Messages By: pinetree

Hi Ted,  

  

My son did not believe any of  this in the beginning either.  I also had a hard time with it as well,  but the more I worked with it the more it made sense.  These statements are condensations from Dr. Richards 20 tape series for people with social anxiety.  All I can say is that they turned my son's life around completly.   

  

Whether you want to accept Mrs. Pitman's statement is up to you.  Too many people let other people control their lives.  If you allow this to happen you give away your control.  

  

Thank you for your input, but all I can say is the proof is in the pudding.  My son now has a life, whereas, before he just existed, and it my belief that 43 years was far too long to just exist in fear and despair.  Like Dr. Phil would say to live one more day in fear and misery is to many days, enough is enough. 

  

Pat 

Hi, 

  

I was a  licensed motor mechanic for 13 years,  I specialized in tune-up in a large general motors dealership, then work in a John Deere farm machinery agency, overhauling John Deere diesel engines and combine engines.  I then ran my own small garage business for couple of years, unfortunately my partner was an excellent radiator repair man, but was alcoholic and spent more than he made on booze.  I had no choice but to return to the city of Calgary were I got a job as a fleet service mechanic for Alberta Government Telephones.  While working there I got a chance to go to the University of Alberta where I obtained my B. Ed. in Voc. Ed.   I was 39, and finished this four year degree in summer school and night school.  I taught service station operation for the first seven years of my teaching career.  There were roughly 500 students bused into the school from the south side of Calgary, a city of just under a million people.  These kids had consistently failed since grade one until they got too big for the seats, and ended up at our school starting grade 7.  Most of these students were operating at below a grade 4 level.  They hated, school, teachers, their parents, the police and lastly, but not least themselves.  Many of them came from home environments to horrible for the average person to imagine. I had the distinct advantage of most academic teachers in that I was teaching something these kids could relate to.  The other advantage I had was that I had fended for myself since leaving the farm at age 16, so I knew how the real world really worked.   Many academic teacher, unfortunately come from middle class home were their parents give them everything.  They find school very easy and breeze through university knowing the rules of the game, is to tell the prof. what he wants to hear.  Up this point in time they have not so much as washed a dish, and they are going to tell these kids how the world operates. I seen many academic teachers leave the school in short order to go to the safety of the regular high schools.  I eventually became vocational department head, but after seven years I decided to teach automotives in the vocational high schools.  I taught there for the remainder of my teaching career. My teaching career lasted 23 years.  I took early retirement to a small town outside of Calgary.  A local farmer asked me to restore his 1936 Fargo half ton in memory of his dad, who had bought the truck new in the town in 1936, but died six months after buying the truck.  For the next seven years I made running board mats for antique vehicles, such as Cadillac, Oldsmobile, La Salle, Packard, Studebaker, to name just a few.  I made a milling machine to make these mats. It is the only one in the world.  We made just over 500 sets of mats in the seven years.  I had customers all over the world, and many of my customers won prizes at the big shows in Los Vegas, Hershey and Pebble Beach , etc.   I sold the business to one of my employees about two years ago, and retired at age 70.  I now play golf, cards, ice curl, lawn bowl, floor curl, etc.   If you wish to see what I did go to this website that I designed:  www.runningboardmats.com  I sold the rights to this site when I sold the business. The majority of the customer comments are about our work, and most of the work displayed we also did when I owned the business.  I have spent the last five years looking under every rock and tree for answers to how to overcome anxiety disorders and mental illness, particularly  bipolar disorder, as both of these illnesses had plagued my family for years.  I also offered a free CBT course at our public library, based on Dr. Richards 20 tape series for people suffering from social anxiety.  Does this make me qualified to offer a free CBT course on-line.  I guess, you have to be the judge.  What have you got to lose but time?    

  

Pat 

Hi,          I was going to limit the class to ten, but have decided to go to 15.   Thanks for the inquiry and the hope this is what you were looking for.  I do not have any degrees in psychology or psychiatry.  Have taken some sociology courses as part of me education degree.   Pat

Hi Liz.  

If you are looking for peer support e-mail me at : rowdens@shaw.ca   

  

Bipolar disorder has effected our whole family for over 50 years.  We would love to be of support.  

You are correct, meds. only help with the symptoms,  but they cure nothing.  

  

Pat 

Hi all,  

  

I thought I would post another condensation of a handout from Dr. Richards tape series for people suffering from anxiety (phobia). 

  

                                                      "I  Can't Do It "   Thinking 

 

 

      Regardless of how I feel, I don't ever want to use the  " I can't do this " explanation.  

 

 

              Remeber that my brain hears and responds to every word that I feed it. 

 

 

      Therefore, if I say, " I can't " my brain believes this statement even if it is FALSE. 

 

 

     My brain picks these statements up, and sure enough, I CAN'T do these things because I've  

                                programmed it into my mind over and over again.    

 

 

       In reality, I have lost NONE of my former abilities, what I could do in the past, I can also do  

                                                          now.  

 

 

 

                           For more info. on anxiety disoders e-mail : rowdens@ shaw.ca 

Hi all, 

  

 it is now 1:48 A.M. and I have just taken my clonazepam (rivital in the U.S.)  to help me go back to sleep.  I took it with hot water so it should kick in about an hour from now.  Does it cure anything?  No, it is simple a temporary crutch, but very effective crutch to help me get back to sleep.  Is it addictive for people suffering from an anxiety disorder? Contrary to what your doctor may have told you, Dr. Richards a psychologist he treats people with anxiety, says it is not addictive for people suffering from an anxiety disorder, if they are using CBT to reprogram their brain.  The reason he says, is that people who suffer from anxiety disorders do not want to be on medication, and take themselves off of medication as soon as they can. Are SSRIs very effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders?  According to Dr. Richards, it has been his experience over many years of treating people with anxiety disorders, that he has found them to be of little value in the treatment of anxiety disorders?  It is my own observation, over the last five years the they were not effective in the treatment of my son's generalized anxiety disorder treatment.   

  

Of all the anxiety disorders GAD is probably the the most difficult to overcome,  because it becomes part of the person's personality. They  falsely assume that their behavior is normal, because they have no recollection of life being any different, probably since childhood. Are anxiety disorders inherited?  According to Dr. Richards anxiety is not inherited.  You may have the predisposition to developing an anxiety disorder, but anxiety disorders are learned behaviors, and as such can be overcome. 

  

So how do you overcome an anxiety disorder?  Will medication cure it?  No, but it can be an aid to help you deal with the symptoms of the illness, as you treat yourself using CBT.  What is CBT  in layman's terms.  Cognitive simply means thinking,  and behavioral means what you do to overcome your false beliefs, and perceptions.  Therapy is self explanatory.  

  

In a nut shell here is how and why it works.  How did you learn to count?  By consistent and persistent repetition.   Will you ever forget how to count?  No. If you at age 10 you believed that you were stupid would you ever forget it?  No. Why not?  The reason is quite simple. In the beginning  a teacher, a parent, your friends, your classmates, the class bullies, may have told you that you are either dumb, stupid or mentally retarded. So at age ten you, yourself began to believe this false belief.  From that point on, the emotional part of the brain accepts this as fact, even though it is not true. If something whether true or not is repeated often enough the emotional portion of the brain accepts it as fact whether true or not.  Anything learned can be unlearned. So, were does CBT fit into the picture?  CBT replaces false self-defeating perceptions and beliefs with true rational beliefs by consistent and persistent repitition.  Once you believed you were stupid at age 10 you did not need anyone to conince you were stupid.  You had living proof that it was so,  after all did you not fail that last math. test, did not that pretty girl turn you down when you asked her for a date.  Did you fail miserabely when you tried out for the football team, etc,  You are now fully convinced that you are stupid, and no one is going to convince you otherwise. So as a result you now tell yourself hundreds of times a day that you must be stupid.  

  

Can anxiety disorders be overcome?  I have living proof.  My son, Dave who suffered from GAD for 43 years  (as long as he could remember)  until about six months ago, when he finally overcame this totally devastating illness.  His life had been put on hold for 43 years.  He says he is finally parolled from his lifetime jail sentence of terror, fear and misery.   He has been looking for a "white rino" to prove that CBT works. Oddly enough, he has become the " white rino".  

  

To this point in time you have seen my posts about CBT, and I have told you that CBT works, because my son overcame his illness using it. You have been told a lot of stuff over the years, just to find out that in fact most of it was untrue, and because you may never have heard of CBT, this idiot from Canada, no less, is going to tell me that CBT works when all of doctors I have seen have not even mentioned that it exists, Why should I believe this fool from Canada?   Maybe the reason you have not heard about CBT is because there is no money in CBT. It can't be patented, and there is no money to be made in people curing themselves.  Just  a though!  Millions of dollars are made each year by drug companies to treat the symptoms of many illnesses, like mental illness and anxiety disorders, but they have to admit that not one person actually overcame their illness solely by the use of medication.  The answer is very simple, drugs cannot remove years of untrue negative garbage from the brain, and replace it with rational true information. Only you can do it, and CBT is by far the fastests and quickest way to do it, in my opinion.  I have studied mental illness and anxiety disorders extensively over the last five years, and I have found that only CBT was effective in not only saving my son's life , but giving him a life.  

  

Bye for now Pat 

Hi Ted,  

  

I don't know were you got your information, but I am happy to report that you are dead wrong.  Try to tell my son that this illness is incurable. Anxiety disorders are learned behaviors, and anything learned can be unlearned.  It is a very simple process, but to say is easy, would be foolish.  It takes persistent and consistent practice to reprogram your brain to think more rationally.  Today we live in a quick fix, throw away society, unfortunately.  Everyone is looking for the easy way out.  Believe me there is none.  A year ago my son could not leave the house on many days, even to go out to buy a quart of milk, let alone hold down a full time job.  He for all intents and purposes was unemployable.  He left for work this morning and I expect he will put in at least a 12 to 16 hour day. He did it yesterday, and will likely have to do it tomorrow ,as he and his friend have the contract to build a 26 room doctors suite by the middle of  November. The already have a contract to build another additional  20 or more rooms in the same building. He gets up singing. Before he dreaded each and every day.   I am glad to report that you are entirely misinformed, but I respect you opinion and belief, but I will not accept it.  A year ago I might have thought you might be right and I had not seen any "white rino" as my son used to say.  Now he is truly a "white rino" .  

  

Pat  

Hi Echo,  

  

I guess you went to the same school as Ted.   Unfortunately, if my son had believed you people a year ago he would be no better today, in fact I could be making his funeral arrangements.  His greatest wish was to go to sleep and never wake up.  He thought about suicide every day, and he said he would have done it years ago, except he felt it would devastated his mother and sister, who suffer from bipolar disorder, and to this point in time doctors claim it is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, but I have seen research indicating that 5HTP and tyrosine along with the correct vitamins and minerals in the correct proportion can cause the body to build up the neurotransmitters in the brain, that have been depleted, or in short supply because the body simply does not  produce enough, particularly with people who suffer from mental illness, such as bipolar disorder.  They have found that if a person suffers from manic depression (bipolar disorder) that lithium is also required.   Through lab. testing they are able to tell exactly how much NeuroReplete,  

Replete Extra  and Cysreplete  is required to get the neurotransmitter level at the correct level for the presynatic neuron to fire properly.  Dave used these supplements for about four months. We got it from a local family doctor.  Unfortunately it is only available from a doctor.  Dave's neurotransmitter level was low because of his constant worry , and the fact that he had been on several SSRIs which also deplete your neurotransmitter level, according to the people who have developed,  and refined it. 

  

Because I am a senior on a fixed income, and food supplements are not covered by our health care system  I was only able to pay for these supplements for Dave for four months.  Whether they were necessary or not, I really don't know, but what I do know is that he has recovered from his lifetime jail sentence of misery, and uses no medication whatsoever now. 

  

By the way my wife was also taking this supplement, and she has discontinued taking it at the present time, but I expect to put her back on it next week , now that Dave no longer needs it.  

  

The answer another post, my wife and daughter are not cured, but are much improved as a result of using CBT, and I am hopeful that they will as a minimum be able to control their illness, instead of it controlling them , and eventually by using the food supplement end their lifelong  suffering.   That is my ultimate hope. 

  

  

Hi echo,  

  

It is my hope that along with the neurotransmitter food supplements, my wife and daughter can overcome their bipolar disorder, with the use of CBT. Only time will tell.  

  

By the way I was asked what my credentials were a while ago, and I posted them for all the world to see. I was just wondering what  Ted's credentials are and, what yours might be.  

  

I know I have been looking for answers for at least 45 years, and extensively for the last 5 years. How much research have you done.   

  

 And just as an aside I hate to be called a lier.  It hurts, and serves no useful purpose in my opinion. 

  

Pat 

Hi ,  

  

 Ted made the statement that anxiety disorders are not curable, and I believe you echoed his response. The reason that I objected to his belief that anxiety disorders are incurable is that  is absolutely not true.  Anxiety disorders are a learned behavior and as  you know, anything that can be learned can be unlearned. Anxiety disorders do not stem from a chemical imbalance, but anxiety disorders can result in a chemical imbalance,  When the anxiety leaves the chemical balance is established.  It is my understanding that doctors believe that mental illnesses stems from a chemical imbalance in the brain, and most doctors believe that it is incurable .  There are a group of doctors, who claim they have been successful in curing people with manic depression, using a food supplement,  specially formulated to cause the body to reproduce these neurotransmitters in the brain, and restore the balance.  They claim that a host of illnesses are associated with, or caused by neurotransmitter  deficiency.  They also claim that SSRI drugs actually make the problem worse, and actually can actually cause the neurotransmitter levels to fall so low that the presynatic neuron fires very erratically. They say the only way to resolve this problem is to give the body what it needs to cause the body to build up the transmitters in the brain.  I know that Dave was taking this food supplement for about four months. Whether that was a factor in his recovery I can't say, but what  I can say is that he has recovered, and it is my firm belief that without CBT there is a good chance that  eventually he would have committed suicide, if his mother were to pass away.   

  

Whether  bipolar disorder can be cured using a combination of CBT and  NeuroReplete, I don't know.   

  

If you would like literature on the food supplement in question you can e-mail me at : rowdens@ shaw .ca  or look up this website: www.neuroreplete.com   As they only deal with doctors you can only get general information questions answered by them.  For more detailed information, you will have to find a doctor who is willing to contact them. They are more than willing to send out a kit to any doctor who would like to know more about their program. They stress that it is imperative that a doctors or clinics attend at least one of the seminars, they put on throughout  the country to teach doctors how to use their products.   

  

Pat