The Dog Whisperer and Your Anxious Thoughts

If you have anxious thoughts, you know that thoughts can be habitual.  Taken to the extreme, this becomes OCD.  The same thoughts, over and over and over, come unbidden, and you can't seem to turn them off. The train is on its tracks, full steam ahead.  How to derail it?

Have you ever seen The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan, working with a dog that barks uncontrollably?  He does this thing where he makes a little karate-chop like move with his hand, and make this little hissing or shushing sort of sound.  When the dog barks, he does this.  The dog stops barking, for a moment, then starts again.  Cesar does his little thing again.  The dog stops again.  This time, maybe for a little longer.  Then if the dog barks again, Cesar again does his little shushing, chopping deal.  Maybe he has to do that 3 or 4 times before the dog can't seem to get the "barking train" back on its rails.  And this is how he trains a dog to stop barking in certain situations.


In NLP terms, what Cesar has done is called a pattern interrupt.  The dog's brain is used to a certain pattern (bark and bark and bark and bark and bark and....well, dogs are pretty simple that way).  Cesar's method uses multiple sensory inputs to interrupt the pattern.  Basically, he derails the train by breaking the pattern and confusing the dog's brain.  Pattern interrupts are very powerful with people as well.

How can you use this to stop obsessive thoughts?  I like a pattern interrupt technique I call "stop and replace."  It begins by noticing the obsessive thoughts, to bring them out of the subconscious mind and into the conscious mind.  Remember, all change begins with awareness.  So, start becoming aware of when you're thinking those unwanted, negative thoughts, then interrupt them.  Literally say to yourself "STOP!"  If you're alone, say it out loud, and loudly.  Snap your fingers or clap your hands for emphasis. If you're not alone, say it in your mind, but say it like you mean it!   Then replace that unwanted thought with a positive, opposite thought:  either one you come up with on the spot, or a favorite affirmation.  ("Every day, in every way, I am growing calmer and calmer," etc.).

What you will find is that, for a time you'll feel like you're stopping and replacing a lot.  That's because this is new, and you're noticing the thoughts more.  Then over a few weeks, you'll find you're stopping & replacing less and less; not because you're no longer noticing the thoughts, but because they're no longer happening.  You've derailed the train!

Just like a well trained dog is a happy dog, a well-trained mind is a happy mind.  The pattern interrupt technique is just one way to train your mind.  Remember, you're the captain of your ship! Be in charge!

The Science of Anxiety

This is one of the best articles I've found for explaining how anxieties form.  Enjoy!

Why do we worry ourselves sick? Because the brain is hardwired for fear, and sometimes it short-circuits

By Christine Gorman Posted Sunday, Aug. 18, 2002; 16.38 a.m. BST

It's 4 a.m., and you're wide awake — palms sweaty, heart racing. You're worried about your kids. Your aging parents. Your 401(k). Your health. Your sex life. Breathing evenly beside you, your spouse is oblivious. Doesn't he — or she — see the dangers that lurk in every shadow? He must not. Otherwise, how could he, with all that's going on in the world, have talked so calmly at dinner last night about flying to Florida for a vacation?  

How is it that two people facing the same circumstances can react so differently? Why are some folks buffeted by the vicissitudes of life while others glide through them with grace and calm? Are some of us just born more nervous than others? And if you're one of them, is there anything you can do about it?

The key to these questions is the emotional response we call anxiety. Unlike hunger or thirst, which build and dissipate in the immediate present, anxiety is the sort of feeling that sneaks up on you from the day after tomorrow. It's supposed to keep you from feeling too safe. Without it, few of us would survive.  (Read the rest of the article here...)

Fear of Flying? Learning to Relax

Flying With the Greatest of Ease Skip Rituals, Avoid Alcohol and Toss Lucky Charms; Instead, Teach Yourself to Relax

They clutch armrests and push mindless conversations on seatmate strangers. They bite their nails or bow their heads in prayer as engines roar for takeoff. Some load up on antianxiety drugs or alcohol—perhaps both—in an attempt to get through the air-travel experience.

Scott McCartney tells us about new techniques to ease aerophobia, the fear of flying. The fear can afflict people who must fly frequently, taking the form not of a full-blown phobia but as severe anxiety.
.Yet, experts say rituals can actually hurt nervous passengers because they reinforce their fear.

Published in the Wall Street Journal online. Read the rest of the article...