Magnets were supposed to be full of supernatural power in those days, and the ceremony provided the suitable environment for most of these patients to go into a trance state. Mesmer knew nothing about hypnosis, nor did he know why some of his patients got better. It was later discovered that patients with hysterical or psychosomatic symptoms would improve if they went through cathartic experiences or acted out some of their buried, unconscious, primitive wishes. We now describe a person in a trance as a person being mesmerized, and mesmerism is somehow equated to hypnotism.

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On the other hand, pain may arise in any part of the body as a result of the operation of psychological mechanisms within the mind, and in the complete absence of any physical disease or injury, This is known as functional pain.

It is important that we do not consider a person suffering from functional pain as imagining that he suffers pain. This is not so. He does suffer pain. Furthermore, functional pain may be very severe, and there is nothing in the quality of functional pain which automatically distinguishes it from organically determined pain. Although we can often tell one kind of pain from the other by the way in which it comes about or by the patient’s reaction to it, we cannot always distinguish the two by the actual nature or severity of the pain.

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The disorder and agoraphobia mean we cannot contribute as much as we would like to our daily family situation. Practising meditation can mean a major step for our overall recovery. Recovery means we can contribute more, not only to the family but also to ourselves. Wanting to take time out, to help the recovery process, should never be considered selfish.

Taking the time to stop and meditate can be a problem for some people. Meditation is usually practised for two twenty-minute periods each day, although a number of people meditate for only one twenty-minute period each day and still find it beneficial. Other people tell themselves they can spare no time for meditation at all, despite the fact that the disorder may consume them twenty-four hours a day. It is a matter of making a choice in our priorities. It can mean the difference between ongoing anxiety, and our recovery.

Another myth about meditation is the idea that, when meditating, we may be leaving ourselves exposed to other influences. This does not and cannot happen. Even in the deepest phase of meditation we are always in complete control of ourselves. We are always aware of everything within and outside ourselves. When we are asleep we are not consciously aware of anything, yet we will wake up should there be any internal or external threat. In meditation we don’t need to ‘become’ aware because we are consciously aware, and consciously in control, the whole time.

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Even if there is no major past or present trauma, psychotherapy, in conjunction with other therapies, can be extremely beneficial.

Some of us are frightened of psychotherapy in case we find out we are ‘really bad’ people. This is one of the most common fears associated with psychotherapy, but it has no basis. We have this fear because we have never had a sense of who we are.

Take the risk. We will discover there is nothing ‘bad’ about us. Like everyone else, there will be aspects about ourselves we may not like. Only when we know these aspects can we modify and integrate them.

Psychotherapy means more than just looking at the problems and difficulties of childhood. It is not so much a process of who is to blame, as a process of understanding causes and effects. It looks at how we, as children, responded in certain situations. These responses created our defences, motivations and patterns of behaviour that we unconsciously carried into adulthood, but which may not be appropriate now. When we become aware of these responses, we are then able to change them if we want to.

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Part of the danger of this development is that most of us will not discuss it with family members or our doctor. The sense of ‘this is not me’, and the shame and humiliation which we feel, counteract our most desperate plea for help. Most of us would never have considered ourselves as ever being suicidal. The realisation we are even considering suicide only causes further fear and confusion, which in turn isolates us even further. If we do find ourselves thinking of suicide, it is very important we seek professional help. Suicide is not the answer. Recovery is-and we can recover with appropriate treatment.

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Causes

Except in the case of post traumatic stress disorder, the causes of other anxiety disorders are still unknown. The disorders usually begin during or after a major life stress, or a period of continual stress. Much of the research has centred on panic disorder, and various theories have been suggested.

Physiological research suspects a chemical imbalance may be involved, although researchers are unsure whether any chemical imbalance is the cause, or a result of, the panic attack. Behaviour theories suggest that anxiety disorders are learned behaviours and recovery means unlearning the previous limiting behaviour. Psychoanalytic theory postulates that anxiety stems from subconscious unresolved conflicts which began during childhood. It is possible that the three schools of thought are each partly correct, and viewed together they form a whole picture of cause and effect (APA 1990).

Another theory currently being investigated is the role dissociation plays in anxiety disorders. Putman (1989) suggests that ‘dissociative phenomena exist on a continuum’ and range from ‘a normal process’ through to the most severe, dissociative identity disorder, which is the experience of separate multiple selves.

Dissociation can also be described as altered or discrete states of consciousness, or trance states. Dissociated states include: depersonalisation, the experience of being detached or out of the body; derealisation where ourselves and/or our surroundings do not seem real, as if we are looking through a white or grey mist; a sensation that our body has expanded or conversely has shrunk; feelings of floating, or of falling into a void; stationary objects appearing to move; and intolerance to light and/or sound.

From what I have found over the years, the ability to dissociate is very common in people who experience spontaneous panic attacks. It is interesting to note that once people who dissociate have an understanding of the phenomena, they report the experience of dissociation as being the trigger for the panic attack. Current research suggests the ‘sleep’ panic attack occurs ‘during the transition from stage two to stage three sleep’ (Uhde 1994). In other words, during an alteration of consciousness. I will discuss dissociation in more detail in chapter five.

Whatever the ultimate cause, people can still learn how to control the disorder naturally, without the use of medications. Learning how to control it means learning how to manage it without fear and panic. Unresolved childhood issues can also play a major role for people who experience anxiety disorders. Such issues need to be addressed and resolved.

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