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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Seattle, WA
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A comprehensive audio series
Social Anxiety Background
Social anxiety has affected me since I was in elementary school. While it was triggered initially by a traumatic experience, it is something that runs in the family and I certainly had a predisposition for. Some examples of how it manifested itself over the years: avoiding certain types of social situations and friends, avoiding public speaking, avoiding the opposite sex completely, hiding in the library during lunch, the thought of just walking down certain hallways at my highschool terrified me, fear of being around large groups of people, fear and avoidance of going to parties or social gatherings, etc. My social anxiety started to get severe when I dropped out of college after one quarter because of my social anxiety. That's when I started to get uncomfortable just leaving my apartment and hit "the bottom" so to speak. Through treatment with group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogramming (EMDR) for mild Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and medication I've been able to live the balanced life that I value and form healthy friendships and relationships.
Other Treatments
The other audio tape series I've used is Dr. Richard's Overcoming Social Anxiety (I have posted a Treatment Experience on it), which I found to be more comprehensive in dealing with all aspects of social anxiety. Both take different approaches to treatment, Dr. Richards focusing more on CBT, while Jonathan Berent focuses more on breathing and relaxation techniques.
Treatment Experience
Jonathan Berent's book and audio CDs cover a lot about social anxiety, but I came to them after I'd used Dr. Richard's Overcoming Social Anxiety, so I was already a ways along in treatment, so to speak. I'll focus on what I found to be very beneficial about the series, but it's worth posting the program outline here so you can see what he actually covers:
1A - Getting Started
(1) Introduction: 2:30
(2) Getting to the Point: Defining Your Most Valuable Asset: 10:51
(3) Interview with Arthur: "Cured" Social and School Phobic: 13:31
(4) Interview with Robert: Resolution of Public Speaking Anxiety: 21:48
1B - Getting Started
(1) Understanding Shyness: 6:54
(2) Anxiety as Energy: 2:55
(3) Conscious Breathing Technique: 2:47
(4) Patterns of Social Anxiety: 5:29
(5) Profiles of Social Anxiety: 9:49
(6) By-products of Social Anxiety: 8:07
(7) Causes of Social Anxiety: 7:25
(8) The Learning Disability Connection: 2:25
(9) Self-Image Issues: 1:31
(10) Link to Past Exercise: 3:21
(11) Summary Section #1: 2:55
2 - Create Your Map For Change
(1) Creating Your "Map" For Change: 1:43
(2) Biofeedback: Intro to Skin Temperature Training: 7:54
(3) Intro to Self-Diagnostics: 2:59
(4) Physical Anxiety Profile: 10:34
(5) Mental Anxiety Profile: 6:02
(6) Behavioral Avoidance Profile: 15:15
(7) Behavioral Dependence Profile: 9:17
(8) Muscle Awareness Relaxation Exercise: 2:29
(9) Summary: Self-Diagnostics: 2:46
3A - Develop a High Performance Mind
(1)"Ultimate" Mechanics for Change: Intro to "Mind States": 5:32
(2) The "Natural Child" Mind State: 2:32
(3) The "Adapted Child" Mind State: 20:56
(4) The "Nurturing Parent" Mind State: 3:44
(5) The "Critical Parent" Mind State: 5:29
(6) The "Adult" Mind State: 12:53
(7) Embarrassment Under the Microscope: 3:03
(8) Ego Graph: The Picture of a "Cure": 4:12
3B - Develop A High Performance Mind
(1) Interview With Eric: A Profile of Anger: 16:25
(2) Creating Mind-State Balance: 22:25
(3) Embarrassment Challenge Exercise: 2:01
(4) Interview With Chris (Rock & Roll Musician): An Example of Healthy Mind State Balance: 6:22
(5) Interview With Alan (An Example of "The High Performance Mind":
He Turned His Learning Disability-Based Anxiety Into a Successful Chiropractic Career: 13:12
(6) Mind State Development Exercise: 1:16
4A - Stress Management
(1) Introduction to Stress Management: 9:54
(2) The "Adaptation Phenomenon": 1:26
(3) Social Anxiety Characterizes the Millennium: 2:37
(4) 3-Step Technique For Panic Control: 4:28
(5) Distress Or Eustress: Control Or Controlling?: 3:31
(6) "Performance" & Stress: 13:47
(7) Intro: Comprehensive 7-Step Program For Stress Management: 0:32
(A) The High Performance Mind: 0:31
(B) Resolve Repressed Emotion: 0:23
(C) Learn a Quieting Response: 6:30
4B - Stress Management
(D) Food & Healing: Annemarie Colbin, PhD.: 30:01
(E) Aerobic Exercise: 3:51
(F) Rhythms of Nature: 1:38
(G) Time Management: 2:48
5 - Pharmacology
(1) Natural Pharmacology: 6:22
(2) Intro to Medication: 1:23
(3) Interview With Stephanie (Paxil Patient and Spokeswoman): 14:29
(4) Perspectives on Medicine: 4:04
(5) Interview With Robert Lutrell, M.D.: 16:46
(6) Closing Points: 3:54
6A - Corrective Parenting: For Dependents of All Ages
(1) Understanding "Initiative": 4:27
(2) Warning Signs (Parenting Diagnostics): 12:31
(3) Avoidance-Dependence (Nurturing v.s. Enabling): 15:09
(4) Interview With Ellen (Corrective Parenting For Social Anxiety/Selectively Mutism): 10:16
6B - Corrective Parenting
(1) 22-Step Corrective Parenting Methodology: 46:32
7 - Social Skills
(1) Chemistry Is More Than a 9-Letter Word: 2:16
(2) Listening Skills: 1:57
(3) Logic As a Social Skill: 5:17
(4) Social Skills Learning: 4:40
(5) Interactive Issues: 5:03
(6) The Basic Rules: 0:32
(7) Body Language: 11:46
(8) Ten Steps For Meeting and Greeting: 4:35
(9) Conversation Guidelines: 12:34
(10) Relationship Development: 4:21
(11) Interview With Mike: "Cured" Social Phobic and Involuntary Virgin:10:56
(12) How to Become Truly Likeable -10 Steps: 1:23
(13) Summary: 1:03
8 - Putting It All Together
(1) Putting It All Together: 7:46
(2) Deep Relaxation Exercise: 18:47
(3) Empowering Exercise Introduction: 1:55
(4) Empowering Exercise: 10:54
Given that, the most important things I took away from the series were the diaphragmatic breathing technique and the concept of time and balancing your life.
First, I was really amazed by how helpful diaphragmatic breathing could be. By learning what it was in the booklet and practicing along with him on the CDs it became a habit for me and even now I still will automatically break it out when I am in anxiety causing situations. Having oxygen really helps control adrenalin rushes. The technique helped me start going to Toastmasters and giving speeches because with it I saw myself as able to maintain some level of control and "ride the wave of anxiety" despite that the adrenalin was pumping, my heart racing, knees shaking, hands sweating, etc.
Second, I learned how skewed my concept of time had become and how far off I was from leading a balanced life. Two thing happened as my anxiety got worse, I was increasingly obsessing over fewer and fewer relatively unimportant things, the time of my day just seeming to disappear into thin air. When someone would ask me what I spent all my time doing, I didn't really have any answer? (Sound familiar?) The second thing was that I wasn't living a balanced life between work, play, and social activities. While I think I always knew how skewed my life had become, it wasn't until I came upon this series that I was forced to actually write it out and see what I just wasn't spending my time doing the things I wanted to. Since then I've started to live a more balanced life and pay more attention to how I'm actually spending my time. It hasn't been easy, but awareness of the fact was the first step.
Ultimately, I would recommend Dr. Richard's series over this one, but I think both of them would be beneficial to anyone with social anxiety, Dr. Richard's first, then this one. Jonathan Berent has been working with people with social anxiety out in New York for many years and this series is a way to get access to his therapy without seeing him in person.