a free chapter from my self help book, "Panic Attacks
Workbook", which covers this topic.
To get a PDF file containing this chapter, just send a
blank e-mail to freech-@anxietycoach.com.
For those of you who want to purchase the book, it's
available for $14, plus postage, at:
http://www.anxietycoach.com/book.htm
For therapists interested in professional consultation about
treating anxiety disorders and/or making this an important
part of your practice, I offer a discount on the initial
consultation session. For information, take a look at:
http://www.anxietycoach.com/anxietycoachseminar.htm
And if you're a therapist in southern California, I will
offer my day-long workshop, "Six Secrets to the Treatment of
Chronic Anxiety Disorders" at the following locations in
July. For more information and registration, visit:
http://www.pesi.com.
July 21: Palm Springs, California
July 22: Rancho Cordova, California
July 23: San Diego, California
See you next month!
Dave Carbonell
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Disarming Anticipatory Thoughts
by David Carbonell, Ph.D.
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Have you got five minutes for an experiment?
Sit down in a room. Select a small object, like a cup, an
ashtray, a salt shaker, a framed photograph, or a book.
Remove it from the room.
You were able to do that, right?
Sit down again.
Think of the object you just moved. Picture what it looks
like, and think about it - where you got it, what it's used
for, and so on.
Now remove those thoughts from your mind. Keep all thoughts
of that object out of your mind for the next three minutes.
Not so easy, right? But this, unfortunately, is what people
with chronic anxiety often try to do.
That thought of having a panic attack? Or of looking nervous
during my speech? Or thoughts that I need to wash my hands
again, even though I just did it?
People try very hard to get rid of these thoughts. Sometimes
they're actually encouraged to do this, by authors and
therapists who recommend "thought stopping" techniques, like
snapping a rubber band on your wrist and saying "STOP!"
Thought stopping doesn't work so well. In fact, whenever
someone asks me about thought stopping, I like to say, "Don't
even think about thought stopping!"
It's pretty easy to get rid of an object. It's not so easy to
get rid of a thought. Usually, the harder you try, the more
you think of it. That's because you're trying to treat a
thought like an object. It doesn't work.
Treating thoughts like objects is one of the ways we get
fooled into making anxiety worse. It's common for all of
us to have thoughts that are illogical, unpleasant,
unrealistic, disgusting, and so on.
The best response is often to cultivate an accepting attitude
toward your thoughts - because, after all, they're just
thoughts, not objects or actions - and allow yourself to
have them, as you go on about your business. They'll fade
away - not as soon as you like, perhaps, but fade away they
will.
But if you treat them like threatening or unwanted objects,
and struggle to remove them, you'll usually find they stick
around longer.
Don't treat thoughts like objects!
If you want more help with anxious, anticipatory thoughts,
I can send you the chapter of my "Panic Attacks Workbook"
that covers this topic. To get a free copy, send a blank
e-mail to: freech-@anxietycoach.com
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THE ANXIETY COACH®
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The Anxiety Coach® is a publication of the Anxiety
Treatment Center, Ltd. The Center is a small group of
clinical psychologists who specialize in the treatment of
anxiety problems. The Center has offices in Chicago and
several nearby suburbs.
Dr. Carbonell, a licensed psychologist, is the founder and
director of the Anxiety Treatment Center.
The information contained in this publication is not a
substitute for consultation with healthcare professionals.
Each individual's health concerns should be evaluated by a
qualified professional.
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SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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If you received this copy from a friend or colleague and
want your own (free) subscription, look for the blue
subscription banner at http://www.anxietycoach.com.
To unsubscribe, follow the link at the very end of this issue.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
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David A. Carbonell, Ph.D.
Anxiety Treatment Center, Ltd.
E-mail: dcarb-@anxietycoach.com
Web: http://www.anxietycoach.com
5105 Tollview Drive, Suite 103
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
847.481.5251
© 2008, Anxiety Treatment Center, Ltd.
All rights reserved.
Anxiety Coach® is a registered mark of Anxiety Treatment
Center, Ltd.
Distribution Rights: The above material is copyrighted,
but you may retransmit or distribute it to whomever you
wish as long as not a single word is changed, added or
deleted, including the contact information. However, you
may not copy it to a web site without prior permission.
Reprint permission will be freely granted, upon request,
to periodicals and non-profit educational and service
organizations.
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