I am still really struggling with the physical symptoms of anxiety and attributing them to something medical even though i have had lots and lots of medical testing done.
Can someone explain in more detail how I put Dr Claire Weekes teaching in place with regards to Health anxiety.
Thanks
Which book have you read: the best one for understanding her method is 'Self help for your nerves' (U.K. title) otherwise titled 'Hope and help for your nerves' (U.S. title).
The reason I ask is because there are a lot of YouTube videos featuring Claire Weekes which presume you have read and understood the basics ie Face - Accept - Float - And let time pass.
And of course nobody can explain the basics better than Claire Weekes in the book mentioned.
You are experiencing symptoms of health anxiety and say you are struggling with them. Stop struggling. Struggling is like fighting: it causes more stress and tension when your sensitized nervous system needs less.
Stop struggling and agree to co-exist with those symptoms. Agree to accept them for the moment. Let them engulf you, you must pass through panic, fear and anxiety to come out the other side rather than wishing it away.
Do not keep checking yoursekf to see if it has 'gone away yet', if you do that you are not accepting. Yes, you will continue to feel bad but as you have had medical reassurance which you must accept you know that those feelings cannot harm or damage you.
You are the one keeping those symptoms alive by constantly feeding your stressed nervous system with fear hormones. Accepting means that although you still have the discomfort of strange ideas and maybe muscular tension you are not in danger and thus need not be afraid.
So accept: let your anxiety disorder bring it on. Let every muscle in your body go limp including your jaw muscle. Let the anxiety and strange thoughts wash over you even as the incoming tide washes over a rock on the shore. Despite the crash of the wave the rock endures. You are that rock.
Floating means switching on to automatic pilot and getting on with your day despite your discomfort. Imagine you are being carried effortlessly forward as if on a cloud.
Soon you will lose your fear of anxiety little by little as you accept those symptoms are a sham, they are fake, they are clever mimicry with which anxiety plays tricks on you.
Acceptance must be 100%, not just "putting up with". So we say: learn to luve with anxiety and you'll be able to live without it.
You may only be able to manage acceptance for a few minutes in the hour to begin with: this called 'glimpsing' and gradually those few minutes will grow.
I doubt if what I say has added any more detail to Weekes' own words in her first book mentioned above. Acceptance was her idea and nobody can really explain it better. But as I say, YouTube videos are helpful - but only if you've read that first book written 57 years ago which a prominent psychiatrist and psychologist claimed had brought respite and recovery to tens of millions of people.
Thanks Jeff for your wonderful insight as always. I have the self help for your nerves the UK version.
I have had so much medical testing but it seems i am still fighting as whenever the symptoms are really intense i seem to run to the doctors or the hospital or when my symptoms change. Im spending my life there.
Am i right in thinking it doesn't matter what my symptoms are its me adding the second fear when my brain tells me 'oh my gosh what is that'?
SpiritualT, nothing wrong with getting new symptoms checked by a doctor, for reassurance if nothing else, but having been told after proper tests that 'it's your nerves' you must then accept the diagnosis and not join the They May Have Overlooked Something Brigade'.
You're right, the symptoms don't really matter because you can't heal yourself of an illness you don't have.
What matters is the CAUSE not the symptoms. And the cause ctBut Get rid of one symptom and another is sure to spring up in its place.
And the cause is nervous sensitisation caused by us constantly bombarding our nerves with fear. Stop fighting, stop struggling, start accepting, start floating.
So yes we are our own worst enemies.
The thing is though my symptoms change on a daily basis and I keep going back to the doctors or hospital daily which can’t be good for anyone to keep attending like that.
Then accept each and every new symptom, you will know soon enough if anything real presents itself, you are an expert in dealing with the fake symptoms of health anxiety. You know symptoms which are mere mimicry. Always the same answer: Accept.
Thanks Jeff I will keep practising. When I have a symptom my brain is quick to jump on it and say oh my god I’ve got chest pain!! It’s serious, do I need to calmly say no it’s just anxiety and just accept it. Because otherwise my brain keeps bombarding me until I act on the thought it’s suggesting if that makes sense
Just accept the chest pain, yes, tell yourself it's muscular tension caused by an over sensitive nervous system. Just say to yourself "I accept even this. I do not fear this because it is fake!"
Say: "I have nothing to fear, anxiety symptoms are not for real!"
Does the Dr Claire Weekes work for just general day to day anxiety. I lost my fear of the panic attacks but it’s these lingering daily bodily symptoms that are throwing me
Yes, Acceptance is meant for all the symptoms of anxiety disorder. Do read the short book in which Claire Weekes describes acceptance and how to apply it, I don't think anyone can get very far without having read it; "Self help for your nerves" u.k. title or "Hope and help for your nerves" u.s. title same book, both available new ir used from Amazon.
Thanks Jeff I’m re-reading it now. Will come back with any questions .
Today is Doctor Claire Weekes' birthday.I am a disciple of Claire Weekes. Her 'Self help for your nerves' is my bible.
From Claire Weekes' Hope and Help For Your Nerves
For those who are following a Claire Weekes type approach for anxiety (don't resist, accept...) couple questions for you!
To help pass the time. 
