disclaimer: results may vary
Psychological symptoms and physical symptoms are often linked. This is the story about Chris, a social worker whose symptoms and feelings threatened to ruin his life. Many of his colleagues had spent time away from work because of stress, but so far, Chris had been fine.
Over the years, there had been a number of shocking experiences where clients had been abusive or shocking, but there had been no physical attacks. And then one day, only the quick-thinking of a colleague saved Chris from being physically beaten by an angry young man.
Chris was shocked. He went home, and tried to reassure himself that all was well, but somehow, part of him just wasn’t listening. It was almost as if all of the upsetting occasions of the past had suddenly caught up with him. Chris began to hear sounds that had on other days, had fleetingly appeared in his head.
The following day, Chris went for a walk down to the beach, normally a calming, therapeutic experience. But this time, the noises in his head were so loud he could hardly hear the noises of the outside world. He began to panic. He made his way home, wondering if the noises would ever subside. He made his evening meal, and switched on the television, turning the sound up so that he could hear it, hoping his neighbours in the flat above wouldn’t be annoyed.
He mechanically ate his evening meal, but his mind constantly worried in case the noises would never go away. He tried to watch the TV but he couldn’t concentrate. His mind kept on returning to the noise inside his head, roaring like a tornado directly overhead. His anxiety increased by the minute. How was he going to sleep? He rang a friend who tried to reassure him, saying that it would probably be better tomorrow; there couldn’t be anything to worry about; it was just a noise. His friend suggested that Chris was suffering from tinnitus.
Tinnitus is a symptom where you can hear sound that seems to be coming from somewhere inside the head, or sounds that are considerably changed or amplified. These sounds can be like an extremely loud pulse, the whistling of the wind, or the approach of a train. Or it can be a normal background sound, like the hum of a computer that escalates to a roar. The sounds can be similar to the murmur of people talking in another room, but there is no-one there.
All that night, Chris lay awake, listening to the noise. He thought it was getting louder. It was deafening. It felt like the walls were crowding in. He could feel his heart pounding; he felt hot and clammy; he couldn’t think; he felt ill; he felt nauseous. He wondered if he were going mad.
By the next morning, Chris was feeling so ill he made an appointment to see his doctor. He wondered if he would end up that day in a psychiatric ward. His heart raced, he felt ill with worry. He was prescribed some anti-depressants, and sent home to rest. Hopefully, the symptoms would soon subside.
It didn’t slowly get better, it slowly got worse. The noises in his ears didn’t go away. Not for one minute for the next seven days. By that time, Chris was suffering severe panic attacks, with breathing difficulties and heart palpitations.
A colleague at work heard how Chris was feeling, and told him about Resolution Magic. Chris immediately telephoned me, and his programme began.
Over the following weeks, Chris worked with me, following the programme and keeping a record of his progress. Within a few days he was beginning to feel that his symptoms were reducing, and this encouraged him to simply keep going. Over a few weeks, the anxiety attacks slowly reduced, and the tinnitus slowly disappeared. Chris regained all of his confidence and returned to work, able once again to enjoy every moment of his life.
Whatever your symptoms, whether they affect the way you feel or cause symptoms in your physical body, simply work with the programme until they have completely gone. One day, you will discover that they were all linked.
disclaimer: results may vary