Anxiety disorders, particularly panic disorder and phobias, have many strategies for maintaining their hold on sufferers’ lives. They arise from the ancient, reptilian part of our brain and seize control of our autonomic nervous system before consciousness can kick in. They attach themselves to our earliest memories and slowly infiltrate every area of our lives. But perhaps their most powerful weapon is shame – the shame of being weak, of being cowardly, of being abnormal.
Anxiety disorders, particularly panic disorder and phobias, have many strategies for maintaining their hold on sufferers’ lives. They arise from the ancient, reptilian part of our brain and seize control of our autonomic nervous system before consciousness can kick in. They attach themselves to our earliest memories and slowly infiltrate every area of our lives. But perhaps their most powerful weapon is shame – the shame of being weak, of being cowardly, of being abnormal.And yet, nervous wrecks may be the bravest people on earth. Daily life presents more obstacles for phobics than any boot camp sergeant. Paradoxically, as Allen Shawn, himself an agoraphobic, points out in Wish I Could Be There, people with anxiety disorders may function exceptionally well in times of real danger. At last, their hyper-vigilant nervous systems exult, here’s a situation I know how to cope with!
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