mindfulness, cbt and acupuncture...too much?

[miahcalm]

Hello, 1st post and new to mindfulness so looking for any advice if I may? After a trauma this year I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and the usual symptoms associated..not good. I turned down the prescription drugs and looked at cbt which I start next week, that then brought me to mindfulness and the mark williams/danny penmen book.

Last Saturday I started week 1 and also had my 1st acupuncture session, that night I felt really calm and relaxed, since then despite doing the audio meditation every morning my anxiety has increased to the point where it's pretty much all day and I have woken no later than 5am each day . Do you think this could be a side effect of starting the course + acupuncture together? The acupuncture therapist suggests acupuncture wouldn't really cause an increase in anxiety, either no change or slight improvement.

I do admit it's early days but I do struggle with the meditation as anxiety itself leads to a racing mind, I also struggle to find the sensations as the audio suggests in week 1, what sensations am I looking for can anyone share theirs? As I lay down to meditate my body is quite relaxed and as such I don't feel anything really?

Finally and sorry to bombard you on my first post but for those who have read the book, do you think it's ok to read cover to cover then start the course, although I am only on week 1, I would like to crack on and find out more about mindfulness so wanted to read it all?

Thanks for reading any help much appreciated..

[JonW]

Hi miahcalm.
Welcome to the community. Please feel free to make yourself at home.
I can't comment on the question of mindfulness/CBT/acupuncture as it's not an area I know much about. Perhaps there are others on the forum who feel better qualified to respond?
About the book and the course, my opinion is that it's perfectly fine to read the book from cover to cover, then start the course. Also, if you're looking for other mindfulness books to read at a later date, there are plenty of good recommendations on the forum.
Wishing you all good things,
Jon

[Gareth]

It is indeed very early days. It has taken much practice to get me to the calm that I enjoy today.

Mindfulness can help you; I am certain of of it, but it's not an overnight solution. It will take time, self-compassion and continued practice to start and bring about changes in your way of thinking. The good news is that we will be here to support you every step of the way.

For a start here is one piece of advice. Don't try and chase the feelings of calm that you talk about in your first paragraph. The mind has natural cycles of calm/anxiety and there is little that you can do to change those. Mindfulness is about accepting what is already here, without trying to change it. I know this is an almost impossible concept to grasp when you first start out. But the most important thing is to keep practising.

Keep asking away with those questions; that is exactly what this forum is here for.

[Cheesus]

I have an anxiety disorder, and I also have done CBT and acupuncture not to mention my regular mindfulness and Metta practice.

I think you are absolutely fine doing all of them. I regularly talk about mindfulness with my acupuncturist, who regularly practices. Mindfulness is also sort of like a self CBT in a way. The three can work great together.

Just to reiterate what others have said. Mindfulness meditation is not a tool to make you calm down, it is just simply a tool to see yourself as you currently are. Over time, that can lead to you feeling calmer, however do not necessarily expect the practice itself to cause you to be calm. I have even found it can increase my anxiety. I often think of this as my body detoxing all the pent-up stress. Still, it is a good idea to take it gentle at first and build up slowly.

[FeeHutch]

Hello and welcome to the community.
There is a board at the top of the page called Online Courses and it has a week by week breakdown of the Williams/Penman book along with community members experiences of following the course, that might be useful?

It is very early days, it sounds that there is a lot going on for you and you are being very proactive in trying to help yourself. I think you will find a lot of support and empathy here too. I look forward to getting to know you

[Happy Buddha]

Hello, 1st post and new to mindfulness so looking for any advice if I may? After a trauma this year I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and the usual symptoms associated..not good. I turned down the prescription drugs and looked at cbt which I start next week, that then brought me to mindfulness and the mark williams/danny penmen book.

Last Saturday I started week 1 and also had my 1st acupuncture session, that night I felt really calm and relaxed, since then despite doing the audio meditation every morning my anxiety has increased to the point where it's pretty much all day and I have woken no later than 5am each day . Do you think this could be a side effect of starting the course + acupuncture together? The acupuncture therapist suggests acupuncture wouldn't really cause an increase in anxiety, either no change or slight improvement.

I do admit it's early days but I do struggle with the meditation as anxiety itself leads to a racing mind, I also struggle to find the sensations as the audio suggests in week 1, what sensations am I looking for can anyone share theirs? As I lay down to meditate my body is quite relaxed and as such I don't feel anything really?

Finally and sorry to bombard you on my first post but for those who have read the book, do you think it's ok to read cover to cover then start the course, although I am only on week 1, I would like to crack on and find out more about mindfulness so wanted to read it all?

Thanks for reading any help much appreciated..

Dear Miahcalm, what you are writing about reminds of something I often repeat on our courses. When I was a young lad my mum would take me to the doctors when ill. Most often the medicine tasted awful but it made me well, mindfulness can be similar, it doesn't always taste good but does make us better. However, saying that we must make sure mindfulness is the right medicine at the right time and just as importantly that we go to an experienced doctor who knows his medicine and his patients well.

If you are feeling worse then it would make sense to put mindfulness on the shelf for a while - or just do a few minutes each day - until you have been to see the cbt therapist. It seems to me you may be doing too much therapuetic work - acupuncture, mindfulness and cbt.

If you then want to pursue mindfulness I would go to an experienced teacher and one you trust and feel comfortable with.

As Gareth points out it is very easy to misunderstand mindfulness. The vast majority of us approach it wanting to get rid of our anxieties and other troublesome emotions and feelings. This is NOT what it is about. We have to develop mindfulness skills which can only come with time and practice. Most of us fight against our troublesome emotions and more often than not we continue to do this in more subtle ways when we practice mindfulness - that is why you need a teacher.

I don't think all of us can learn mindfulness from a book. We have to learn to be compassionate to our pain -which is not easy, whilst not creating more suffering out of the pain. Perhaps the most compassionate thing to do for yourself right now is to do one thing at a time and not rush into things.

To be anxious may not be very pleasant but it is ok to be anxious. Instead of fighting it perhaps you could turn toward it and say hello to it. This can disarm it and bring the inner war to an end.

Hope this helps a little...xx

[mark_cdf]

Hi Miahcalm,

I'm fairly new to mindfulness myself. One of the guided meditations I use says something along the lines of "...if there are no sensations, simply register a blank. We are not trying to make sensations happen, just registering what is already there"

Sometimes I struggle to find sensations, but I guess the message is not to look to hard. Be aware of any sensations that do exist but don't go hunting for something that isn't there.

Good luck if you do decide to continue with Mindfulness either now or in the future.

Mark

[Nibzy]

Hi Miahcalm,
I noticed you mentioned trauma earlier this year.
I just wanted to pip in my knowledge for you around the trauma and how this could be affecting you. On this forum is not the place to discuss the actual trauma, however I just wanted to say be gentle and as compassionate with yourself as you can be. Trauma can affect you in many ways, the primary reactions are somatic and rumination leading to heightened anxiety and emotions. It seems like you are 'trying to achieve calmness' before fully processing your whole experience. This is natural.
Patience, compassion and kindness to yourself can be your biggest ally and trust in the knowledge that everything will be okay is easy for me to say and hopefully can give you hope to hold onto. Peace and gentle recovery to you. X

[Georgehood]

As there courses available for acupuncture, cbt, we can join these courses in order to get relief, but other than this doctors always suggest to do regular exercises in order to remain fit and healthy.
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[piedwagtail91]

Hi Miahcalm,
i don't know about acupuncture but it's not recommended to do cbt and mindfulness at the same time.
their approach to thoughts is different and can lead to problems.