*72/129/5*

AREN’T WE ALL CONCERNED WITH HOW WE LOOK? GETTING DOWN ON YOURSELF People with BDD tend to feel negatively about themselves as a person because of their appearance flaws. As item 3 on Table 11 shows, people with BDD report that the perceived appearance defect has a fairly big influence on how they judge themselves as a person in a nonphysical sense (for example, thinking that the appearance flaws make them uninteresting or undesirable). They also say that the appearance defect is important to how they judge themselves as a person in comparison to other personal characteristics such as their personality, intelligence, life values, and ability at work. However, people with BDD tend to believe that other people judge them only slightly negatively as a person because of their defect. So people with BDD seem to judge themselves more harshly and negatively as a person than they think other people do.It’s interesting that while the perceived appearance defect has a fairly strong influence on how people with BDD evaluate themselves as a person, Dr. Veale found that most people with BDD judge other people on the basis of many factors, rather than appearance. In a similar vein, Dr. Wilhelm found that when rating the attractiveness of photos, including their own, people with BDD underestimated their own attractiveness and overestimated the attractiveness of beautiful faces. Taken together, these findings suggest that people with BDD are harder on themselves than they are on others. This might be expected to fuel anxiety, depression, shame, and low self-esteem, which in turn may further amplify negative evaluation of oneself and appearance preoccupations.*218\204\8*

*No drugs at all—some people believe that the human body has a lot of inner resources and that drugs are unnatural and should not be used at all. Hence these people seek help purely from homeopaths, naturopaths, osteopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and so on.

*Drugs are the only cure—these people place extreme faith on modern medicine and drugs. Drugs will treat and cure every complaint from a sore toe to insomnia. They insist on using antibiotics for each and every cold.

*Drugs can be used appropriately—these people believe that there is a place for drugs, but that there are strict indications for the use of drugs.

Drugs should be used in appropriate situations and can be very effective. Without modern medicine, a lot of us would be dead already. Before penicillin was discovered by Fleming in 1928, people died helplessly from simple colds which turned into pneumonia. Unfortunately, even today, there are still people who believe that our bodies should fight pneumonia without drugs. Modern medicine has a definite place in making our lives much more comfortable, but it must be used wisely and appropriately. This applies to the management of insomnia.

*64\174\4*

I really believe that if you suffer from asthma, you cannot afford not to take treatment by the relaxing mental exercises. But remember: Do not expect too much too quickly, and remember the course of improvement is at first subject to ups and downs. But in all probability you will soon find that the attacks become less severe and less frequent.

It is important to practise the relaxing mental exercises conscientiously in the periods between the attacks when your breathing is relatively free and easy. Do not wait until you get an attack to do the exercises. It is then often difficult to attain the relaxation and regression. The greatest benefit comes from doing the exercises when you are free of asthma.

Possible future attacks are warded off and reduced in severity. If you should suffer an attack after starting the exercises, do not be discouraged by this. The relief of the asthma is usually a gradual process rather than an abrupt cessation of symptoms.

The relaxing mental exercises are effective in two ways. Asthma is usually associated with nervous tension. In fact, it is largely a psychosomatic expression of anxiety in a person who is predisposed to show symptoms in his chest on account of his inherent allergic condition. The exercises reduce the level of anxiety, and reduce the tendency to overreact to stress. We can also use the exercises in a more direct way. As we do them, we let the idea of ease come to our mind—ease of our body, ease of our breathing.

Relaxed.

All my muscles relaxed.

Feel the relaxation and the ease.

The ease of it all through me.

The ease of it in my face, in my mind, in my breathing.

Ease in my breathing.

Breathing easily.

When starting the exercises, it is wise to continue with your usual medication. Only reduce your medication when you have got into the way of doing the exercises easily and effectively. Then reduce it slowly. This is best done in co-operation with your local doctor.

A fifteen-year-old schoolgirl had suffered from severe asthma for most of her life. Any effort seemed to produce an attack. She had to be driven to and from school although it was within easy walking distance of her home. Even the effort of carrying her schoolbag of books would be too much for her. After starting the relaxing exercises she had quite a severe attack of asthma, and I concluded that I had been little help to her. However, her mother called at my office some eighteen months later, just to let me know that the girl had continued to do the exercises, and was dramatically improved since her visits to me.

A twelve-year-old schoolboy was becoming dwarfed by the continual use of cortisone to control his asthma. He was very sensitive about this, and also about the obesity and changed expression of his face which the drug had induced. The exercises made it possible for him to discontinue the cortisone. He resumed growing, lost most of his fat and the moonlike expression of his face; and his occasional attacks are now quite easily controlled by orthodox medication.

*87\57\2*