Jump to content

Dr Claire Weekes


Recommended Posts

A pioneer when it came to anxiety conditions and a lot of the conditions anxiety sufferers didn't have the names we are familiar with like OCD etc. and she deliberately avoided using the term "nervous breakdown".

One quote from one of her books was something along the lines of "an untreated sufferer is like a rudderless boat on a turbulent sea". I get that completely.

Her books are still available (perhaps slightly outdated) but resonate with me - despite titles such as Self Help For Your Nerves, Peace From Nervous Suffering and others - she was definitely ahead of her time when it came to panic attacks, anxiety conditions and depression.

All the best, Phil.

 

 

Link to comment

I have one of her books and it helped me so much when I was having more nervous symptoms from chronic fatigue syndrome. Very reassuring in the face of panic attacks (which I got from physically overdoing things/not enough sleep) and not eliciting second fear. What she writes helps to stop the cycle of panic and nervous symptoms. Maybe not as useful for OCD but I think good for physical anxiety symptoms. 

Link to comment

Well from my knowledge she was in many ways an early pioneer of CBT as she didn't concentrate on childhood experiences but what she referred to as "fear-avoidance".

Anyway I still think her books have something to even if they are quite old-fashioned.

Link to comment
15 hours ago, PolarBear said:

Take her teachings with a grain of salt.

It isn't often I disagree with you PB but on this one I do.  Very old-fashioned in their style of writing but very helpful books for anxiety sufferers.  They probably helped me in practical terms more than any other.

Should point out that they're not specifically written to deal with OCD (although they briefly touch on it) but deal with the whole anxiety syndrome of which OCD is part

Link to comment

Just to clarify I wasn't suggesting her books were specifically about OCD (as Caramoole enforced) but some damned good views about anxiety disorders and depression before there was more literature available. Also a very coherent writer whose books helped me "back in the day".

I'm not endorsing her books which are still available but they certainly helped me 20+ years ago.

Edited by PhilM
Link to comment

I should backtrack a bit. I suggested taking her writing with a grain of salt only in the context of helping someone with OCD. And that, based solely on the negative experience several people here had when they fixated on Weekes' words about how to recover from OCD, which were written before CBT came about. It may well be that Weekes' work is spot on for anxiety and depression and doesn't even go into detail about OCD. I'm really not sure.

Perhaps I am jaded before making an informed decision. I'll have to check out one or two of her books over the holidays and draw a sensible conclusion. Any thoughts on titles?

Link to comment

I think one of the most important things with the books is helping sufferers of anxiety (of which OCD  is a part of) is identifying the extent of symptoms that can occur and helps them understand these in a way that helps them to understand that these are normal "anxiety-wise" and that they aren't actually mad.  She also encourages sufferers to face their fears, not to engage with the doubts, created from fear....and in your words "get on with their day", carry on as normal, without adding (what she refers to) second-fear, fears that are sustained by faulty thinking, rumination etc.

My own thoughts about OCD have changed vastly over the decades (and I must stress, this is personal opinion/experience only).  I think the initial "intrusive thought" is part of the normal fight or flight process.....part of the protective mechanism.....the "What if I lost control/didn't take notice of (whatever that may be)?"......and having being so shocked/frightened/taken aback by that thought, we then use compulsions to try and control it.  I think most subsequent "intrusive thoughts" aren't as random or automatically-generated as we believe.....I think they are a result of the attention, rumination we put upon/have about them....and that's what sustains and maintains them.  Attention upon, avoidance, rumination.  She's very much, know the cause of the distress, face your fears and get on with your life.  Not a bad approach in my book.  I hate this whole "It's out to get me" model, as though OCD is some sort of Gremlin, an actual "thing" that we have to fight......the fight is a psychological one with our own Psyche by changing how we react to our fearful thoughts.

Weeks tries to explain what we may experience, why and what we should do to move forward....albeit in an old-fashioned way!

Link to comment
7 minutes ago, Caramoole said:

I think the initial "intrusive thought" is part of the normal fight or flight process.....part of the protective mechanism.....the "What if I lost control/didn't take notice of (whatever that may be)?"......and having being so shocked/frightened/taken aback by that thought, we then use compulsions to try and control it.

This idea is supported by Professor Randomsky's research paper published last month. In essence, OCD-like symptoms (checking) can be induced in non-OCD sufferers just by suggesting a loss of control.

The conclusion of the study is that fear of losing control plays a large part in developing and maintaining OCD.  

Link to comment
Just now, snowbear said:

The conclusion of the study is that fear of losing control plays a large part in developing and maintaining OCD.  

I really believe it does.  I also believe that we react similarly to physical anxiety symptoms and "react" in response to those sensations.

Years ago, it came as a relief, reassurance that "this thing" had a name, that it wasn't my fault (and of course it isn't) BUT......I believe that we perhaps over-complicate what's going on, see it as an "illness" that we're stuck with.....as time goes on, I think it's possibly much simpler.......psychological reaction causing and maintaining  fear and extreme anxiety symptoms.  That in itself, to me, is good news!

Link to comment
36 minutes ago, Caramoole said:

I believe that we perhaps over-complicate what's going on, see it as an "illness" that we're stuck with.....as time goes on, I think it's possibly much simpler.......psychological reaction causing and maintaining  fear and extreme anxiety symptoms.  That in itself, to me, is good news!

I've also come to believe (like you, a personal opinion) that OCD isn't an ''illness'' at all. I now think of it simply as the adoption of distorted thinking patterns and habitual behavioural responses - both of which are things we can change through learning and practise. 

...psychological reaction /adopting a distorted thinking pattern - very similar ideas

...maintaining anxiety/ habitual behavioural responses - again an easy parallel to draw. 

We think alike, Caramoole! And like you, I see this simplification of what OCD is and how it comes about as good news for recovery. 

I could give a long-winded and detailed explanation of how genetics, anatomical differences, chemical differences etc - all the things people claim make OCD an illness and quote as evidence of 'something physical going on' - are easily explained by the changes in thinking patterns and behaviours, but I'll keep it for another thread and another day. :) 

 

Link to comment

Oh I agree with you both.

I don't really look at OCD as an illness but it is a condition. It's a condition we put ourselves In, completely unaware in the beginning, that feathers and takes root because we do the wrong things.

I like the concept that it's all about loss of control. I'll have to 'ruminate on that for a few days.

Link to comment
10 hours ago, snowbear said:

The conclusion of the study is that fear of losing control plays a large part in developing and maintaining OCD.  

I totally agree with this comment.

Link to comment

I'm briefly familiar with her work and I'd also like to check out some of her books over Christmas to see what I think of them.

What book of hers would you recommend as the "go-to" book for anxiety sufferers?

Link to comment

I agree with Caramoole about seeing OCD as a ‘thing’ and all the associated metaphors. But metaphors in the early stages of a realisation that you have a condition can be useful and reassuring in the sense that it is a recognisable condition and treatable. But explanations of a person’s proneness to the condition is a wide open subject of debate.

Edited by Angst
Link to comment

Lynz the two books I mentioned in my initial post are good and still in print.

Although a bit old-fashioned I think a lot of what she wrote about anxiety in general is still relevant.

Best wishes, Phil.

Link to comment
1 hour ago, PhilM said:

Lynz the two books I mentioned in my initial post are good and still in print.

Although a bit old-fashioned I think a lot of what she wrote about anxiety in general is still relevant.

Best wishes, Phil.

Thanks Phil I'll check them out.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...