Honestly is there a such thing as

[ljwwriter]

"Recovery" for people like us? I mean it's not like getting over a drug addiction, and even if it were the threat of relapse would loom over our heads for the rest of our lives. But do people with social anxiety/ phobia really ever recover? Or do they merely find ways to cope and therefore lessen the severity of their problems?

I've seen a few success stories on this site about overcoming anxiety, though I must admit that I always take them with a grain of salt because the very fact that these people are still haunting this site makes me wonder how much in their lives has truly changed.
Also, many who have claimed to have "recovered" can be quite condescending towards the rest of us, labeling us victims of our own self-perceived ineptitude and lazy. Sometimes helpful advice is extended, at others it seems like the blind leading the blind and no one really gets any where.
Anyway, back to my initial question, do you believe that social phobic people ever really recover?

 

[Helyna]

Aack, why is your avatar blank???
Well, the problems will always be there. I believe that this is genetic, and you can't change that. We'll always have a predisposition for anxiety and depression. And the scars of the lonely and frustrating times will be there, I'm sure.
But I also believe that we can improve to the point where we can leave our house, go out with friends, meet new people, and maybe even talk in front of a group, without being crippled by our fears. They will still be there forever, in the background or near the surface, but it is possible to have the courage to handle the situation and succeed in getting what we want out of life.
But even with therapy, so much courage and stubbornness is needed...

 

[slimjim119]

Aack, why is your avatar blank???
Well, the problems will always be there. I believe that this is genetic, and you can't change that. We'll always have a predisposition for anxiety and depression. And the scars of the lonely and frustrating times will be there, I'm sure.
But I also believe that we can improve to the point where we can leave our house, go out with friends, meet new people, and maybe even talk in front of a group, without being crippled by our fears. They will still be there forever, in the background or near the surface, but it is possible to have the courage to handle the situation and succeed in getting what we want out of life.
But even with therapy, so much courage and stubbornness is needed...

I agree. Well said.

 

[bleach]

"Recovery" for people like us? I mean it's not like getting over a drug addiction...

It's exactly like that. They are both addictions. But your addiction is to a behavior pattern. And full recovery from drug addiction also takes a long time if it ever happens. For many addicts it takes years of consciously fighting the addiction before it completely subsides. The major difference is that they should stay away from drugs and we should be taking them.

 

[chris87]

I don't know if I could ever change. I always have these horrible, anxious responses to everything, which is frustrating and difficult to handle. I try to stay as calm as possible to limit SA issues, but it's easier said than done.

 

[Ursula]

I can't speak for everyone with s.a. because everyone has their own unique form of the condition and it affects people to varying degrees. In my case though I've had quite severe social anxiety since I was a young child which makes me a bit sceptical about theories that you can change if you adopt more positive thought processes. If I follow what my cbt therapist suggests and try to think more rationally about frightening social situations I find the words just glide across my mind without seeming to make much difference. It helps a little bit to try to alter my conscious thought processes so I'm not saying cbt is worthless especially if your s.a. is mild. But I don't think the conscious mind is ultimately able to keep emotions under control- in a way I'm quite glad about this because humans would be a bit like robots if cbt theories were completely right.

 

[ljwwriter]

I can't speak for everyone with s.a. because everyone has their own unique form of the condition and it affects people to varying degrees. In my case though I've had quite severe social anxiety since I was a young child which makes me a bit sceptical about theories that you can change if you adopt more positive thought processes. If I follow what my cbt therapist suggests and try to think more rationally about frightening social situations I find the words just glide across my mind without seeming to make much difference. It helps a little bit to try to alter my conscious thought processes so I'm not saying cbt is worthless especially if your s.a. is mild. But I don't think the conscious mind is ultimately able to keep emotions under control- in a way I'm quite glad about this because humans would be a bit like robots if cbt theories were completely right.

You know, when it comes down to it I guess it is our conscious minds vs. our subconscious. I think for many of us, if not all, anxiety just happens subconsciously. It becomes a reaction we can't really control. We go to a public place and we automatically become fearful and anxious without even having to go into negative thinking mode. I suppose that's why I never really connected with what therapists have told me about stopping negative thoughts when I'm out socializing. For me there's often nothing to stop. I don't have to think negatively to become anxious. I don't have to think at all.
And like you I can't really say that giving myself encouragement and telling myself positive things really combats the waves of panic and fear that course through my body when I'm out in the world.

 

[LucidPanda]

Sorry but I have to say... There's so much negativity in this thread in regards to hope. It'd be the equivalent of the drug addict resigning to the fact that he's destined to be this way.

The conscious mind affects the subconscious mind. The whole point of CBT and NLP is so that we gradually change our subconscious thinking patterns, by making us aware to the thoughts we provide ourselves with.

I do believe some people are pre-disposed to introversion, or the idea that somebody might be anxiety prone.

But that assumes that as little children, we were afraid or feared other strangers due to social anxiety. I'm a believer that it's usually behaviour developed over a period of time, and hence is reversable with a lot of effort.