For the last four months I have been doing a form of therapy known as EEG biofeedback (previously more commonly referred to as neurofeedback). On the most basic level it is a system that allows the brain to get information about itself and thereby correct certain imbalances or traumas. As I get into further posts describing the process in more detail I’ll provide plenty of links. For now I’d like to concentrate on my initial experience.

I was skeptical when first offered the chance to try the therapy. Skeptical, but curious. Anything that might work was worth a shot.

A session of EEG biofeedback consists of being hooked up, via three sensors placed on various points on your scalp, to a laptop with specialized software that reads information about your brainwaves and then, based on that information, gives you feedback in the form of sounds and visual images. The loop this creates allows your brain to make the corrections I mentioned above. Which protocols you will use are determined by an evaluation given before the first session.

Almost immediately, it was startling how good I felt. The session would end and I would head home, elated by a sense of ease and comfort. As my sessions continued that immediate jolt of feeling good subsided and I seemed to hit something of a lull (which is apparently common). And, yet, at the same time, I could step back and recognize that when I got into anxious states, particularly when I would get stuck in a building sense of dread, they didn’t seem to be lasting as long.

And then, somewhere around twenty sessions in, something extraordinary happened.

I had agreed to go to an alumni get-together. It was just the kind of situation that has always been terrible for my social anxiety and I dreaded showing up. On the evening of the event, I parked and headed for the location. My mind began a familiar refrain: “Why do I have to do this? No one will remember me. This is going to be horribly awkward and embarrassing. I’m going to stand around holding one drink and looking lost and feeling pathetic. I could just turn around right now…”

But then I noticed something. My body was calm.

My heart wasn’t racing. My stomach wasn’t churning. My breathing wasn’t shallow. I had no numbness in my fingers. I didn’t feel any chills or trembling. I wasn’t having the physical symptoms of social anxiety.

As soon as I recognized this I was floored. I worried I might be imagining it. I stood still, waiting to see what would happen. My body remained calm. And as the realization that I really was feeling okay settled in, my mind began to relax. I stopped thinking about how terrible the evening might be. I went inside.

And while it wasn’t the perfect gathering, it was nothing compared to how events like that usually are for me. I was able to find ways to talk to people, meet people I knew, and not worry so much about what everyone else might be thinking.

The feeling of physical calm I first noticed that night has continued to build. And I have slowly realized that something significant is changing. It is as if my central nervous system has long been out of whack and now is not. I am more content, less thrown by events, and able to experience greater joy.

This therapy is affordable and easily accessible. If you’d like any kind of follow up information you can email me at umguyduh@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to both discuss this and pass on details as to who you can contact to try it yourself. I’ll post further details and links in a future post, once the website being put together by the person who got me involved in this is finalized.

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Introductions

This week each of of us will introduce ourselves in individual posts, letting you know a little about our experiences with social anxiety. Please feel free to introduce yourself to us and to fellow readers in the comment section.

Social Anxiety Resources

We hope that Anxious Living connects readers to valuable resources, as well as to other social anxiety blogs. At the top of this site you’ll see a horizontal menu with links to other pages within this site. Our Resource page contains many of the highest quality websites dealing with social anxiety. For literature on social anxiety, check out our SA Books page.

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Upcoming Articles

After introductions, we’ll dive right in to some topics and issues regarding social anxiety. Some examples of what we have in the works are posts (articles) on social anxiety (SAD) assessments, experiences and reflections with those assessments, stress and SAD, the positive side of SAD, family history and SAD, a guest post on living with someone who struggles with SAD, and plenty more. We hope you’ll join us in this exploration.