Getting off of your benzo is an adventure. It is a journey into uncharted territory. Before all the land masses on earth were discovered, mapmakers drew dragons on maps to indicate they didn’t know what was beyond. In a way, we are on a journey, an adventure past the dragons.
Many of us fear what is ahead of us in the new uncharted territory. Will we have withdrawal symptoms we can’t handle? Will we lose our jobs, or our homes, or have a seizure and die? Will we still have the same condition the doctor prescribed the benzo for?
If you approach withdrawal as an adventure, a journey towards a new you, your fears will lessen.If you think of your withdrawal period as a time for deep self-reflection and healing of old wounds, you will come out the other end renewed.
There are many things you may want to pack to take with you on your journey. I’ll be touching on them here as often as I can. Two things I packed first in my own “Benzo Bag” are The Two Perilous Questions. They are “perilous” in that they are life changing, so beware! If you have the courage to journey into the answers, life can become amazing!
The questions appear simple enough. Simple, yes, but not always easy to answer.
1. What is true for me?
2 What do I really want?
I have a journal I keep to answer just those two questions. It goes in my Benzo Bag of course. I open it and write in it often. I review old answers and ask myself if I am living my way into them. I look for areas where fear chokes my path. I ponder methods to let go of the fear.I sometimes cut out pictures or images and tape them in my journal.When I am really stuck, I grab a crayon and write a question to my internal wise self, and with my non-dominant hand, I write the answer with the crayon. When you do this, you bypass the neural network that usually is fired and you tap into a deeper wisdom. Try it!
I let these two questions guide my path on this adventuresome journey into my new, benzo free life.
I am creating Benzo Bags that will have ALL the tools you need, but for now, you can create your own. Grab a duffel bag and make it your Benzo Bag. Begin putting things in it you want to take on your journey towards health.
You can pack whatever you want, but I do urge you to consider a Two Perilous Questions Journal.
I promise I will address some of the tools you will need to cure your anxiety or to help you heal old trauma. Many benzo users are abuse survivors, war veterans, or victims of violence perpetrated by others or even mother nature. It will be important for you to heal your old wounds so when you step off of your benzo, you step into a more colorful, rich, juicy, abundant life!
More to come!
All best,
Dr. Jenn
PS. I am accepting coaching clients. Please email me at drjenniferleigh@gmail.com if you want more information on how I can help you through your benzo withdrawal. If you want information on how to be seen by David Rusen, M.D. I will connect you.