any1 ever over come SA????

skins

skins

1
Hi ppl, just wanna know if any1 has ever overcome SA to a large extent at all...cause i have been tossing up wether to see a psychiatrist for some time now as there is one in my area that specialises in it and she once wrote an article about it in my local paper and she sounded like she thoroughly understands it. trouble is i thought i was overcoming it for myself for a while there...i thought i was getting better or atleast improving, has anyone experienced this before (perhaps i just imagined it) but then i feel it has reared it ugly head again? i go for long periods were i am fine and then i have an "incident" which gets me down. i hadn't had one of these for soo long and it seemed like i was talking more confiendently to others and stuff? how do you know if you are overcoming it or not? (i debated this wih a family member and they reckon i havn't improved, this kinda shattered my confidence and now i'm thinking about getting help again) i feel if i go and get help the whole process is going to get me down and make me depressed again. also i have a very low paid job andi feel i might not be able to afford it anyway (how much is it gunna cost?). if i feel i'm slowly improving do i try and stick it out? has any1 gotten better this way? or did you feel therapy hepled a great deal or not? did they understand SA/SP to begin with? letme know your stories :?
 
Nvenya

Nvenya

Member
Hi Skins,

I think there are some success stories submitted by some of the members(or former members) of this site. Might have to dig a little to find them. As for myself, there were times when I felt I was getting much better and other times when I was so low I didn't think things could get any worse. What is strange is that I noticed I had been better only when I started to get worse, if that makes any sense.

I've seen counselors, social workers, therapists, psychiatrists and psychologists and only one person out of all of them made an impact on me. It was a CBT psychologist that I saw for about a year. Unfortunately we only dealt with my depression, but I think I was able to gain some new perspectives. Not sure why some shrinks shy away from SP/SA, but I'd just shop around til I found one I liked and who understood me. There is no guarantee that it will work for you and I think you really have to want to change for anything to really happen. Just don't go to the ones that want to medicate you right away (unless you want to). I can't stand the ones that want to jam pills down your throat after talking to you for 5 minutes. In the U.S. they can be quite costly without insurance, sorry I can't give any info on costs for other places in the world. Good luck and try to stay positive.
 
jesuschristschild

jesuschristschild

Well-known member
well, i used to be so social phobic that i couldnt even speak to my own family members.......i found Jesus Christ through a paranormal experience...and hes given me the strength to love people instead of assume negative things against them...also he gives me the strength not to worry what people think


i went from fearing my family members to being able to speak in front of a large group of people....only God gives me that strength

amen
 
skins

skins

1
Thankyou Nvenya and jesuschristschild for your responses I can relate to both of your posts. Nvenya, I know what you mean about shrinks and stuff wanting to shove pills down you at the drop of a hat its quite rediculus. Lucky this one doesn’t seem to be like that, CBT therapy, breathing techniques etc etc is her approach. The article thy wrote sounded as though they have dealt with it many times before and seen improvement in their clients which is encouraging.... I will always try and avoid using any sort of drug if I can help it in my recovery, I would maybe consider prozac for depresssion but that’s about it I reckon even then I reckon I can do without it, sometimes I may be depressed but not all the time. Its just too risky, u never know what they are doing to you…ive heard too many stories of ppl on here who either have side effects or the drugs simply don’t work, so I’m gunna avoid them.
Jesuschristschild I’m glad that things have worked out for you in that way, I know that faith has definitely helped me on my road to recovery and is what keeps me going, god is what gives me strength to fight on
 
I

IcanDoIt

Well-known member
yeah, if u did a thorough search, you'd see a few forumers succeed in overcoming SA.

i have overcame SA to a really huge extent. i am free from social anxiety, although i may experience them once in a while, even so, i do not feel overwhelmed by it, instead, i observe how the anxiety works through my body, and it could be a fun thing at times..:), and usually it last for a few seconds only..

like for some, i did not go through therapy, i stopped medication and i did not take benzos or whatver, only proponolol and st john wort..and i threw them away soon after..

its just that hunger for success, the motivation to succeed, that really changed me..

i guess if all of us here have that huge desire/motivation to eliminate SA, we realy can eliminate it after all.. :D
 
S

SydGuy79

New member
I've only just joined up to this forum, and adding to this I've also largely gotten past SA. Some parts of my life it's still there, but only to a small degree now, overall I'd say I've shifted from social anxiety to social confidence, and I have no plans on going backwards. I think once you get past a certain point you realise how far forward you can keep going, and I want to get to the point where social anxiety is just a distant memory in my past.

For me - CBT (the 20 session series from the Social Anxiety Institute website), rationalisation, group meetings but most importantly - realising I'm worth it and no different to everyone else (rather than putting myself in a sub-category of society) make a big difference. Truly believing you're just as important as everyone else helps alot, along with all the other techniques of course. Why should you feel inferior to anyone else? And slowly giving up the obsession of automatic negative thinking, actually WANTING to give it up which sounds strange, but it is indulgent and a part of you, all contribute. This was true for me, at any rate.
With belief and determination it is possible!! You've gotta stick to it, even through setbacks, to really make progress.

Keep going and don't give up, you can do it :)
Your attitude sounds positive, that alone will get you a long way, good luck! :D :D
 
StrandedTangle

StrandedTangle

Well-known member
Hi Skins!
I also went through a period where I felt I had overcome my SA. I had a lot more confidence and joined some groups where I had interests and had quite a lot of friends. All female though and not romantic. I can't relate to other guys at all. This lasted for over a year and I moved into a flat and things were going well. This was about 12 years ago now. Then a girl moved into the flat next door and literally threw herself at me. This was just after I had made a conscious decision that I was ready for a relationship. Be careful what you wish for!
I won't bore you with the VERY involved details, but eventually we got married and have one child.
My relationship with my wife has made me suffer more Social Phobia than ever and it's only getting worse.
This doesn't help you much. Yes I felt I had overcome things to some extent, but whether it would have lasted I don't know. Even at my best; I could not relate to males.
I have been to different psychiatrists and psychologists over the years for the anxiety, stress and depression. I don't think anyone has really helped much, other than it does give you someone to talk to; obviously.
I personally felt I helped myself more than anything. It's now a mess and I'm trapped. My wife has other issues and is worse than me, but in different ways. I'm the only one keeping the ship afloat and we have a child.
Yes; I think you can manage SA to a degree, but be really careful where the uncharted waters may lead you.
 
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Littlewing13

Active member
I felt like I never really got rid of it but was much better when I was working in retail. Being exposed to people often really helps. The less the worse. But I wouldn't recommend jumping in head first. Take it slowly. My psychologist is really helping me. If only to have support and to have someone who can answer my questions. Also mood gym helped a little if you can't afford a psychologist
 
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