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Someone emailed me this morning, who has been experiencing extreme anxiety recently while on PATHS. I've sent her my reply, and have decided to post it here as well because there may be others in a similar situation...
This person (I'll call her Janet, because I haven't asked her if I can use her real name) has suffered from extreme anxiety in the past. The anxiety stems from Trauma experienced throughout childhood, and is exceptionally powerful. Janet has recently added the Trauma Free module with the Millitary addition, to her theatre and has continued to experience the anxiety (The Mood Elevator module did get rid of the anxiety about a year a go, but something seems to be kicking it off again now.) She's had great success from various Paths modules over the last year or so, and can't understand why Paths doesn't seem to be helping with the anxiety now.
Janet has found that she feels anxious from when she wakes up in the morning, and then worries about finances and other issues that pop into her head. She has increased her Spirulina intake, as suggested by Paths, and is taking a good multi-vitamin and mineral suplement. She is also taking time off from work to try and relax, playing computer games, sleeping, and watching T.V. What she's now found is that while she's sleeping, watching T.V. or playing a computer game, she's fine. But as soon as she wakes up/ stops watching T.V. or playing the computer game, the anxiety comes back and the worries about money and her business and everything else come flooding into her head again.
Here's my answer to her, and I hope it helps others as well...
There's a feeling that part of you is hanging on to the trauma you experienced in childhood. And I suspect that the part that's hanging on is actually conscious, not subconscious.
It's possible that Paths is feeding the instructions (which amount to letting go of the trauma) into your subconscious, and that part of your conscious mind is fighting that feeling of letting go. There could be a few reasons for this - could be that you still feel what happened was unacknowledged; could be familiarity; could be "better the devil you know" kind of thing.
You still have a lot of emotion when talking about things like you mentioned in the email below. Of course, it's understandable, obviously, but when you've managed to let go consciously as well as subconsciously, you'll still disagree with it, still acknowledge it was wrong etc. but without the emotion.
I suspect the anxiety is coming from the "tug-o-war" going on between the subconscious being instructed to let go, and conscious mind remembering and still reacting and still feeling "unfinished business". I'm guessing that one of the biggest reasons for the conscious mind reminding itself all the time about what happened, is lack of acknowledgement and still feeling like this all happened behind closed doors, and no-one's stood up and been accountable for it.
I'm not sure how one would solve that. But here are a couple of possibilities:
* You could have a think to see what you need in order to feel closure. You could ask yourself, if you could have anything at all, what would give you closure on your childhood experience and the wrong that was done.
* If that doesn't work, or you don't feel like doing it, I would say that sleeping, playing computer games, and watching T.V. - not giving yourself any time to think - or as little as possible - would be the wisest course of action. Distract your conscious mind as muuuuuuch as you can to give your subconscious a chance to absorb, process and assimilate the instructions from Paths without the tug-o-war.
I do think that if you keep the conscious mind distracted, your subconscious will be able to get on with the changes without the fight that's going on. Once the changes have happened while your conscious mind's back has been turned, by the time it realises they've happened, it'll all be done and your conscious mind will then automatically accept the changes.
I'm sure you're aware that the worries about finances and everything else are not caused by real threats (although it looks that way) - I know you know this, but thought I'd just mention it again for linking to what I've said above. I think that, the tug-o-war starting as soon as the conscious mind is not distracted - when it realises what the subconscious is trying to do - causes the feeling of anxiety - that's the struggle between the instructions to let go, and the determination to hang on. When this is felt, the conscious mind (as per its job) rationalises the anxiety - and that's of course, why all sorts of reasons to worry pop into your head - they're all explainations for the feeling of anxiety, rather than the actual reason for it. The conscious mind seeeeeearches for it's dear life for some logical reason for this anxiety.
Hope this helps.
Love and Light and Magic xxx
This person (I'll call her Janet, because I haven't asked her if I can use her real name) has suffered from extreme anxiety in the past. The anxiety stems from Trauma experienced throughout childhood, and is exceptionally powerful. Janet has recently added the Trauma Free module with the Millitary addition, to her theatre and has continued to experience the anxiety (The Mood Elevator module did get rid of the anxiety about a year a go, but something seems to be kicking it off again now.) She's had great success from various Paths modules over the last year or so, and can't understand why Paths doesn't seem to be helping with the anxiety now.
Janet has found that she feels anxious from when she wakes up in the morning, and then worries about finances and other issues that pop into her head. She has increased her Spirulina intake, as suggested by Paths, and is taking a good multi-vitamin and mineral suplement. She is also taking time off from work to try and relax, playing computer games, sleeping, and watching T.V. What she's now found is that while she's sleeping, watching T.V. or playing a computer game, she's fine. But as soon as she wakes up/ stops watching T.V. or playing the computer game, the anxiety comes back and the worries about money and her business and everything else come flooding into her head again.
Here's my answer to her, and I hope it helps others as well...
There's a feeling that part of you is hanging on to the trauma you experienced in childhood. And I suspect that the part that's hanging on is actually conscious, not subconscious.
It's possible that Paths is feeding the instructions (which amount to letting go of the trauma) into your subconscious, and that part of your conscious mind is fighting that feeling of letting go. There could be a few reasons for this - could be that you still feel what happened was unacknowledged; could be familiarity; could be "better the devil you know" kind of thing.
You still have a lot of emotion when talking about things like you mentioned in the email below. Of course, it's understandable, obviously, but when you've managed to let go consciously as well as subconsciously, you'll still disagree with it, still acknowledge it was wrong etc. but without the emotion.
I suspect the anxiety is coming from the "tug-o-war" going on between the subconscious being instructed to let go, and conscious mind remembering and still reacting and still feeling "unfinished business". I'm guessing that one of the biggest reasons for the conscious mind reminding itself all the time about what happened, is lack of acknowledgement and still feeling like this all happened behind closed doors, and no-one's stood up and been accountable for it.
I'm not sure how one would solve that. But here are a couple of possibilities:
* You could have a think to see what you need in order to feel closure. You could ask yourself, if you could have anything at all, what would give you closure on your childhood experience and the wrong that was done.
* If that doesn't work, or you don't feel like doing it, I would say that sleeping, playing computer games, and watching T.V. - not giving yourself any time to think - or as little as possible - would be the wisest course of action. Distract your conscious mind as muuuuuuch as you can to give your subconscious a chance to absorb, process and assimilate the instructions from Paths without the tug-o-war.
I do think that if you keep the conscious mind distracted, your subconscious will be able to get on with the changes without the fight that's going on. Once the changes have happened while your conscious mind's back has been turned, by the time it realises they've happened, it'll all be done and your conscious mind will then automatically accept the changes.
I'm sure you're aware that the worries about finances and everything else are not caused by real threats (although it looks that way) - I know you know this, but thought I'd just mention it again for linking to what I've said above. I think that, the tug-o-war starting as soon as the conscious mind is not distracted - when it realises what the subconscious is trying to do - causes the feeling of anxiety - that's the struggle between the instructions to let go, and the determination to hang on. When this is felt, the conscious mind (as per its job) rationalises the anxiety - and that's of course, why all sorts of reasons to worry pop into your head - they're all explainations for the feeling of anxiety, rather than the actual reason for it. The conscious mind seeeeeearches for it's dear life for some logical reason for this anxiety.
Hope this helps.
Love and Light and Magic xxx
for the insight and ideas on how to get through "growing pains" more painlessly! 
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