Anxiety

Oh, there's plenty of mourning and sorrow. And since you are not my doctor, or me, you assume the rest.

In your own words:

You're painting it worldly here.

 

No. I was "painting" the solution. The solution is resting in the mercy and comfort of God, not therapists, not pills. When the Son of Man was on earth and he healed people it was the Word that healed them, not therapists not pills. The same thing holds true today in His earthly absence, it is the word of God that will heal us not Freud, Jeung, 3M, Dow Corning, GlaxoSmithKline etc.

 

GASP! Without your "solutions" I don't know how I'd make it through life.

 

You asked me to expound and share. If your request was a set-up so you could be emotional and mocking towards me, I would've preferred you had not asked.

 

Did my wink show that much emotion?
Mocking not intended ... just tomfoolery.
Have a pleasant evening.

 

From where does the "psychology" part of Christian Psychology come from if not from the likes of Freud and Jeung?

Licensed by whom?

You talk about anxiety as though it is a disease. Anxiety is a problem of the heart, similar to lust, gluttony or drunkenness. Biblical infirmities were physical such as leprosy, the mental ones were folks like the lunatics and the lunatics were not cured via pharmaceuticals or pop psychology.

Again, this being unable to "shake it off" is just rebellion. If they believe that God is angry with them and won't forgive them, then where is their faith?

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" - Ephesians 1:7​

So if the sinner repents, then is not the sinner forgiven?

"I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." - Luke 5:32​

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;" - Colossians 2:13​

Every day is a brand new day and it is a gift from the Lord. The Bible says to rejoice and be glad in it.

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24​

Anxiety is not a medical condition as though you have a broken brain or something, that is just what the psychologists tell us so they can make merchandise out of us.

Receiving Godly counsel taken from scripture, from brother and sisters in Christ or ordained leaders in the local church is wonderful and I believe Biblical. However, getting psychologized and doped up by "professionals" who are "licensed" is something quite different. The Bible provides quite exacting criteria for the various roles in the church. I know where to go to find the requirements of a Bishop, a Deacon etc. I do not believe that the role of the Christian Psychologist/Therapist is defined in the Bible for I do not believe that this role was ever intended by God. Having said that, if it is a counselor that is to be sought then it should be the Biblical counselor we should seek...

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6​

 

You have a very narrow definition of anxiety. Let me tell you, true, diagnosible anxiety is a much broader subject and worry about the future is the least of it.

Worry is not a problem I have. It's just not. People other than myself have lived and survived the very same circumstances that I find myself in. If they can do, so can I. And there is this whole joy in the Lord thing, that comes with our faith(came with mine anyway). So worry, every day, "what am I going to do" type worry, where I dwell on the issues in my life for hours on end, just doesn't exist in my life. (I know others for whom this type of anxiety is a problem)

Anxiety in my experience is an illogical bodily reaction that has no foundation in reality at all. Let me explain. I never used to have anxiety attacks. First time a bad one hit me, I had no clue what was going on. My heart was racing, I began to shake but the worst was this terrible feeling that something was wrong. Had no clue what, but something was wrong. Awful feeling. Almost like sitting in 9th grade algebra and being asked to explain something to the entire class in your underwear. (everyone has this dream, right?)

Then it went away. Boom, poof, gone. After about 30 minutes of calming myself and making sure the kids were all still breathing and hadn't set the house afire. There was btw, nothing actually wrong.

When it was over and I had a chance to discuss it with my doc and my friends I was told it was anxiety attack.

Over the years I've found I have definate triggers for such attacks. One is money. Now we're not rich by any means but we aren't by any means doing without. On top of that I keep a very close eye on my bank account and KNOW how much is in there. There are no unusual financial dealings, no stocks to worry about losing money on, just normal everyday stuff. But just let someone mention they are having finacial difficulties and watch what happens. Sometimes it doesn't take that much, just an odd thought might cross my mind like "do I really remember my checkbook balance correctly?" and get one started. This conversation has my heart thumping!

Another trigger is having to speak with someone I consider to be in a position of authority. This I almost have beat and seldom have an attack anymore while talking to them. Now I only have an attack or two while preparing to talk. (this is a huge improvement!)

Now, knowing that my attacks are illogical and have no foundation in reality doesn't prevent me having them. These attacks are something my body does all on it's own. I can't control them in the least and just have to wait them out. Luckily my attacks don't last long. Usually no more than 15 minutes.

This type of anxiety is not normal. Nor can I possibly see how it could be sin. I can't control my reaction any more than you would be able to control your reaction if you realized you were about to step on a rattlesnake. (I actually had that happen to me once and I was NOT in control and haven't yet figured how I managed to get myself twenty feet downhill away from that snake)

 

Here I was trying to put forward my sensitive side on this one. I guess I shouldn't have said "pill-popping"?

He does use the natural. However, what would you say is natural about the use of the following psychotropic meds for anxiety?

That would be natural/supernatural. However, had the same individual spit in the mud and mixed it with diazepem, then capsulized the mud into 90 capsules, then bottled up the capsules and sold them to the blind man for $29.95 a bottle...well that would be unnatural.

I can not agree to disagree as, I agree,...





...I don't believe in limp-wristed Christianity either.:smilewinkgrin:

 

Valium is a derivative of Valerian root, which is how it got its name. Both perform the same action but Valerian does it to a lesser degree. All drugs of that class (benzodiazepines) work the same way. They are central nervous system depressants that work by binding to the GABA receptors in the brain, just like Valerian does.

A lot of drugs are simply souped-up versions of a natural "remedy". I'm not saying that makes any given drug acceptable. In Bolivia, it is quite common for people to chew on coca leaves, which is a mild stimulant like tea. That's where we get cocaine, which is a dangerous and destructive drug. I wouldn't say it's wrong to chew coca leaves or drink tea, but I do think it's wrong to take cocaine.

For what it's worth, I ran out of Clonazepam but I should start taking it again - not for anxiety, but because this class of drug is the only thing I've found that helps the severe tinnitis I have in my left ear. Back around 1994, someone hit me and blew out the ear drum and destroyed a good portion of my inner ear. The ringing in that ear is louder than any other sound I hear. I thanked God when I discovered that benzodiazepines could actually reduce the severity of the ringing. They don't reduce it much, but it's enough to make perceptable difference, and the ringing is driving me crazy right now (which is why I should have it renewed).

 

I think you missed the point Jesus was making.

The Pharisees and lawyers (grin) at the time were so obsessed with their interpretation of the law that they made detailed rules about what was permitted on the sabbath and what was forbidden.

They said that it was permissible to spit on a rock, because all you produced was a wet rock. But they considered it illegal to spit on dirt, because that made mud, and mud is something you use for work, which is forbidden on the sabbath.

By using mud to heal the blind man, Jesus was "spitting in the eyes" of the traditions of the Pharisees and law-makers. Notice that reaction of the Pharisees. They were livid.

 

Brother I'm not sure how taking something for an ailing stomach is going to help during an axiety attack. And I'm really not sure how this is going to help in the middle of a migraine headache?

I didn't quote your other statement, but you said something that we just need to read the Word of God more or something along those lines. And while I believe the Word of God is powerful, alive and active, sharper than any two edged sword I'm not sure sitting down to read the Word is going to help a migraine headache.

And by the way most of the time when I would have anxiety attacks it wouldn't be worrying about the future per se, as much as I felt like I was going to have a heart attack and I was concerned about my wife having to deal with a dead husband in the middle of the mall. Or the other day when we were out of town at Sea World and I felt like that and was concerned again about my wife having to deal with having a dead husband and away from home and his two children having to deal with that.

So I don't think you have a full grasp of what folks deal with.

I'm just curious do you go to the doctor for anything? Do you allow your family to go to the doctor? Do you let your kids take OTC cough medicine? Anything like that?

 

There is an "and" in that verse. Stomach is one thing "and thine often infirmities" is another. Infirmity is an unsound or unhealthy state of the body. If your brain is often giving you pain, you have an often occurring infirmity. Now I don't know whether or not Paul's counsel applies to migraines but ultimately, I am asking whether or not we seek the word of God for counsel in healing our bodies or do we go to the "experts" and pills first?

The word of God is quick, powerful and sharper than any two edged sword but it doesn't have any power when it comes to our infirmities? Note too, I am not saying read the Bible when you have a migraine but read the Bible to see if there's something that can heal you and prevent you from getting them.

You may be right. However, I will stand on the belief that the solutions to everything that ales us in life, is found within the covers of The Holy Bible and not in sciences falsely so called, like psychiatry and psychology.

I have not been to a doctor for a personal ailment in some time and I pray that God will keep me from them and I am attempting to take steps in my life (healthy diet, including elimination of things like high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sugar, caffeine, fluoride along with exercise) so that a doctor will be unnecessary.

In general, I am opposed to OTC cough medicine whose benefits are questionable whose ingredients can be "addictive mind-altering drugs" and often contain heinous ingredients such as high fructose corn-syrup.