Mar 08.qxd - Connection Magazine

From Anxiety to Confi dence: Part One
by Karin Leonard
One of the most common issues
in my private practice is
dealing with the many faces
of fear, be it anxiety, panic attacks
or phobias. Given how stressful life
is in the 21 st century, this comes as
no great surprise. Most of us juggle
professional and personal lives, and
wear so many different hats we could
open a store!
Panic with Purpose
Just as everything else in the
complex body-mind system, fear
happens for a reason. The point of
fright is to act as an internal alarm,
and to protect and warn us of danger.
Whether this occurs while getting out
of harm’s way, or when carefully venturing
into the unknown, being afraid
can keep you safe. Plus, the so-called
“fl ight or fi ght “response allows you
to ramp up from resting to racing in a
matter of moments, making it possible
to run for your life, or to resist your
opponent.
However, with today’s fast paced
lifestyle, and the overload of information
in the everyday, this protective
mechanism can morph into a false
alarm, keeping you on alert even when
it’s time to unwind. If your stress meter
is already in the red, it doesn’t take
much for distress signals to trigger a
panic attack. The body is geared for
survival, and too much input translates
into possible danger. Before you know
it, all systems go on alert, shooting
adrenalin and preparing you to pull the
escape hatch. Only there is nowhere
to run to, when you’re in the middle of
business meetings, or stuck in traffi c!
Alleviate Anxiety Attacks
My client Tom, a professional
salesman and father of two, was
driving over highway 17 when it
happened: tingling in his hands, his
heart pounding like mad and his chest
feeling so tight, he was gasping for
air. Panic stricken, he pulled over,
and dialed 911. Surely he was about
to have a heart attack!
However, after a thorough medical
check-up, no physical problems
were revealed. His doctor said, it
was probably “just stress” and that
Tom needed to “relax.” Easier said
then done... By the time panic attacks
happen, the nervous system has become
overloaded. What is normally
a response to get out of hazard’s way
becomes a self-reinforcing loop of
anxiety. Then, just about any physical
symptom can trigger a seemingly
life-threatening attack. Even the fear
of having another assault of terror can
trigger panic. Afraid
of fear, anxiety disorder
can be a debilitating
condition, severely
limiting lifestyle and
career.
How does one get
out of this vicious cycle? Even though
panic attacks are a physical response
with real symptoms, the mind is your
greatest asset in leading the cure.
Effectively thoughts guide the body,
even if you hardly notice them. The
psyche initiates this powerful reaction,
and can therefore be focused on
changing it.
Among the many tools available
to overcome this debilitating disorder,
these are key:
1. Short-circuiting the panic
reaction, and being able to fi re a new
response in the moment.
2. Identifying the causes and
reducing stress.
To be continued…
Karin H. Leonard is a seasoned
expert, known for her compassionate,
leading-edge and highly effective
brand called InnerEvolution,
leading to quick results in life and
career, while creating greater
life-balance. She has been in
private practice in Santa Cruz for
18 years, integrating life coaching
with hypnotherapy, NLP and
a good dose of intuition.
Office located in Santa Cruz.
(831) 724-5400. Visit Karin’s website
at www.innerevolution.com.
by Katie Briggs, L.Ac.
It’s time to step powerfully into
the waking energy of the Spring
season. What is calling you forth?
What creative energy is ripening and
waiting to express through you? These
are the questions of Spring, the season
of life’s forceful energy requesting you
to show up year after year, winter after
winter, to burst through the soil and
blossom. Step into life refreshed and
alive, revealing beauty that you have
never witnessed in yourself before.
This journey of self-discovery, of
stretching beyond your own comfort
zone, is the energy of the wood element,
which is very alive and awake
in the season of Spring. The energy
of Spring is our call to wake up out
of winter hibernation and stretch and
move our bodies, ignite our creativity,
and allow life to move through us.
To not honor and acknowledge this
calling is to stagnate our Qi, or life
force energy.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine
(TCM), each season is identified
with an element and certain emotional
states. Spring is the season of
the wood element, a time in which
we move from the winter element of
water and emotions of fear and courage
into Spring and emotions of anger
and compassion. To skillfully ride
the Spring energy is to access your
creativity and compassion alleviating
irritability and anger.
Imagine yourself stuck in a traffi
c jam crawling along slowly. With
each push on the gas and sudden jolt
of the brake, your body grows more
tense, your mood more irritable.
This is similar to what it feels like to
disregard the calling of Spring.
Spring/liver energy
moving fl uidly through
your body:
• Sighing: Long
loud sighs help move
the liver Qi. Over-exaggerate
these sighs. (Feel free to be
very dramatic.)
• Nutrition: Consume sour and
bitter foods such as lemons and dandelion
greens to help gently and effectively
move stuck liver Qi.
• Movement: Running, dancing,
any sort of cardio vascular exercise will
move the liver Qi.
• Creative Expression: Free up
your intrinsic artist — collage, draw,
write a short story.
• Meditation: For the Wood Element,
download this free, 12-minute
guided meditation from the home
page of Resonation Acupuncture
(katiebriggs.net).
• Sound Blessing: Attend a 2008
Spring Sound Blessing on Wednesday,
March 19 or Thursday, March 20 (See
When life steps on the gas and katiebriggs.net for more information).
we step on the brakes, an internal Heed the call of Spring and move
traffi c jam develops. If you are this creative life force energy. Ride
experiencing anger and frustra- the energy of the Wood element and
tion these emotions are often let your life force flourish. When
indicators of unexpressed vision you attune your personal energy to
and creativity.
the changing season, you allow life’s
According to TCM, the grace and ease to surround you and
wood element and the Spring surprise you.
season are connected to the liver Katie Briggs L.Ac. is a licensed
energy system. The liver energy acupuncturist and herbalist. In her
system is linked to the eyes, “vi- private practice in Santa Cruz CA, she
sion,” the color green, the emo- combines sound and vibration with
tions of anger and compassion. acupuncture to create the modality of
The sound of the liver energy Resonation Acupuncture. For more
system is correlated with shout- information about Katie Briggs L.Ac.
ing.
and Resonation Acupuncture, visit ka-
Here are some ideas to keep tiebriggs.net or call (831) 426-2326.
Page 12 ▲ The Connection Magazine ▲ www.theConnect.com ▲ March — April 2, 2008