Reader Letters
8/28/09
I am
just beginning to read your book "Psychology Debunked," and am finding it
biblical and insightful. You are partaking in a vital ministry to the body
and the world. Keep it up. God Bless you.
I am on the mend since my last correspondence to you. No more panic attacks,
just re-occurring bouts of mild to moderate anxiety. But I know the Lord is
not distant, He is at work in this sinner! Praise His Mercy!!!!!
My history in a nutshell:
1. tough year: new baby (now have 3 kids), bought house, run my own business, mom diagnosed with benign brain tumour (via MRI and MRA and several MD interps of the imaging) which was found to be cause of sudden significant short term memory loss forcing her to retire early as vice principal and educator at age 57. Involved in a church plant, etc.
2. while at work, about 6 months ago, had a single, 30 second episode of classic panic attack.
3. weeks later, thought I could "feel" my heart beat.
4. took blood pressure = normal
5. heart rate = slightly elevated 70 to 100 bpm, normal for me is in sixties
6. I exercise 4 to 6 times per week. Am 34 year old chiropractor, eat well, no smoke or excessive drink nor any family history of heart disease.
7. Kept "feeling" my heart beat. Went to MD who took heart rate, pressure and EKG and sent me for blood work. All normal.
8. Awoke at 5 AM one morning due to elevated heart rate, pain in arm, numb lips and shortness of breath. Called ambulance.
9. Ambulance EMT took an on-the-spot blood pressure, O2 Sat. and EKG. All normal.
10. ER physician took chest x-rays, blood work, EKG and O2 sat's were monitored. All normal.
11. Few days later I was given an echocardiogram (ultrasound image that "films" heart while it beats, looking for abnormal wall thickness, aneurysms, etc) = All normal.
12. The ER physician, my General Practioner and all my friends involved in cardiac field say same thing: anxiety/panic disorder.
13. My MD prescribed valium and cognitive behavioural therapy. Says it's genetic and brain chemistry induced. Those very words from his lips almost gave me an instant panic attack!
14. I thought my mind was "broken" from years of being a "worry wort," something my wife kept telling me: "you worry too much, about everything, trust God!!" Guess it finally caught up with me.
15. A few weeks ago, while on vacation, I started getting anxious and a fatal thought entered my mind: "I CAN'T stop this. It IS an unmanageable condition!" And entered an anxiety/panic cycle that nearly made me feel suicidal. That's when I cried out to God to really get serious about saving me from this. And that is when things began to turn around.
I have read, memorized,
clung to and relied on many, many Scriptures since this incident. And I have
had hours and days when I feel 100% recovered. Praise Him! I still am prone
to slipping into old thinking habits and oops, the anxiety starts to come
back. God is re-training my mind, heart, soul and spirit. Praise Him!
Thank you for your work, ministry and devotion. It is a true life saver.
Our Response:
Great news!… Is it not God's hand that your name means "God with you"? Surely this was His plan all along, to re-assure you that you don't have to ever worry or be anxious about your life. God is so good!
In Christ,
Ryan and Lisa Bazler
9/26/09
I am so grateful for your
ministry, please keep up the great work.
I have a quick question. I am in the process of having the Lord change my
heart in regards to my life long habit to worry. Recently, I began getting
panic and anxiety attacks. The culmination of a life that was training my
heart and mind to doubt God and trust in my strength. I am getting
tremendous healing in this department and I am seeing God change me
significantly. Moving me further and further away from worry and fear.
My question is this: I have found an online website (anxietynomore.co.uk)
put there by a man who suffered with severe anxiety and significant panic
attacks for 10 years. He is now fully recovered and has been recovered for
several years. I am consistently and foremost in the Word of God, in prayer
and obedience to God. This is the mainstay of my recovery. However, I have
found several of this man's anecdotal experiences and tips to be very
helpful. And they are consistent with Scripture. For example, he addresses
the problem of dreadful thoughts which can accompany a tired and anxious
mind. I used to try and fight these off with intense prayer and effort but
they would still be there and when I could no longer pray, and would have to
give in, they would come and... sort of disappear. As if my fear of them was
the only thing keeping these vain imaginations alive. He made the exact same
observation. Saying that fighting anxiety leads to more anxiety. Let the
emotions and fears come. Pay them no respect, and they lose the only power
they feed off: fear.
For some reason it was extremely helpful for someone to make this
observation. Someone who was where I am and has successfully moved away from
severe anxiety and panic. And I found no incompatibility with his statement
and Scripture. In fact, in the overwhelming majority of his site, his advice
is an echo of Scripture (e.g.: "who of you can add one single hour to his
life by worrying" Jesus Christ, somewhere on this guy's site he says "since
recovery, I have found anxiety to be the single most useless human emotion"
there is synchronicity there).
In short, I am seeking wisdom on using secular sites (not psychology sites)
of people who have successfully overcome anxiety, to give an extra reminder
that God's Word is true. If men and women who are not born again can
overcome anxiety attacks by accidentally agreeing with Christ, how much more
so can a child of God?
Hope to hear back from you.
Our Response:
Thank you for
your email. God expects us to use our minds, common sense, and wisdom in
addition to Scripture, and it makes sense that worrying about feeling
anxious will make you more anxious. That is good to hear that this site
helped you, and we agree that as long as the psychobabble is absent,
material like this that is compatible with Scripture (i.e. doesn't
contradict it) can and should be freely used.
See our October newsletter Q&A and Letters for more on this topic:
http://www.psychologydebunked.com/email0910_Q&A.htm
http://www.psychologydebunked.com/email0910_letters.htm
Congratulations and we hope for your continued recovery and rest in Him,
Ryan and Lisa Bazler
11/15/09
Thank you for this
confirmation. It does help to "touch and feel" a real life example of what
Christ teaches on anxiety. My recovery is continuing overall. Although I've
hit a setback in the past week. As someone who struggles with anxiety, I
will sometimes think of a worse case scenario and for some reason begin to
fear it could happen to me. For example, I inadvertently came across (in a
political article of all places) the mention of psychotic patients and
schizophrenia. I instantly began fearing the notion that I could somehow
develop these conditions. I began ruminating in my memory of times where
I've had symptoms similar to such conditions and felt my face turn pale and
fear come over me. I understand that this is all irrational worrying. But it
does take its toll on me and discourages me when I feel I had previously
crossed such a hurdle.
Any advice?
Again, thank you for responding to my last emailed question.
Our Response:
The secret is to remember God's character, and how God feels about you. He cares very much for you, and His character is one of pure love and holiness. He wants the best for you; Satan wants the worst for you. So ask yourself, "Is this thought from God or Satan?" Then listen or ignore that thought accordingly.
Your "worst-case" scenarios are really motivated out of fear and lack of trust in God and His good will toward you. Ask yourself, "Do I really believe it is God's will to have me turn into a schizophrenic and be thrown into a psych ward?" Well if God is all-powerful and all-present and all-knowing, the answer to this question is surely "No, my Father in heaven wouldn't allow that to happen to me - He loves me, and has His hand around me."
And remember, even if God does allow a certain measure of evil into your life, know that He will always give you the supernatural grace and comfort you need to withstand it. You'll never have to go anything alone.
In Christ,
Ryan Bazler