Dr. Archibald D. Hart - The Anxiety Cure

THE
ANXIETY
CURE

YOU CAN FIND EMOTIONAL TRANQUILLITY
AND WHOLENESS

DR. ARCHIBALD D. HART
Author of Adrenaline and Stress

THE ANXIETY CURE
1999 by Archibald D. Hart.

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Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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All names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations used in this book are from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV).

Other Scripture references are from the following sources:

The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

The New King James Version (NKJV), 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

New American Standard Bible (NASB), 1960, 1977 by the Lockman Foundation.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hart, Archibald D.
The anxiety cure / by Archibald D. Hart.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8499-4296-9 ( tradepaper)
ISBN 978-0-8499-1532-1 (hardcover)
1. AnxietyReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Peace of mindReligious aspects Christianity. I. Title.
BV4908.5.H35 1999
152.4'6dc21

99-32884
CIP

Printed in the United States of America
08 09 10 11 12 QW 23 22 21 20 19

CONTENTS

Chapter 5 When and How to Use Antianxiety
Medications

Appendix A How to Order Dr. Harts Relaxation
Training Tape

A nxiety is now the number one emotional problem of our day. Panic anxiety is the number one mental-health problem for women in the United States, and it is second in men only to substance abuse. Many anxious people also suffer from other emotional problems, notably depression. Anxiety and depression go together like Jack and Jill. Clinically, the two are sometimes very difficult to separate.

If you suffer from anxiety or know of someone who is suffering from anxiety, this book is for you. If you are in a high-pressure job and want to prevent anxiety problems from developing, this book is also for you. Prevention is always better than the cure.

I have one fundamental message in this book: Tranquilizers alone will not cure your anxiety problems. Is this important? It certainly is.

Why is this important? First, some amazing discoveries have taken place over the last few years that have revolutionized our understanding of what causes anxiety. I dont just mean the rejection of the archaic idea that all anxiety is just in your head. This has been obsolete for some time now. The modern scientific understanding of anxiety has gone beyond this. While a few die-hard psychologists still cling to the idea that all anxiety is purely a mental phenomenon (and therefore anxiety sufferers must spend the rest of their lives in some form of therapy), we now know that a lot of anxiety is biologically based. Notice, I didnt say all anxiety is biologically based. For example, the sort of anxiety that the Bible talks about, which is more akin to worry, is probably a learned behavior that goes back to the earliest part of life. But the anxiety that is rampant in our society today does not necessarily come from excessive worry or bad childhood experiences. In fact, most of the patients I see report a perfectly normal childhood. They are usually extremely competent people.

In recent years, researchers have discovered just how much of our modern-day anxiety is being caused by stress. Stress not only causes headaches, ulcers, and heart disease, it also sets the stage for anxiety by wreaking havoc with the brains biochemistry. This is why the most frightening increase in anxiety problems has occurred in highly functioning executives, women, pastors, and leaders, the very group who are the most overstressed.

The reason we are seeing such a dramatic rise in stress disease, anxiety, and clinical depression in modern times is not too difficult to discern. Humans were designed for camel travel, but most people are now acting like supersonic jets. In a nutshell, most of us are living at too fast a pace. Our adrenaline is a continuous stream of supercharged, high-octane energy. And, as with any vehicle running on high-octane fuel, we usually burn out quickly. If you really want to know why you are so stressed-out, consider the fact that you, like many others, are too hurried, hassled, and overextended. The pace of modern life is stretching all of us beyond our limits. And we are paying for this abuse in the hard and painful currency of stress and anxietyplain and simple.

So the formula for understanding this book is simple: High adrenaline, caused by overextension and stress, depletes the brains natural tranquilizers and sets the stage for high anxiety.

The connection between stress and anxiety disorders has been grossly overlooked, which has made it almost impossible for anyone to totally cure their anxiety. Without a proper understanding of the adrenaline-anxiety connection, many people simply rely on medication to control their anxiety. But let me be clear: Overdependence on artificial tranquilizers does not cure anxiety. Medication only relieves the symptoms of anxiety; it does not address the cause.

Perhaps the most important aspect of our recent discoveries is the fact that the brain has its own system of natural tranquilizers. But only one of these natural tranquilizers is similar to the benzodiazepines, the most commonly prescribed form of antianxiety medications available to us today. This means we cannot rely solely on artificial tranquilizers to fix our anxiety problems. We have to address the problem at its source, the disruption to these delicate hormones that is caused by roller-coaster, fast-track living.

Although artificial tranquilizers are effective in ameliorating anxiety symptoms in the short term, they dont cure the anxiety permanently. Further, modern tranquilizers are highly addictive. Your brain becomes dependent on them; before you can break this dependency, you have to restore the natural production of your brains own tranquilizers, else all hell will break loose in your brain. Your brain can be as rebellious as any incorrigible child.

Something else has to change if you are going to cure your anxiety and not depend on artificial tranquilizers the rest of your life. It is this something else that you learn all about in the following pages. In fact, from my experience in treating anxiety problems, I am convinced that if you suffer from high anxiety, there is only one long-term answer to your problem: You have to make some significant life changes. This is not to say that antianxiety medications dont have their place. They do. I recommend them often. But they are only interim solutions that must be followed by long-term changes if you want to be free of troubling anxiety. So, we have a lot of work to do together in this book.

By the way, lest you think I only know about anxiety secondhand through my patients, think again. I hasten to confess that I am the chief of sinners in this area. Thats why I know all about this subject. I was an adrenaline junkie for a long time, and I can easily backslide. I love challenges and thrive on crises. There is never enough time in any day for me to do all I want to. Life is too short, too precious, and full of too many opportunities to be lived halfheartedly, so I pull out all the stops. I have little tolerance for anything that blocks my progress. I know this problem personally, but I also have discovered the answers to overcome anxiety. I have effectively put into practice the advice I offer to you in the following pages.