John explains how understanding that the subconscious doesn't respond to logic helped him manage panic attacks. Panic symptoms like rapid breathing and heart rate aren't signs of danger or insanity, but your body trying to protect you. Dr. Don Wood's guidance shifted how he sees anxiety.
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I think the biggest thing that you absolutely just like helped me with tremendously, one of the biggest things was where you shared how our subconscious mind is not logical. Right, right. That's a powerful, profound statement. You know, and when, when you understand that most of us in panic or anxious moments, we're, we're, we're, we're glued to logic. There, there was times where it's like I had to run to the grocery store and I was completely anxiety and panic ridden that like I had to go, leave to go to the store and what if I had a panic attack there or an anxiety attack there and then I had to drive back home and what if I passed out on the way home or I got too anxious and you know, my, I just, I just blacked out or something. But you know, one of the biggest things for me is like, I would always go to the logical mindset, like, John, you're fine, you're in the car, you're going home right now, and blah, blah, no matter that my heart was beating or I felt like I was getting dizzy or whatever. And what really helped me with that, outside of what you shared, was that logic is the one sure way to not get the results you want. Right, exactly. And the one part I want to share about that is it made sense to me because in the past, before I met you, I tried to personify my subconscious mind and how it acted with my anxiety in the past, and I would be like, oh, all right, you're fine. I know you're trying to protect me. I'm good, you know, we're good, relax. But the bottom line is, is that it speaks a different language, you know, and, and thank God it does. Thank God it does. Because when you, when you shared with me and explained that, you know, the same part of my brain that's trying to protect me from the situation, that's not a real threat, but it doesn't know that. Right. I have to retrain. That is the same part of the brain that makes sure I'm breathing every night, my heart's beating every night, I'm blinking so my eyes don't get dry out of my friggin head, you know, like all these different components. And also imagine the bazillion functions to fight disease and bacteria and all these things that's happening in my body that I, that you and I don't think about every day. Right. It's, it has such a, it has such a heavy job. Right? It's such a heavy job for our subconscious mind and that little tiny 5% of our conscious, you know, that's, that's what's, that's what's moving us forward and. But it's not controlling 95% of our functions, right? So it just really hit me deep when you said it. And I'm saying all this to say to people who are feeling like, wow, there's not a, there's not a hope for me. I've been going through this for five years, 10 years, personally me, it's been over 20 years, right? So it's like a decade, I mean, two decades plus. And at the end of the day, you know, you said it so perfectly. Your body is here to protect you, right? It's in fact, it can't hurt you, right? It can't sabotage you. It can't self sabotage yourself and you. And you almost. I always felt that I'm like, why the hell am I feeling this way? Right? But I think, you know, again, you taught me so much, I can ramble for an hour about this. But I think the bottom line that I'm trying to allude to is that like, you know, being anxious and being in a panic state is a very, very scary thing. Most people equate it to almost dying or feeling like you're going to die and, you know, you feel like you can't breathe anymore or your chest is going to beat out, you know, your heart's going to be your chest and stuff. The only thing again, I want to say is that, you know, at the end of the day, you said it, you say it best, right? But you're not crazy, right? There's nothing wrong with you. Right? But there's nothing wrong with you. And you know, great people like the doc here have ways us better optimize how we feel, and I'm grateful for that.
