by Richard Kuhns, B.S.Ch.E.

Jane's homework was to practice observing various objects we chose at random--pen, drinking glass, table... At the beginning of the next session, I asked her to read me her written observations. Even with the focus on observation, she noticed how easy it was to still come to conclusions--table legs, clip... She was totally fascinated with the new world of "Observation" and found it relaxing to do.

I had her "on the path," to recovery and now I wanted to shift to the cause of the "alarm" reaction of the GAS. The goal was to refocus--have her unequivocally understand that anytime she experienced what in the past she called "anxiety" her subconscious merely wanted to "run away" from a disappointment or a reminder of a disappointment. To "take it home," I asked her to make a list of her disappointments. She told me I didn't have enough paper. She started describing the disappointing symptoms and how disappointing it is to always be in situations where she might feel them. I guided her away from these situational disappointments and onto her life's disappointments. She wrote and wrote and then started listing disappointments of which she was fearful in the future. She knew her husband loved her, yet she was fearful that he'd get fed up with her antics and divorce her.

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