went to movie, became sick and disorientated..what happened? how do you fight it

[[St...]]

OK,so I went to see Boo 2 with my family.

About 20 mins into the movie I became sick and disorientated.

Dizzy and then the numb hands and face hit.

I guess it was a anxiety attack.

Controlled breathting and made it through it.

I was not leaving and giving in to the attack.

Anyting like this hit you?

What are the tricks to survive the attacks?

[[Ni...]]

OK,so I went to see Boo 2 with my family.

About 20 mins into the movie I became sick and disorientated.

Dizzy and then the numb hands and face hit.

I guess it was a anxiety attack.

Controlled breathting and made it through it.

I was not leaving and giving in to the attack.

Anyting like this hit you?

What are the tricks to survive the attacks?

 

It only becomes "anxiety" when those out-of-the-blue weird body sensations 'shock' you enough to cause a rapid alarm reaction - and then you fear the alarm; and then "it escalates" in a sort of self-perpetuating vicious cycle.

 

It is possible to interrupt that process at source and not connect to fear - if you are on the ball enough and can spot what is happening initially, quickly enough.

 

When our nervous systems are exhausted, fragile and capable of producing any number of "new" weird sensations, we are often caught off-guard by them and get in a tizzy before we have time to think (because the body acts first in these circumstances).

 

I have myself primed "not to be surprised by surprises" and if there is a new WTF sensation (happens often enough) I put myself in the place of "observer" instead of "reactor" and I observe it rather than react to it; that's enough to interrupt the automatic FOF response; and then I let go (in a relaxation sense), allow it to do its thing, and stay 'right there in the middle of it'. With practice, this gets easier to do until one gets to being "whatever" about all of it.

 

In time, it all becomes less intense, fades away more quickly and ultimately, it stops happening altogether

 

 

 

[[He...]]

What kind of thoughts did you have?

[[Ja...]]

Night watch, that is amazing advice.

[[Ni...]]

Night watch, that is amazing advice.

 

[[im...]]

I second the great advice from NightWatch. I haven't yet mastered the technique, but I do recognize the power of it. In Dr. Claire Weekes amazing book, Hope and Help for Your Nerves, she describes something similar. She teaches not to react with fear (as NightWatch does) and instead to "float through" the new sensation. Fear is tantamount to fighting it, which only makes it worse. Just observe it, and float through.

 

This has served as a pep talk for me, as well.

[Guest [ba...]]

Sometimes sitting at the end of the row feels better than sitting in the middle of the room (surrounded by people).

[[Et...]]

 

 

I third Nightwatch's great advice, and also I'm Anxious with Dr Claire weeks recomendation, it's excellent. I've said a lot but can't stop being thankful for Barry Mcdonaugh's Dare audiobook; it puts everything together in a actionable plan that works. It truly changed my life and I wish I had it before. I believe these kind of teachings fulfill Dr. Ashton's idea of home rehab being best to develop "coping skills"

 

As to the original topic I am an avid movie goer, I go every Sunday with my wife. My first flare up was really bad during Blade Runner. It was truly a grueling experience with me churning in my seat, and being brave to stay in there as to not pull my wife and declare defeat; and of course it wasn't a regular movie, it was 3 hours!  Little did I know there's a better way. After the audiobooks I went back and was able to successfully go through a movie with no discomfort, it also helped that I picked Action instead of Sci-Fi.

 

Try to pick a better movie and practice the skills in the books, they make all the difference. I'm not healed by any means and am currently in the middle of a wave, but it is much more bearable, and you'll be able to go back to the movies and anywhere for that matter.

[[Ni...]]

I second the great advice from NightWatch. I haven't yet mastered the technique, but I do recognize the power of it. In Dr. Claire Weekes amazing book, Hope and Help for Your Nerves, she describes something similar. She teaches not to react with fear (as NightWatch does) and instead to "float through" the new sensation. Fear is tantamount to fighting it, which only makes it worse. Just observe it, and float through.

 

This has served as a pep talk for me, as well.

 

The late Claire Weekes was the originator of techniques such as this; a very fine lady, committed to the relief of suffering for others. She had the added insider advantage (if we want to call it that) of being a sufferer herself, which, to my mind adds the real "oomph" to what she had to say about it.

 

The important point, I think, is that if things escalate to a panic-attack proper, then the fuel for the actual panic is the sufferers own fear in the moment (fear is fueled by fear) - and avoidance, or the wish to "escape it" is the trigger that keeps on triggering.

 

Paradoxically, then, the better move is mentally to "move right into the middle of it", willingly, and be fully present, right there. No need to "do" anything except be in it and stay with it - allowing it all to wash through without resistance or opposition. Doing one of the muscular relaxation techniques ("letting go") in that situation is helpful (but that needs to be built up as a skill in ordinary times, when there is no anxiety/panic to speak of, for the best effect).

 

I do realise that the glutamate-dominant induced panic/anxiety endured by people in WD is a different beast, in that the origins of it are down to neurological  malfunction rather than anything else (and in time it will fade when receptors re-balance) but, still, the same principles apply, to minimise the intensity, duration and frequency.

 

None of it is easy at the outset, in much the same way that 'putting your head back in the water' wasn't easy when first learning to swim. It takes practice - but we have ample opportunity for that and it is very doable, even if it is difficult.

 

All the best.

 

 

[[St...]]

Wow!

All great words of advice and encouragement.

I was determined not to let it scare me out of the movie. It was rough but I endured the attacks and felt the victor when I left.

Dont remember much of the dialogue as I was too busy doing deep breathing exercises.

 

Thanks everyone!!