Has anyone here got over their SA by themselves?

What exactly do you mean by "themselves" :p. Entirely by myself, no.

I have gotten over it once with the help of the ideas of some psychiatrists/people, exposure therapy, and medication.

But yeah, I guess you could say "by myself", in that no one helped me directly or through therapy.

Why? Have you? :) If so, can you tell us how, please? :D <3
 

Feathers

Well-known member
Well, in the past, I got over it with the help of books and doing some theatre/drama and later on exercising/running etc.. so I think it's partly doable, if you put in the effort..

I still have some in other/more difficult situations, so I think it doesn't go away completely and may return, but you can then learn to deal with it too..

If you don't read books and aren't willing to the effort, maybe getting help from others could be a good idea too?
 

Acegame

Well-known member
Well, in the past, I got over it with the help of books and doing some theatre/drama and later on exercising/running etc.. so I think it's partly doable, if you put in the effort..

I still have some in other/more difficult situations, so I think it doesn't go away completely and may return, but you can then learn to deal with it too..

If you don't read books and aren't willing to the effort, maybe getting help from others could be a good idea too?

Hey I think its very gutsy you did theatre. I'm thinking about doing this too, but actually im to afraid at this moment ::p: It seems like the ideal way to overcome SA. How did you do it, and how did it help you?
 

anxiety1408

Well-known member
The only time I had felt like I had gotten over SA to an extent where it was almost okay was when I was in a relationship and that was a year ago.. after that its been downhill :(
 

Feathers

Well-known member
Hey I think its very gutsy you did theatre. I'm thinking about doing this too, but actually im to afraid at this moment ::p: It seems like the ideal way to overcome SA. How did you do it, and how did it help you?

Yeah, go for it!!

Acegame, I was afraid to do it too.. :) Especially since none of my 'friends' were into that and I had to go audition for the school play myself.. (That was in high school - I was about 16 or 17 and didn't dare join art club or drama club because no one I knew did, and no one specifically invited me, so I wasn't sure whether to go or not. But a really cool book said it may help others see you in a different light. So I went.)

I wrote a piece (very dark and sort of suicidal-thoughts-inspired like a poem, something like avantgard 1920's poets might write :D) and it really impressed a school director (another student who wrote a play) he wanted me to incorporate it in the play. So I did. The play was a bit odd (never really understood what it was about) though it was all quite interesting.

Another classmate participated too, so it was much easier, and my role was basically just standing there, improvising, and saying my piece.. so it was real easy.. I still felt alienated from other actors, mostly.. It did help others at school see me in a different role and helped me gain friends in my class easier, sort of.. And helped me gain distance from what I wrote, lol.. (Especially as costumes ideas were devised by someone else!!)

I also got invited to a drama workshop in place of that classmate, it was really great and I learnt a lot.. And then at University, I went to drama/theatre workshops as well.. If done well, they make you more playful and improvising stuff, and as you talk with people on stage/in workshops, it's then easier to talk to people in real life too.. And it's fun and exciting, which also helps..

We also did some 'class-made performances' for the cultural day, in the last two years, almost everyone participated, either in making the stage scene or taking part in the performance, and it was very cool.. helped the class connect a bit better.. And they were way better than the first two years, when only a small group of people prepared stuff and it wasn't half so good.. We really got people laughing and had fun on stage etc.

I was scared almost each time before a performance, but really had fun on stage and was really relieved and happy afterwards!! :)
 
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Acegame

Well-known member
Oh I admire your courage :D I get anxious only reading about it. But yeah, it seems like a great way to be socially active and practice all kinds of social skills. Also a good way to learn how to handle being the center of attention. But it feels a little weird for someone like me to sign up for something like that at this point in my life (not in school anymore).
 

Feathers

Well-known member
Oh I admire your courage :D I get anxious only reading about it. But yeah, it seems like a great way to be socially active and practice all kinds of social skills. Also a good way to learn how to handle being the center of attention. But it feels a little weird for someone like me to sign up for something like that at this point in my life (not in school anymore).
lol That's because it's condensed from many years...

It was just one or two shows a year max usually, or sometimes just workshops that never led to being on stage.. Sometimes other people were chosen for interesting lead parts, or once we didn't have a director so we never made it to stage, but we had fun on rehearsals anyway!! (And I met some cool people there.. Artsy people are often very friendly.. I mean the ones who aren't really pro.. Some pro people can be a bit too intense sometimes, people who just love art can be really cool though..)

Some things were just being a part of a team with 3+ people doing approximately the same things.. You don't have to be an active part, you don't even have to speak on stage if you don't want to (or the role doesn't require it), you can just be 'tree' or part of chorus or 'the sea' or something..

I hear there's 'community theatre' in many places in the USA (if that's where you're from) - you perform for free but you can have lots of fun!!
There are even 'village theatre groups' here and they sometimes have performances that are really very funny.. (partly because you know the actors and someone stumbles or whatever :D) I never joined anything here once I got back home, we're thinking about maybe doing some things again..

There's also drama therapy/drama in education.. I considered studying it at a point, it would be quite expensive though.. And even just regular drama workshops can be a lot of fun and be very 'therapeutic'!
 
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