Is there a "magic-pill" for treating anxiety disorders?
A lot of people ask me if there is an anxiety cure that will make them stop having anxiety attacks. After this question I usually follow with, “Do you really want to be completely anxiety-free?”
Anxiety and fear are universal emotions that evolved through thousand years to serve us. Fear and anxiety prevent us from doing something stupid or something that might put our lives at risk. In fact there is a part inside our brain that is called “Amygdala.” Among other functions Amygdala is responsible for emotions and anxiety levels.
So now let’s imagine that by some kind of a miracle we remove this part of our brain and still can lead normal life. The only difference is that we won’t feel any level of fear or anxiety.
Playing with knifes and running with scissors would be a normal thing, all of the sudden. Walking into a pit-bull-guarded territory would be a piece of cake. Swimming into the sea without a life-jacket would be like taking a candy from a baby. Seems like a wonderful life, isn’t it?
Sure! But that would be one short walk. In fact, probably if not fear and anxiety a normal life-span would be… 3-4 years old?
So the trick is not eliminating fear and anxiety from your life completely, but learning how to control it and not to become anxious all the time. Learning how to react only to real threats, just like you used to before your Amygdala went out of control.
But how?
Drugs will usually slow down your anxiety responses, which might be disastrous. Slowing your anxiety reaction at least by split of a second might mean that your body won’t be prepared for the situation that you are soon to face. Your heart won’t pump enough of blood into your muscles and your muscles won’t respond as needed.
So anxiety drugs and pills are out of the question. How about desensitization as a cure for anxiety and panic attacks?
Desensitization is a process when we face some kind of a fear so often that we become immune to it – desensitized. Seems like a good plan, doesn’t it?
Well, at least on the paper. Imagine if I said to you, “Start jumping off of the roof of your house until you are not afraid to do so?” Might sound a little bit crazy, but that’s exactly the case when you ask anxious person to face his or her fear. It takes a lot of nerve, a lot of commitment and a lot of stress.
I certainly do not recommend that.