What method did you use to successfully overcome social anxiety disorder?

[RazorAzoth]

Social anxiety is a fvcked up disorder that basically all boils down to worrying too much about what people think of you. I'm sure there's a ton of people here who either still have it or have had it and overcame it. Otherwise, we'd all be DJ's to begin with and this site wouldn't exist.

What method did you use to overcome it? Pills? Therapy? EFT?

As dumb as it looks, I've read about something called "TAT" releases negative emotions a lot quicker and easier than EFT. I've also read that TAT works on a global scale, while with EFT you have to be vey specific.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRXdQNA3aEk

 

[speakeasy]

Can you please explain what all these acronyms mean? It's kind of annoying when people use them and expect everyone else to automatically know what they are.

 

[RazorAzoth]

EFT: Emotional Freedom Technique
TAT: Tapas Acupressure Technique

All you had to do is click on the link.

 

[War Against Betaism]

Honestly, it was results and success. When I went up to this one girl at a party a looooong time ago when I mustered up all the courage in me and danced with her. A month later she was the one I lost it to.

 

[Lifeforce]

Im not sure I had social phobia. I had problems even walking onto a bus or looking people in the eyes. I generally walked far away from people, like switching sides in the street when I met people to avoid having to meet their eyes and them judging me when they walked past.

It was pretty bad. It kinda disappeared by itself when I started to talk to women. Lemme tell you it was no easy task to muster the courage to approach a girl I didnt know. Started earlier by saying hi to older people and doing small conversations at bus stops.

I continued to try to watch people in the eyes and talked to people as much as I could even if my conversation skills were lacking because I was so scared. Felt they were judging me when I talked.

I continued to get to the "I dont give a crap" attitude by getting rejected by 42 women in one night and smiling about it and generally starting to talk a little more to strangers. This was something done over several years in small steps.

What really helped me get over it was when I started to go to the gym and got some results. I felt a little more proud over my body and though I an still can get some "social anxienty"pangs (especially if Im tired or sad) its alot better now.

 

[6-heads lewis]

pills. lots of em out there, best combo for me is high dosage zoloft along with low dosage antipsychotic.

every other method is a waste of time.

 

[6-heads lewis]

please heed the advice that the younger you get treatment the better.

its a horrible, horrible feeling knowing that you couldve cured yourself a long time ago and went through all those years of suffering for no good reason. social development is primarily in early teen years, you cant afford to wait.

 

[RazorAzoth]

pills. lots of em out there, best combo for me is high dosage zoloft along with low dosage antipsychotic.

every other method is a waste of time.

Do pills really make that much of a difference? Do you go from worrying about what people think of you to not giving a ****?

 

[6-heads lewis]

Do pills really make that much of a difference? Do you go from worrying about what people think of you to not giving a ****?

dude you have no fukn idea. once you find the right meds and realize your entire emotional state and perspective on life is changed by altering your physiology, that's 'the matrix'. the cruel truth is that all of your emotions and opinions and sh it are based on your physical function, and NOT of rational thought, so you essentially have little choice. its depressing and hard at first, but is also encouraging to know you can beat whatever problem you got. i have a personality disorder and am at risk for schizophrenia so i get free meds, if you have to pay out of pocket it changes the game.

find a way to get them free, first get on ssri's like sertraline, and get some tranquilizers like valium. antipshychotics do the best job for me emotionally, i get a nice stoner high some days for no reason, and it cures adheonia. everybody reacts differently, you might have to mess around with dosages and types of pills to gtet the reaction you want. it took me about 7 months to get it right. however after the first month when i realized change is possible, i was extremely encouraged and hopeful. the truth is NOONE KNOWS why these pills wokr, they just do. doctors will give em out to you like candy, take whatever you want until you find one that makes you happy. remember the potential class-action lawsuits here are extremely dangerous for manufacturers, they try their best to avoid giving you access to anything that cna do serious damage. i changed my dosages at whims with no problems. whatever you do, start low and increase every week or two, and dont ever stop cold turkey.




ps neil strauss is piece of shi t, that fuker sells lies and false hope, took my 30$ and wasted my goddamn time. the con these puas have pulled on people is dispicable and shameless, what i wouldnt give for a few clean punches on strauss' pencil neck and starving ribs. lord have mercy.

 

[STR8UP]

Zoloft will indeed help you with your social anxiety, or at least ONE of the SSRI's likely will.

Be careful though. zoloft helped me a lot in that department, but don't expect to be able to get a nut while you are on it. If you do you are lucky. It can have some other nasty side effects as well. i couldn't tolerate it....

Doc also had me try another med that is supposed to help, not an SSRI, can't remember what it is but all it did was make me dizzy so I got rid of that ASAP.

Tried Wellbutrin also. Much easier to tolerate than Zoloft, but not nearly as effective.

The one thing that really helps is Clonazepam (klonopin). I don't have the issues I used to have (although I feel them creeping back occasionally) but the good doc keeps me supplied with clonazepam. I take it for sleep, and less frequently before going into stressful situations. 1mg really takes the edge off.

Be careful with benzo's and alcohol though......Some friends brought some absinthe over one night, and I think I took a half a clona, and I blacked out the entire night. I mean, before I left my house. NEVER in my life have I been fukked out of my mind like that. Strange feeling to wake up in your bed the next morning after your female friends had to babysit you and strip you down and put you in bed when they managed to get you home.

 

[STR8UP]

Do pills really make that much of a difference? Do you go from worrying about what people think of you to not giving a ****?

Sometimes it takes the edge off TOO much, like you don't give a sh!t about anything at all....total apathy. It's good in some way, bad in others. You just have to try a few and see if something works for you.