Peace from Nervous Suffering

If nervous suffering has led you to this book, you may have picked it up with both hope and doubt. Possibly you have tried so hard to recover in the past and have—as you think—let yourself down so often that you may hesitate to trust yourself to try again. Perhaps you have been ill so long you suspect you are beyond help. Small wonder doubt is mixed with hope. And yet, I assure you, however often you may have failed in the past, however long you may have suffered, you can recover.

Perhaps, like so many of my nervously ill patients, you have no personality defect making or keeping you ill; indeed, you may have no particular problem except finding the way to recovery. Many of my patients were happy in their home life and at work until they became ill. They then became afraid of the state they were in, of the way they felt—not only of what was happening at the time but also of what they feared might yet be in store. Without realizing it, their nerves had tricked them, duped them.

TRICKS YOUR NERVES PLAY

Through the years I have seen every shade of every trick my patients’ nerves have played upon them; I saw how easily, how unwittingly, many were led into nervous illness, and because of this I want to open your eyes to the way your nerves could now be tricking you.

We should know there are three special pitfalls that can lead to nervous illness, and above all we should know how to cope with them. The three pitfalls are sensitization, bewilderment, and fear. Sensitization is a state in which nerves are conditioned to react to stress in an exaggerated way; that is, they bring unusually intense feelings when under stress, and at times with alarming swiftness.

There is no mystery about sensitization. Most of us have surely felt it in a mild way when we have been working under pressure and our nerves have become alerted to respond too quickly, too acutely, to situations that would, at other times, leave us unmoved. When mildly sensitized, we may be irritated by those near us, impatient with driving home in heavy traffic or waiting for the evening bus. We continue working, driving, traveling, however, and these feelings will gradually pass.

On the other hand, severe sensitization can be upsetting indeed. Besides feeling painfully edgy and agitated, a severely sensitized person may feel his heart constantly beating quickly, “missing” beats, or thumping; he may have recurring attacks of palpitations; he may feel his stomach churn—especially on waking in the morning or after an afternoon nap. His hands may tremble and sweat. He may have difficulty expanding his chest to take in a deep breath and may—in the words of one woman—gasp and gulp for air. He may complain of a lump in his throat which seems to interfere with swallowing solid food, or he may have weak turns. He may suffer from headaches—a feeling of weight pressing on top of his head, of an “iron band” around it; giddiness; or a sensation of lurching, swaying, or of being pulled to one side while walking.

Most alarming of all, panic may come so easily and swiftly that the slightest shock may bring it: perhaps no more than the unexpected sound of a slamming door. More bewildering still, panic may come for no apparent reason. Although these are no more than the usual symptoms of stress exaggerated by sensitization, the sufferer rarely recognizes them as stress symptoms. He thinks they are unique to him, that no one could have possibly suffered this way before.

SUDDEN SENSITIZATION

One need not be a special type to become sensitized. Quite severe sensitization can be suddenly and unexpectedly thrust upon any one of us at any time. It may follow the stress of a physical shock to our nerves, such as an exhausting surgical operation, a heavy hemorrhage, a difficult confinement, an accident, and so on.

For example, when severe sensitization follows a surgical operation, the simplest postoperative routine—such as a finger prick for a blood count or the dressing of a wound—can almost reduce its victim to tears. Any frustration, perhaps no more than waiting for the doctor to arrive, may bring intense agitation and make nerves feel so taut that a sudden noise jars painfully. Also, panic can follow the slightest anxious thought: hence the necessity to understand sensitization and know how to cope with it.

A retired nursing sister who had been in charge of a surgical ward for years said recently, “If I had known more about sensitization when I was nursing, how much more understanding I could have given my patients.” At that time she was sensitized herself.

GRADUAL SENSITIZATION

Of course, severe sensitization can come about more slowly. It may gradually accompany continuous domestic stress, too strenuous dieting, a debilitating illness—anything that puts nerves under stress for a prolonged time. The stress need not necessarily be unhappy. An actor constantly alert to give his best performance may become quite sensitized, especially if he neglects sleep and food.

THE PATTERN IS LIMITED

Since the symptoms of sensitization are the symptoms of stress, they conform to the usual pattern of stress symptoms. This pattern is set, limited, because nerves under stress always release the same chemicals, which act on the same organs and always produce the same results. It comforts a sufferer to learn that the pattern of his suffering is limited and that he has probably already experienced the severest symptoms his nerves can bring. I have seen this information alone cure some people. Because their body had brought them so many surprises in the past and had, as they thought, let them down so badly, they were constantly worried about what further surprises the future might yet hold.

HOW NERVES NORMALLY FUNCTION

When we say someone is suffering from nerves, we do not only mean nerves are stimulated to bring certain symptoms, but we also imply that nerves have “gone wrong” and are somehow at fault. Actually they are responding faithfully and physiologically to the messages sent to them. To be cured one should understand this, and to do so it is essential to know how nerves normally function. Although I described this in detail in my earlier book, Hope and Help for Your Nerves, it is necessary to repeat the description at least briefly here.

Our nervous system consists of two parts: voluntary and involuntary. By means of our voluntary nerves we move our muscles (hence our body) more or less as we wish. These nerves obey our direct command, so we call them voluntary. The involuntary nerves help our glands control the functioning of our organs—heart, lungs, bowels, and so on. Unlike the voluntary nerves, we have (with a few exceptions) no direct control over them—hence the term “involuntary.”

The involuntary nerves themselves consist of two divisions, sympathetic and parasympathetic. In a peaceful body these two hold each other in check. If we are emotional, however—afraid, angry, excited, agitated—the sympathetic usually dominates the parasympathetic, and we are aware of certain organs functioning: We may feel our heart race and pound, we may breathe quickly, our hands may sweat, and so on. Sympathetic nerves produce these reactions mainly by means of a chemical called adrenaline, which is released at the nerve endings in the organs concerned.

Normally when afraid, we accept our racing heart, rapid breathing, even the spasm of fear in our “middle,” because we know that when the cause of the fear goes, these reactions will also pass. Our feelings calm because we no longer think fearfully. Changing mood (attitude) is the only conscious control other than medication we have over our...