Relieve Stress With this Ancient Secret: A Psychiatrist Shows You How

Olga was having trouble lying still on the cart. The nurse was trying to take her vital signs, but Olga was so panicked that she couldn't stand having anyone touch her, especially someone she didn't know. She did let her sister hold her hand and rub her arm, but that was all she could tolerate, and it didn't help much. Her sister had taken her to the emergency room at the Veterans Administration hospital after she had called, and scolded her for not calling sooner. Olga had panic attacks often, sometimes daily, but this was one of the worst. She feared she was having a heart attack or dying, or both. The doctor came quickly, at the insistence of the nurse. He noted that Olga had been seen earlier that day in the mental health clinic but was not given any medications. He gave her intravenous medication to calm her down, which made her sleepy. He sent her home with a bottle of tablets, which she never took. I was the psychiatrist she had seen earlier that day, and I was forbidden to help her. And it is partly because of Olga that you have this book. Sadly, this is a true story, although the veteran's name is not Olga and I have changed some of the details. I was working in the clinic Olga visited, which treated veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. I had been teaching other veterans the Ancient Secret that I discuss in this book. Many of the veterans had very good results and were encouraging their friends and colleagues to use it also. They invited me to their therapy groups and classes to teach the technique to others. But the supervisor ordered me to stop and banned the technique from being used in the clinic. Olga had tried taking medication in the past, but she found it too sedating and refused to try it again. She was working, though only with great effort on her part, and was afraid she would lose her job if she was too drowsy. She had been offered psychotherapy but had difficulty getting off work to make it to her appointments. However, her symptoms were so severe that she could not benefit from any of the few therapy techniques the VA promotes. There was little I could do. I could have shown her the Ancient Secret despite the fact that I was forbidden to do so. In the end, I decided to obey the command and not teach it to her. But I will not be silent. I am writing this book for Olga and the other Olgas out there. I don't want this technique to be a secret any more.