A coaching client of mine e-mailed me recently and asked an unusual question.  He wanted to know if the principles discussed in the film “The Secret” were applicable to curing anxiety. 

I thought about this question for while, and although it might sound unusual in some ways, I believe that the concept of The Law of Attraction, which is discussed in the film, is very applicable to dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. 

I also don’t believe it is a coincidence that I first hit upon techniques to cure anxiety after reading a the works of Spinoza, Wallace Wattles, Emerson, and other writers who held beliefs very similar (or in some cases exactly the same) to the Law of Attraction (although they did not use that exact term).  Here’s why I think using “The Secret” is extremely beneficial for people with anxiety or panic attack issues: 

The Secret, or the Law of Attraction, holds that whatever it you give your focus and attention to on a regular basis is what you are actually attracting into your life.  We can see many common-sense examples of this all around us, and it explains the old proverb, “the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer,” because people are getting in life exactly what they are focusing the majority of their attention upon. 

So how does this “secret” apply to anxiety?  Think about it; if you give your attention and focus to things related to stress, anxiety, fear and unhappiness, what are you attracting into your life?  That’s right — you are attracting more of these things that you are focusing your attention upon. 

This is also a philosophy known as “assumed responsibility,” and this way of looking at the world, while sometimes difficult to adjust to at first, can improve many areas of your life, including anxiety problems.  When I first began practicing the philosophy of “assumed responsibility,” the first hurdle I had to cross was to accept that I (and I alone) was responsible for my anxiety. 

Up until that point, I had been blaming my anxiety problems on a troubled childhood, family weirdness, or even bad genes.  In fact, I blamed everything and everyone except myself.   But by refusing to accept responsibility for my anxiety I remained in a “victim mentality,” where I felt powerless. 

The moment I began accepting responsibility for the anxiety, and even the vicious panic attacks, the situation began to improve.  And it only got better from there 

So in this sense, I absolutely believe that the Law of Attraction or “The Secret” is beneficial to those who want to overcome their anxiety and move on with their life.  Because just like the Law of Attraction, the secret to curing anxiety is accepting full responsibility for it, and never assuming that you are a victim of genetics, a poor childhood, bad luck or any other misfortune. 

You are not a victim. The secret is that your anxiety is something you create and something you can stop.

JM

Jon Mercer
Personal Development Coach
http://www.easycalm.com/
http://www.easycalm.com/social.htm
http://www.cafepress.com/socialskills.81169853
Managing Director, Youniverse LLC

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