| DISCLAIMER. This site is not intended as a replacement for appropriate medical or health care. My role is not to recommend anyone come off medication or follow a particular course of treatment. In this regard I believe we must each make our own decisions, informed by our own wisdom, our individual needs and circumstances, and based on reliable and appropriate information, ideally in consultation with a knowledgeable health professional. |
Coming off Benzoes:What Helps, What Hinders.
Introduction
Please remember, it is dangerous to stop these drugs abruptly. The withdrawal should be done very gradually, with appropriate support and information.
Countless individuals of all ages, shapes and sizes have successfully withdrawn from benzodiazepine tranquillisers and sleeping pills after a period of prolonged use. The majority recover well even though the withdrawal can sometimes be difficult. In fact many have described their recovery from benzo use as an amazing rebirth, as the best thing they’ve ever done in their lives.
However it must be said that in a minority of cases the withdrawal and recovery can be particularly challenging, painful and complicated and, as I’ve mentioned above, a small number of benzo patients find themselves enduring a prolonged post-withdrawal illness, the legacy of which may be certain lingering symptoms, usually minor, which never quite resolve. (This is a grey area which requires further research.)
As a result of the efforts of ex-benzo patients, and the work of health professionals who have assisted them, there is now a rich body of useful information available to help people wishing to come off these drugs. Unfortunately many conventional health services are still relatively ignorant of the problems and needs of those recovering from benzo use but valuable information can be found on websites, in print publications, through support groups, certain health services and individuals. You may need to hunt about, and carefully sort the wheat from the chaff, but there is help available.
Keys to benzo recovery: information, support, self-care.
Accurate information is invaluable, particularly since the benzo illness can sometimes be a strange and confusing condition (See Trouble with Benzoes). If your circumstances limit your ability to gather information regarding the benzo illness, the withdrawal syndrome, and what does and doesn’t help in recovery, ask a friend, family member or health worker to do some research on your behalf. If you are well informed, you will be less confused and will make better decisions.
Gather support around you, preferably a combination of kind, compassionate emotional and spiritual support as well as wise, well-informed health support.
Most people coming off benzoes benefit from talking with someone about their experiences whether that be a friend, family member, counsellor, doctor, telephone counsellor etc. Some towns have benzo recovery support groups and there are internet-based support groups.
Benzo illness and recovery can sometimes be difficult for on-lookers to understand; if possible have a friend or support person read some of the books, web-sites or articles about benzo recovery so they can get a better idea of what you are going through.
Although doctors and health workers are sometimes poorly informed about benzo illness and recovery, many of us desire their help. If you cannot find a medico or health-worker who is benzo-informed, look for someone who is open minded and happy to read about benzo recovery so that they may better assist you . Down-load information from the web and give it to your doctor or health workers, or offer them Shirley Trickett’s book or Professor Heather Ashton’s withdrawal protocol .
The recovery process can sometimes be erratic and slow. When this is the case the path will be smoother if you can learn patience and acceptance of the erratic nature of the process. There is no magic wand which fixes benzo illness, the biggest healer is time. Some people in recovery make adjustments to their work, social and family schedule for a while.
Benzo withdrawal and recovery invites us to listen carefully to our bodies, to become sensitive to their rhythms, limitations and needs. If you can learn to respect those needs, particularly during difficult times, you may reap amazing benefits. Where possible try not to overdo things or push yourself too hard.
Also beware of overdoing, or becoming obsessive about recovery techniques in the hope that the more you do, or take, the quicker you will recover - it doesn't work that way and such an approach can be detrimental.
Further Thoughts about What Helps and What Doesn’t : for those experiencing a difficult withdrawal/recovery.
(The following piece was originally written some years ago for health professionals and those assisting benzo patients through a more difficult withdrawal and recovery process. Much of the material here may have little relevance for those who come off benzoes relatively easily with only minor symptoms. However if you are having a hard time of it or are assisting someone who is struggling, what follows may give you some insight into what’s going on and what may be useful.)
Shirley Trickett and Dr. Bernard Green
Recovery can sometimes be a tricky business. The individual and erratic nature of the illness means that recovery strategies aren't always straight-forward.
There has been a serious lack of awareness amongst health workers and the community in general as to what assists people through the benzo withdrawal, and what hinders them.
Well meaning doctors and health workers have often recommended treatments which at best make no difference and at worst exacerbate the problem.
For instance it has been popular to recommend exercise and relaxation therapy to all withdrawees. Although both these things can be highly beneficial, some have reported that formal relaxation techniques have aggravated their anxiety and experience has shown that anything more than the most gentle exercise can be profoundly exhausting and debilitating for certain benzo patients. Unusual treatment responses are commonplace with this illness.
Those who have been through the recovery process, and open-minded health-workers in the field, have worked out, often by trial and error, what does and don’t help. These are the people I have learnt from in my work.
The inability to remain focussed and centred is a common feature of a difficult withdrawal, consequently there can be difficulty in sticking to an ongoing treatment. Body and mind may be confused and distracted with pain, the mind changes frequently and sudden enthusiasms, fears and doubts may intervene. Depression and lethargy might mutter;” Why bother?"
Memory may be appalling and the mindstream in withdrawal may wander all over the place. One may not remember what one was intending to do five minutes ago, and if one does remember, the intended plan may suddenly seem stupid or irrelevant, only to seem like true wisdom five minutes after that.
So despite good intentions, many find it difficult to carry through with a treatment - but people do what they can. One woman going through a particularly tough withdrawal commented that it took her 12 months before she was stable enough to establish any kind of regular routine of treatments.
I tend to think that gentle support from others, reminders and reassurance as well as practical assistance (i.e. helping someone into the car, making the appointment for them, going with them to the naturopath or whatever) probably helps the sick one be more consistent. The carer's role can be demanding, however I believe it will be greatly appreciated if the carer can be encouraging and gently motivating without being pushy or over-riding the patient's legitimate preferences. And the benzo patient’s preferences, due to the nature of the benzo illness, may necessarily be quirky and changeable.
Comforts, different from treatments, are most important. Particularly since most treatments take effect gradually and there is not much we know of at this stage which provides immediate relief from the symptoms of a difficult benzo withdrawal illness.
Bev who worked on the phones at Tranx (Australia), (now known as 'Reconnexion'), used to say; "Put a flower on your window sill, let it help you through the difficult times." It may sound silly, but sillier things have provided great solace.
I had a post-card of four small children standing in a miniature model Tudor village; the roofs of the houses barely reaching their knees. They were surrounded by the leafy oaks and Moreton-Bay figs of the graceful Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne. I would gaze into this photograph finding great comfort in its image of greenery, peace, innocence and playfulness.
Another chap told me how much music came to mean to him during withdrawal. His taste, sight and smell were all confused by the illness but his hearing was O.K. Quiet, gentle music could float into his ears and soothe his whole body. In the loneliness of the night, easy listening radio also helps many who are unwell or unhappy.
For some it is a long, lonely, exhausting illness before the pleasure of wellness starts creeping in. Small personal comforts can provide needed warmth, nurturance and oddly, a sort of 'company', along the way. As carers I believe it's useful to encourage the sick one to value the small comforts which they may consider incidental, because these can be a great support.
Information about the pill effects and withdrawal process is vital to most sufferers. Many feel they have been deceived or neglected by doctors and are on the lookout for this. They seek information they can rely on, particularly since many are frightened and insecure.
Workers in the field have occasionally argued that telling a client of the possible unpleasantness, pain and occasionally lengthy duration of benzo withdrawal will only frighten that person, encourage her to imagine symptoms and perhaps deter her from attempting to withdraw. Perhaps that is sometimes true, but the majority of those I have spoken with wanted the truth.
While it is only a minority of patients who will experience a severe withdrawal illness, my experience over the years has led me to believe we should be up front with people about this possibility: I've seen those who were told they'd have few symptoms, or that the symptoms would only last a couple of weeks, grow bewildered and angry when still seriously ill months later. If you know what the possibilities are, you are less confused and you can prepare yourself. And you can rejoice when the worst doesn’t happen.
Under normal circumstances we humans tend to reassure ourselves during difficult times by drawing on common sense and previous life lessons as well as reflecting on and learning from the difficult experiences we are currently enduring.
But during a difficult benzo withdrawal high anxiety and mental confusion sometimes put a spanner in the works.
In compensation, many sufferers look to the people around them for frequent and repetitive reassurances. Such reassurance is important but can be difficult for family and carers. The same questions and concerns (eg. "Are you sure this blurry vision is a withdrawal symptom? What if it's a brain tumour?) might be expressed over and over again.
As a carer, don't expect your reassurances to be believed or to make a discernable difference to the patient's levels of fear or anxiety. Simply be aware of the need to continue offering such support, and trust that over the weeks and months the patient's need for it will naturally subside.
"Gloria she's all the time upset, worrying, worrying. We got the phone bill and it is so expensive. She rings doctors, hospitals, Tranx, all the time to get them to tell her she's going to be alright. I tell her 'Gloria you won't die, it's just withdrawal from the Xanax.' But she's still gotta ring them all every day and get them to tell her too. Why can't she just believe me, these phone bills are too much!" Gloria's mother.
When experiencing a dark and miserable experience it is also simply helpful when another reminds you that your world won't always be bleak, that people coming off benzos have a very high success rate, that others have suffered equally or moreso and have eventually returned to a healthy, happy life.
When symptoms are particularly bad and constant, the sufferer is usually working overtime trying to reassure herself in order to allay her fears. It is such a relief when someone else takes over for a while and perhaps offers a fresh perspective, a new solution to a problem, or simply the warmth of caring.
It seems that months or years of benzodiazepine use can cause a backlog of uncompleted emotional processing in the patient. In some cases, when the pills are withdrawn, the processing begins at 100 miles per hour and in no apparent order. Withdrawees sometimes need to talk and talk, on and on and on like a motor, completely self-focussed, symptom focussed, as they attempt to cope with the busy activity in their bodies and minds. They will go over and over the same story, the same memory, the same regret, the same symptom, the same worry, as though releasing a charge. This can be exhausting and annoying for the listener but I believe such release can be very healing if allowed to run its course. As the withdrawal illness resolves, this symptom will resolve. If not, there may be another condition which needs addressing.
Considering what has been said above, and the tendency to agoraphobia and exhaustion, it's not surprising that telephone counselling services have been amongst the most valued supports. It is not unusual for folk all over Australia to make regular, expensive long distance calls to Tranx (now known as 'Reconnexion') in Melbourne.
At Tranx the counsellors usually have a good knowledge of benzo withdrawal, but a phone-counselling service needn't be benzo-specific to be helpful. Counsellors on more general services occasionally offer unhelpful assistance based on misinformation, but this changes as the community becomes more aware of the problems particular to benzo use. Some face to face counselling and medical services will offer telephone sessions if asked.
Telephone support answers many of the needs of this illness and may be sought more frequently than face-to-face counselling. Carers will sometimes be more use over the phone than in person.
Telephone support provides an opportunity to talk and to be physically comfortable and not physically self-conscious whilst talking. There's no need to leave the house, and if symptoms suddenly becomes overwhelming you can simply hang up; there's no worry about excusing yourself from a group meeting or a counselling session and then having to make your way home.
The phone provides anonymity and therefore can foster more immediate honesty and openness, less fear of embarrassment. It is inexpensive and is a service which can be used as often as necessary (provided the line's not too busy.) It can provide access to immediate reassurance when things are bad, and information about symptoms and symptom relief. Such a service also offers the opportunity to discuss issues which might arise during the changes and healing of recovery.
"Overall, it was one of the best therapies. There were different counsellors at different times and so I could get a range of information and support and I could repeat myself. Sometimes when I was ringing day after day, or three times a day when it was really bad, counsellors might try to get rid of me or push for me to get a face-to-face counsellor rather than use the telephone, but I kept ringing. Somehow I knew what I needed was this virtually anonymous talk with a range of different people." Martin.
At times counsellors at Tranx (now known as 'Reconnexion') have put one client in touch with another by phone, and these people, who have never physically met, have established supportive relationships and sometimes deep friendships. Others exchange phone numbers at support group meetings.
Although problematic, support groups are a very worthwhile service to provide. If you are ever able to initiate one, please do.
Many ex-benzo patients say that the best reassurance generally comes from other sufferers. They are the ones who really know the illness, it's nuances and oddities, and their descriptions and suggestions can be trusted in a way that the best efforts of the best health-workers will seldom imitate. (Having said that, some group members may, understandably, lack objectivity or may offer erroneous information and unhelpful treatment recommendations so we need to exercise caution and common sense.)
Meeting with others who are at various stages of illness/recovery provides a healthy overview of the process. In the misery of early withdrawal it can easily seem that future wellness or even improvement is impossible.
Some however find it discouraging seeing another who is months or years off pills and still sick. When facilitating groups I find myself saying constantly; "Some of you will have little or no trouble coming off pills, you may never be one of the very sick ones." It's important to provide that positive reminder.
At this stage, medical research indicates that the very sick ones are a small minority. I believe it's important and healing to be reminded of positive outcomes.
Some benzo withdrawees are unable to tolerate groups, finding them overwhelming. This was one of the differences noticed in Drug and Alcohol Detox Centres in the early days. Those coming off other drugs worked well in group meetings whilst benzo withdrawees clung to the walls or escaped. Such folk may still find it useful to attend the occasional meeting. Others love the groups. Meetings become their major form of treatment and support.
A quiet warm room where people needn't be on top of each other is the ideal setting. Comfortable chairs and soft lighting, no music or overt sensory stimulations. A nearby toilet is a blessing.
As carers it is good to be generally aware of the discomfort and real pain which can be caused by a harsh physical environment.
A counsellor may simply sit and listen, or she may assist a client to uncover patterns, problems and solutions. If the counsellor has been through benzo withdrawal, all the better.
There is some controversy about the appropriateness of certain types of counselling and psychotherapy in withdrawal. Listening, reassurance and practical information are certainly needed, more probing therapy is questionable.
For over ten years, Joy Burrell counselled women coming off tranquillisers and sleeping pills at the Louisa Lawson Women’s' Therapy Centre in Sydney, Australia.
She observes that women are usually prescribed benzos in response to a crisis, and under such circumstances it is likely that many feelings are suppressed by the drug. Months or years later when a woman tries to stop taking the drug, those feelings are likely to emerge along with withdrawal symptoms.
This can be frightening, particularly if the user has not been pre-warned or has inadequate support. Under such circumstances many have returned to taking the pills. Joy adds that a tranquilliser can also become an habitual way of escaping from any difficult situation or uncomfortable feeling.
Joy's approach to working with women in recovery is to place emphasis on exploring and expressing, not only the feelings and responses which have been suppressed by the use of the pills, but also those which a woman has learnt to suppress in other ways in the belief that they were inappropriate, anti-social, or too painful to endure. Joy believes this exploration and expression leads to healing.
However, amongst those who've been through the withdrawal there is some concern about the potential dangers of exploring the past at a time when the body and mind are confused, often exceptionally fragile and vulnerable.
It has been suggested that it is somewhat irrelevant to be focussing on an exploration of the past when the body is in such immediate pain. Sufferers usually need to talk about their current symptoms and current fears. Material from the past will naturally bubble to the surface to be expressed, but therapy which seeks to unearth such material before time may add to the problems of an already over-stimulated and overwhelmed client.
The benzodiazepines have left a trail of physical damage which has an effect on the body, but which also alters and confuses the emotions and thought processes. This disturbance of the emotions and thinking looks to a benzo-ignorant therapist, and feels to the sufferer, just like the symptoms of unresolved psychological issues as they might appear in a normal psychotherapy client; profound depression, buckets of tears, sky-high anxiety, catastrophic and paranoid thinking, prevalent fear.
The difference is that the chaotic emotions and thought patterns which are true withdrawal symptoms, settle down of their own accord without psychological probing. Their cause apparently isn't in the past.
It's more like crying in pain or raging in anger when you break an arm; as the arm heals so do the painful emotions.
Mistaking these non-physical and self-repairing symptoms for evidence of deeper emotional problems is easy to do, and of no help. Time and again those recuperating have complained of the distress caused them by inappropriate therapeutic probings.
There often are deeper emotional issues requiring work and they too certainly throw up their symptoms when you come off pills, but early on it would take a wizard to know which was which. However things become clearer as the recovery progresses and withdrawal symptoms start to subside.
I would suggest that therapists or counsellors using Joy Burrells more exploratory approach during those early months of recovery need to proceed with great care and must have a particularly sophisticated knowledge of benzo withdrawal
Pam Armstrong from the Counsel for Involuntary Tranquilliser Addiction (C.I.T.A) in England offers a useful perspective.
She suggests that cognition is enormously impaired by the use of these medicines, therefore therapy which involves anything beyond the most superficial thinking is virtually ineffective. Only when withdrawal is completed can work on thought processes begin.
Benzos effect memory, this factor coupled with lack of concentration are the main reasons why thought processes are so greatly impaired. In Pam Armstrong's opinion, thinking at a higher level is often precluded to a great extent. "We have found it cruel and wasteful of resources to attempt to use psychotherapy or counselling for those who are still taking benzos or who have been long term. Clients will almost certainly vote with their feet and not attend for appointments if they are required to use skills which they, at least temporarily, cannot call upon or are encouraged to work through issues which seem irrelevant. Rather, we believe very directive measures are called upon - such as help in planning out ways to carry out decisions - with a great deal of support from family, friends and health-care workers."
As the user emerges from under the shadow of the benzoes there will be a moment when the mind begins to open out - Pam Armstrong describes it as a process of rebirth, refinding themselves, re-establishing personality.
It is a gift for a worker to assist people through this process, the naivety is astonishing and the learning is beautiful to watch. When the cloud lifts, anxiety management skills which involve careful learning and application (which C.I.T.A., and many who've recovered, regard as fruitless before this point,) can productively be taught, and psychotherapy may then be of use depending on the client's needs. "Whatever the therapy I believe the therapist needs to fully understand what has gone on and what benzoes do to human beings before embarking on a course of recovery with a client."
Shirley Trickett and Dr. Bernard Green
In the early 1980's, psychologist Dr Bernard Green in New York, and nurse Shirley Tricket in England, both wrote books to assist those in recovery from benzos. In their pioneering work they had arrived at similar conclusions as to what helps sufferers when conventional medicine provides little other than alternative pills. Bernard Green’s book is no longer available but Shirley Trickett’s many books are available over the web.
Diet, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, visualisations, exercise, fresh air, massage, detoxification. These tools are all simple commonsense, and easily scoffed at or dismissed as a waste of time because, unlike a pill, they might not provide quick symptomatic relief from discomfort. But with constant application over weeks and months, it is these very simple things which can speed up the return of good health. Don't underestimate their power! (But remember it is a matter of trial and error: certain of these tools may be counter-productive for some in benzo recovery).
Many who have recovered continue using these new skills and practices to enhance their daily lives. Such tools also provide alternate ways of dealing with difficulties which might previously have been addressed by taking a tablet.
Bernard Green emphasises the need for plenty of fresh air and sunlight. Both are health giving, soothing and relaxing. If you find direct sunlight too much for you, as is sometimes the case in benzo illness, you could try sitting by a sunny window or under a tree which is filtering the light.
If you should come across a copy of Bernard Green's book
'Goodbye Blues' you will notice that he
recommends a particular list of nutritional supplements for benzo recovery. I
cannot endorse this part of his program since I have heard some concerns raised
about it over the years. If you were interested in using his supplements I would
suggest checking them with an appropriate and benzo-experienced health
professional.
"I ate mainly fresh organic food, whole grains, and clean water. It seemed logical to eat unadulterated food during a time when my focus was on detoxifying my body and rebuilding my health." Martin.
It is not unusual to develop an aversion to foods which were previously enjoyed. Some find meat hard to tolerate. Spicy foods, alcohol and caffeine drinks can lose their appeal.
Health workers sometimes suggest going easy on alcohol, tea and coffee altogether until you are feeling strong and well again.
Alcohol can cause agitation and depression, and many have found just one small glass of wine exacerbates withdrawal symptoms, leaving them feeling more than seedy for quite some time afterwards. Is it worth it?
Tea and coffee are stimulating and since the withdrawing body is already overstimulated and hypersensitive you might like to reconsider your use of these beverages.
The craving for sugary foods such as cakes and desserts can be very powerful when you come off pills. It's been suggested that the body craves what it needs, but I have not been the only one who regularly experienced an unpleasant drop in mood, and a feeling of illness and weariness after eating sugary foods.
Blood sugar levels seem to play up, being responsible for many nasty symptoms; withdrawees commonly experience a slump in mood and energy if they go for very long without food. Some have carried bags of nuts to munch on when they start feeling weak, vague or panicky a couple of hours after a meal.
Employing a hypoglaecemic (low blood sugar syndrome) maintenance diet has helped alleviate symptoms in some cases. Shirley Trickett's books, and others, provide the details.
I wanted very simple foods for the first couple of years off pills. No spices or elaborate dishes. Occasionally I would eat only fruit for a day, this may be inadvisable for some, but it seemed to lift my energy levels; I'd feel better and my eyes would get very clear. I had read that fruit was an important detoxifier and I was conscious of wanting to get all the drug residue out of my body.
A naturopath recommended I avoid tea, coffee, mushrooms, onions and garlic as they all stimulate the central nervous system. He suggested I add some cucumber, yoghurt and oats to my diet - all pacifying foods. Be very wary of overdoing any dietary adjustment - in their determination to become well, some in withdrawal have got into trouble with fad diets and obsessive eating habits. Everything in moderation. And remember, what works for one person may not be right for everyone in benzo recovery.
Some time off pills the Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner I consulted told me that meat was the very thing my body needed. So I reluctantly started on the meat and found I loved the taste of it. Almost immediately I felt a positive improvement in energy levels. But for the first couple of years off pills I wasn’t drawn to eat meat much at all.
At about two and a half years off, inspired by Shirley Trickett's teachings, I went on an anti-candida diet for a time. It was a great help.
When it comes to diet, we each find our own way to go but generally speaking fresh, healthy, varied foodstuffs will stand us in good stead - be wise and moderate.
.In attempting to get well it's possible to become overly concerned about what we eat. Discipline is important if you're following a healing diet for a time, and for a while you may want to prepare most of your own meals. Eventually though, becoming too fastidious about what you will and won't eat, and about how food ought be prepared, can exclude you from relaxed social gatherings at restaurants, or from sharing meals in the homes of friends who are not as particular as you. It's important to remember that although food is what nourishes the body, sharing food has many important social, emotional and therefore physical benefits.
Many encounter bowel problems in withdrawal which sometimes persist for months or years if unchecked. Bloating, abdominal pain, excessive wind, loss of appetite, constipation, diarrhoea or both, discomfort after eating.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is often diagnosed, as is candida (a fungal overgrowth). Shirley Trickett's book "Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Diverticulosis" provides simple explanations for the sick state of the bowel, and useful techniques (dietary and otherwise) to assist in rectifying the problem. There are also other books on the market which address these issues. Choose wisely.
As I've said earlier, it doesn't agree with some. As they relax they become more anxious and panicky. One may feel very vulnerable and unprotected in withdrawal. Consequently, letting down one's defences in deep relaxation might be the last thing you want to do; it may leave you feeling too exposed and unsafe. (If this is the case you might try coming back to the technique every now and then to see if your reaction has changed.)
However for others who have used pills to artificially relax themselves for years (allowing the body's natural relaxation mechanisms to rust over) spending 10 or 20 minutes, twice a day, systematically relaxing the muscles of the body can help it relearn and recharge. This can ease withdrawal symptoms, many of which are worsened by tense and tight muscles.
Regular relaxation practice has a cumulative effect, you get better and better at being naturally relaxed and calm throughout each day.
It is possible to learn a technique from a self-help book or health worker or you may choose from the many relaxation methods available on CD and cassette recordings. The methods are various, some are very elaborate and fanciful, I would suggest choosing something fairly straightforward.
Shirley Trickett warns against the popular method of progressive bodily relaxation whereby each muscle group is first clenched or contracted before it is relaxed. In withdrawal the muscles are often affected in such a way that the contraction required by this method produces severe muscle spasm.
I found it a great benefit to spend a period of time each day imagining and visualising myself well and happy, doing and enjoying the things I love.
Imagine yourself strolling through beautiful green gardens in your perfect weather, delighting at the birdlife and the colours of the flowers, hearing the stream rolling over the rocks, imagine your body completely at ease, light and agile.
Imagine yourself sitting comfortably with friends in your favourite cafe, smiling, chatting and enjoying company without anxiety.
During a bad withdrawal if every bit of you feels lousy you might simply want to visualise your body as a whole without pain briefly reminding your body and mind of the possibility of recovery.
Don’t go overboard with visualisations, everything in moderation.
There are many types of visualisation techniques, the more florid and complex would be unsuitable in benzo recovery. Choose something simple and straightforward which is unlikely to be unsettling Some have been designed to lead you into deep relaxation. Relaxation techniques and visualisations are often used together. Many bookshops stock books or tapes designed to assist you with these techniques.
Meditation techniques like Transcendental Meditation or those which come from Buddhism or the contemplative tradition of the Christian churches, are quite different from relaxation therapy.
Relaxation is a more physical process and is regarded as the basis from which you might proceed to Meditation. Depending on your viewpoint and the particular technique used, meditation might be about familiarising yourself with your mind, or with ultimate reality, or it may be about becoming more aware of the presence of God. Different traditions have a range of specific meditation techniques designed to produce more particular results.
Generally though, through meditative awareness, a process of inner transformation can begin, easing suffering and fostering well-being. It is very important to have a good teacher, as meditation can be misunderstood and misused - some techniques are immensely powerful and entirely inappropriate for those recovering from benzo use.
Approached wisely, with an eye to not overdoing it, meditation has been a powerful healer for some.
I began meditating at eight months off pills when I was still very sick; living with extreme anxiety, exhaustion, and minimal stamina amongst other things. After the first session I felt profoundly relaxed and calm, particularly noticing the relief of tension in my neck and shoulders. I remember this meditation practice as one of the turning points in my recovery; It provided a time of day when there was always some relief from symptoms and as the weeks went on, the positive feelings I experienced during my sessions began to filter into the rest of my day.
Try it out for yourself and see what you think. It may not be for everyone and, once again, everything in moderation.
Massage and touch are very important.
Unfortunately some counsellors and health workers feel they ought not touch clients. This is a great pity. I recall discussing the profound benefits of massage with the co-ordinator of a benzo recovery unit situated in an Australian hospital. A kind and knowledgeable woman, nevertheless she told me; "This is a Catholic hospital, we can't do things like that here."
Touch is one of the most healing things we can give each other, it stimulates blood-flow, aids detoxification, and alleviates feelings of separation and loneliness which are agonising for some withdrawees.
Long time benzo use commonly leads to being cut off from your own body, to 'living up in your head'. The pills slyly dull the senses of touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing which receive the world’s messages. Massage and gentle soothing touch helps bring us, literally, 'back to our senses'.
Gentle massage draws the receiver’s attention out of the anxiety and fear of the mind, into a healing awareness of the body, its warmth and comparative stillness.
Of course at some stages of withdrawal your body may not be feeling very still or pleasant, but even at such times the gentle therapeutic touch of another can provide comfort and reassurance. This may simply involve the softest stroking or just resting an open, caring hand on the skin with no movement at all.
Every muscle of the body has been tampered with, robbed of it's natural functioning, by benzo use. In withdrawal, muscles become unusually tight and sometimes oddly flaccid. Massage is the most obvious remedy. A peculiarity of the illness is that muscles can become rock-hard almost immediately after being massaged and relaxed. This is frustrating for the masseur and the recipient but no reason to stop doing it.
Remember also that many withdrawees are radically hypersensitive; some have found massage overstimulating, painful and disorientating. Proceed very gently, with great care, perhaps beginning with the hands or feet.
Like breathing techniques, massage can also bring you in touch with locked up emotions. During a massage you may for instance find yourself feeling unexpectedly sad or angry. Such emotional release is a necessary and often difficult part of recovery. The body can feel too fragile to handle the power of the emotion but you may find the touch of a caring masseur or friend is strengthening. It can support you to release those feelings, to let yourself sob, or bash up the pillow but don't force yourself.
Some low-key exercise is beneficial.
Walking is particularly popular; traditional Chinese medicine suggests walking as a powerful remedy for an agitated mind.
You might like to try yoga, tai-chi or swimming; find the activity that suits you. It's very important not to overdo it and cause exhaustion because bouncing back can take a long time.
Shirley Trickett's books include simple low-key exercises which can be done during the worst type of withdrawal. At times, for some people, it is difficult enough getting up out of a chair.
Later in recovery some have taken up running and cycling to enhance their returning health.
Some prefer to come off quickly over a couple of weeks in hospital. If their benzo use has been regular over months or years this is generally inadvisable and may lead to a particularly nasty withdrawal illness. The reduction and withdrawal ought be done gradually over a much longer period of time.
Others, withdrawing gradually over months, may spend time in hospital during a difficult stage of the process - maybe whilst coming off the last fragment.
The extra support, and the constant presence of doctors and nurses, can be reassuring. Some patients have struck problems with staff who are not familiar enough with the benzo syndrome who try to make exhausted people exercise or join group activities.
Others have found themselves inappropriately treated like drug abusers, particularly if they are staying in a conventional drug and alcohol detoxification centre.
If substance abuse is part of your story with the benzoes, such an approach to treatment may be useful. However, if yours has been prescribed, medicinal pill use, make this very clear upon admission to such a centre. State that your problem is not one of drug abuse, but is one of iatrogenic illness or 'medical misadventure'. Enquire whether the staff understand the distinction. If you are a typical medicinal benzo user, you do not need to ‘take responsibility for your illness’ as you might if you had knowingly abused alcohol, aware that it was doing you damage. Medicinal benzo use is usually different and best treated as an innocent mistake; the mistake was trusting the medicine.
Healing is not always logical. Why should helping others be such a successful way in which to enhance our own physical and mental health? Great numbers of folk following 12 step programs such as Alcoholics' Anonymous etc. will attest to the effectiveness of this activity.
Tranx U.K., and Tranx (now known as 'Reconnexion') in Australia, both maintained telephone support services staffed by recovering volunteers.
There is much psychological and emotional healing to be done after years of regular tranquilliser use; self-confidence is often very low, and the long-time user can feel he or she has little to offer. Volunteering to work on the phone lines, and contributing to such a valuable service is a marvellous way of rebuilding your self-esteem and definitely helps in recovery. The experience and expertise you have gained through your own healing journey will be acknowledged and valued by callers. They know that the best person to speak with, the most genuinely qualified, is often someone else who has been through the process.
If there is no benzo support line operating in your area, you might like to initiate one when you are feeling up to it, or you could approach a community health centre or counselling service with the suggestion.
In the mean time many other community services require volunteers to assist in serving those in need.
Serving others is most rewarding if you don't overdo it, particularly in early recovery. Know your own limits and respect them.