# A non-pathological approach to SA?



## meowmeowbeenz (May 8, 2014)

Has anyone come across or tried non-pathological approaches to SA? I'm finding that I'm butting heads a bit with the assertion that certain aspects of anxiety (e.g.- negative self-talk) are pathologically ingrained and chronic conditions rather than learned responses to certain patterns of negative treatment in social situations. I'm trying to find approaches that place more emphasis on managing stress and anxiety rather than labeling "patients" with disorders, categories, and conditions.

I've been in CBT and find that there are just too many assumptions made regarding why people respond in certain ways to situations, as if a person diagnosed with condition A must then exhibit behaviors B and C for reasons D and E. It seems like not enough attention is paid to variations and the multiple aspects of a person's life, except for the usual postmodernists' favorites (race, class, gender, sexual orientation), which then become further reason to label the "patient" as chronically "ill"...

Has anyone had any luck in this area? What have your experiences been with regards to therapists' approaches?


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## MrWibblyWobbly (Mar 2, 2012)

You might try looking at Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT is predicated on the idea that much of what we call mental illness is the natural result of a brain that evolved as a "problem solving machine." The mind's ability to remember, compare, imagine, etc. are the underpinnings of humankind's greatest triumphs but also our capacity to suffer. The fact that we experience anxiety is not a sign that there is something wrong with us, but that there is something _right_ with us: the same abilities that allowed the human species to build the Roman aqueducts and the Taj Mahal, develop agriculturalized civilizations and cure diseases, write the great novels and create the iPhone, etc. are the same abilities that allow us to experience anxiety and depression.

For example, anxiety is simply the application of the human ability to make extrapolations based on past experiences of harm or danger, and imagine future possible instances of similar harm. This has been an evolutionarily useful ability for our species because it has kept us safe from harm. In the case of social anxiety, that harm isn't so much an impersonal threat like predators or heights or thunder, etc. It's a relic of the very real threat our ancestors faced if they were ever ostracized from their social tribe. It was in our best interest to understand the social values/mores of our social tribe, and analyze whether or not we "match up" and meet those expectations. If we failed to meet those expectations, or behaved in a socially-unacceptable way, we would likely be abandoned and left to our own device -- a very scary place to be in a world that was indifferent or outright hostile to our survival.

In modern times, however, our society's values can be quite skewed in favor of whatever serves our capitalist infrastructure: the marketing industry feeds us idealized images of perfectly attractive people who are good consumers. Then our minds start playing the game of comparing our own self-image to that which we are told we ought to be: we ought to be attractive, wealthy (so we can buy more products), happy (so we don't question the status quo), free from depression/anxiety/existential angst (so that we can continue to contribute to the capitalist machine), etc. And this sets up an unrealistic standard and convinces many perfectly normal human beings into thinking there is something pathological or abnormal or defective about themselves.

ACT's answer to this scenario is to have people connect with their values: what it is they REALLY want their lives to be about, and then accept the inevitable products of a mind-body complex that evolved to protect us, and then act in the direction of those values. You may still experience the inevitable products of a mind evolved to feel fear/sadness/depression/etc., but ACT teaches you how not to be enslaved to your evolutionary heritage. (A common phrase among ACT therapists is "Your mind is not your friends; it's a 'don't eat me' device.")


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## Serephina (Apr 13, 2010)

:int ^ ^ this.


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## MrWibblyWobbly (Mar 2, 2012)

ACT really has given me a new lease on life. If you're interested, a good book is _The Happiness Trap_ by Russ Harris. He makes it very simple and easy-to-apply. Other books on ACT tend to be too technical.


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## burningsunrise (May 19, 2014)

I've found Candice Esposito's calm living blueprint http://www.calmlivingblueprint.com really helpful, especially her podcast.


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## masterridley (Jan 20, 2007)

You can try many approaches to see what suits you.

Just remember that what is called CBT can be a completely different thing if practised by a bad therapist.

Same goes for ACT or mindfulness technique.


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## HelpfulHero (Aug 14, 2013)

Humor


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## jdrubnitz (Jan 26, 2013)

ACT sounds VERY similar to somatic experience therapy. It focuses on tapping into the body's "unfinished" traumatic responses, acceptance of bodily sensations, and general mindfulness. There are Somatic Experience therapists all over the place. I just got done reading _Waking the Tiger_ by Peter Levine. It's a great run-through of the science, theory, and approach of Somatic Experience, and even has some exercises for the readers. In the last few days his approach has helped me immensely.


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## meowmeowbeenz (May 8, 2014)

I just wanted to stop back in and thank you all for your suggestions! I have a bit of a break for the next few weeks and will certainly be digging into them.


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