Question: I have suffered with anxiety for almost 14 years now; and I am trying to find the med or combination of meds that can finally help me feel better. The only thing is that my anxiety was directly caused from trying mushrooms when I was 21. I had taken them twice before and had pleasant reactions both times; but the third time i tried them about a hour after I took them I felt a sudden wave of panic come over like a dark tide. I had never had any kind of panic or anxiety before so the feeling was alien to me so I went and laid down and went to sleep; when i woke up the next day the feeling was still there and its really never went away. I have tried taking Lexapro and Buspirone to mixed but mainly mild success. My anxiety is largely social based so its mainly when I around people or if I sit in the house for too long and then i get into a "zone". Usually when im at work Im fine because im constantly doing something and don't have time to "think too much". Drinking or smoking weed only makes it worse so i stopped that years ago. Iv had people suggest micro-dosing mushrooms again to try and reset what happened but Im scarred it'll only make things worse. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Dr. Mark Abrahams Says...:

In recent years I have treated two unrelated cases of anxiety/panic that turned out to be the result of very negative psychedelic trips. One was from 4 years earlier the other was from 20 years earlier. You have asked me who is a clinical hypnotherapist and not a medical doctor so naturally my response is going to be a hypnotherapeutic one not a medical response.

The thing is to locate a practitioner who routinely uses age regression in the treatment and be able to revivify the event and have you go 'back in time' (psychologically) and undo the trauma as it were. I have learned from a few schools of hypnosis but I have remained with the 5-Path™ method developed by my late, original instructor Gerald Kein and his student Cal Banyan. I do not want to describe the minutiae of the technique as that would not help you. What very well could eliminate the anxiety that was elicited after your 'bad trip' would be to receive treatment from someone trained in AND competent in this method. I can only suggest what I know from experience and both of these individuals were treated in 2 or 3 sessions (I can usually complete treatment in just 2 sessions but I do not depend on this for livelihood so be prepared to be marketed a "package" of several sessions by others).

I also alleviated to a manageable degree a case of HPPD (Hallucinogen Persistent Perceptual Disorder) wherein the client's psychedelic visuals (after-images of a waving hand for example and paisley patterns) never completely vanished. They became more prominent and distracting when he was under stress.

Your area code is listed as 79119 which is Amarillo, TX. The Banyan Hypnosis Center is located in Richardson, TX. If you call them you might mention that you were referred by a 5-Path™ practitioner who has been successful with trips-gone-bad. They would not have me listed as their trainee but I was taught by Gerry Kein even before Cal Baynan was and I have communicated with Cal in the past. Incidentally, I receive no compensation for my suggestion, this is purely a professional referral. Their link is:  acuityscheduling.com

If you want a better idea about hypnosis/hypnotherapy then my own page may be educational for you: www.drmarkabrahams.com .

Question: I feel like my adrenalin system is out of whack and overacting and I am not sure what to do about it. What is happening is that small stressful things seem to get me really amped up and then I can’t calm myself down for hours after. For example today I had to make a normal sales call. I don’t really like sales calls but it’s not a cold call and it’s a part of my job I have grown used to and good at. A normal call like this always gets me feeling a little nervous but after it is done I used to calm down normally almost right away. Today my heart started pumping as I dialed the phone and I was so amped I could barely think or talk normally during the call and then the worst part was my heart rate stayed up and I had butterflies in my stomach for hours after and I could not focus on my work at all. This has been going on for about 2 weeks. Is this anxiety or panic? I do not feel like I am dying or in danger I just feel really amped up like before a big football game for no reason…?

Dr. Mark Abrahams Says...:

The three terms in the title refer to an ancient tripartite division of human nature which still applies today. As a non-medical practitioner, if a client (Note, I do not say patient), inquires about a symptom such as yours, I direct him/her to a physician first, in order to rule out physical causes. In your case, it is a question about your adrenal glands, situated on the kidneys, which produce epinephrine and norepinephrine, as well as corticosteroids. I am not qualified to make any determination of a medical problem, and indeed, a physician would probably have to send blood samples to a lab for indication of a medical problem.

If there does not appear to be a medical problem, then I would be in a better position to investigate your symptoms and then perhaps to treat a psychic (psychological) problem with anxiety. Since I specialize in the use of hypnosis, I would proceed along the lines of a hypnoanalysis, looking for an event that has resulted in anxiety and which is somehow emotionally 'stuck' in the subconscious. Often, there are triggers of a panic attack, such as a situation similar to whatever situation one was in when the anxiety first appeared. I would want to know why sales calls always get you feeling a little nervous - but not your conscious explanation. I would want an emotional response that issues from subconscious processes. If you live in the U.S., I suggest making phone inquiries from a qualified hypnotherapist: www.natboard.com . 

A third type of problem lies within the pneumatic (spiritual) domain, and may entail what is called a "spiritual emergency," but this type of abreaction results from more global concerns, such as an experience of meaninglessness, lack of purpose, or the emergence of the conviction that 'nothing matters' (nihilism), and these too can be triggered by particularly distasteful aspects of one's everyday life. Clearly the psychic and pneumatic (psychological & spiritual) aspects are interwoven with each other but there are difference of order and degree.

Begin at the beginning with a medical examination, and perhaps a blood profile, at your physician's discretion.

Question: I have anxiety and I don’t want to take drugs. I know I am not allergic to all drugs but I feel like I have bad reactions (which I know this is just my anxiety talking but never the less it makes me feel like I can’t breath and I even get hives and itching). But my anxiety is very bad right now. Without medication I my heartbeat is always so fast. Roughly 120 bbm or more. The feeling of my heart pounding gets me very worried about heart attacks and this makes my heart beat even faster. Is it possible to worry yourself into a heart attack?

Dr. Mark Abrahams Says...:

I do not take benzodiazepines like Xanax, Ativan, Valium, etc., yet I suffer a form of constitutional anxiety. I don't use cannabis either, but I do use the amino acid L-Theanine in 100 mg doses. It is not a drug, but it takes the edge off my anxiety, which can raise my blood pressure. I would have rapid heart beat like you do, but I take a medication for a mitral valve prolapse, the symptom of which is rapid heartbeat, so that symptom is controlled. I am familiar with the vicious cycle of one level of anxiety giving rise to a whole new level of anxiety replete with more specific fears of heart attack. Ask your physician if it's cool to try L-Theanine. A friend of mine who had used benzodiazepines, sometimes to excess, has replaced that habit with 200 mg L-Theanine, with good results.

Aside from this amino acid, I suggest calling around to hypnotherapists in your area, and asking them if they have had good results in treating anxiety. I do, and I can usually uncover the source and remove or greatly diminish it in 2-3 sessions. There is more than one way to skin a cat as the expression goes, and CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is another often effective technique, but hypnotherapy is a briefer intervention. Here is the board I belong to: www.natboard.com . Consider looking for a practitioner in your area, and don't be shy to ask questions. Be sure to check with your physician before using OTC substances.

Question: Could candida infection cause me to have a sudden increase in my social anxiety and feelings of panic? I think my immune system is really compromised right now because I get sick so easily all the time and I am just exhausted by afternoon even when I didn’t really do anything. My doctor says there is nothing really wrong with me. Actually, I hate that she looks at me like I am making my symptoms up. I just think there is something systemic that’s going on with me that’s causing a whole body imbalance and I have recurrent cadida problems that have intensified recently at the same time as my other symptoms.

Dr. Mark Abrahams Says...:

To begin with, while the occurrence of a panic attack, or an anxiety disorder is a psychiatric or psychological phenomena, candida is a strictly medical question which I am not qualified to answer. Yes, the literature that one can find on-line does indicate that candida yeast (versus fungal) infections, can produce psychological symptoms. But you would first have to determine by way of laboratory tests on saliva, blood, or stool whether you do in fact harbor these organisms in sufficient amounts to be diagnosed with such an infection.

Incidentally, the practice of spitting into a glass of water first thing in the morning and observing whether tendrils of mucus descend from the sputum is NOT a valid test for candida. Your physician's "looks" have nothing to do with whether she has had you tested for candida. Only if laboratory tests come out negative can any condition that can be tested for be ruled out. There are many, many causes for fatigue and for a drop in resistance without jumping to frightening medical conclusions. The first one, and one that I am qualified to suggest is stress. There are of course normal medical causes for stress to one's system, like getting a flu shot or another vaccination in which a weakened organism is injected into our body that is intended to occupy our immune system to produce antibodies. However, a common cause of fatigue is insufficient sleep. Another common one is dehydration. If we wait until we feel thirsty to drink water, we are already experiencing dehydration. Most physicians in my experience are not particularly into preventative medicine. My own physician cares little for supplements, and would rather take additional medicines than adjust his diet! 

It seems we all have to do a little research on our symptoms these days before requesting that our physicians test for something. If you're not already, keep a journal of symptoms. With no intention of practicing medicine here, which I am not, I will say that I have had good results in the treatment of my own anxiety with the addition of 100-200 mg of the amino acid L-Theanine to my daily supplements. But be sure to ask your physician first. Amino acids may be natural to our bodies, but taking concentrated amounts of individual amino acids CAN have immediate deleterious effects, depending on our individual medical histories.