Following Fifi by John Crocker

Author:John Crocker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Published: 2017-01-10T05:00:00+00:00

Robert: Nature Eases Anxiety

During thirty years practicing medicine, I’ve seen patients with anxiety of some form nearly every day. At Gombe, I saw how anxiety could be adaptive but also detrimental if sustained for long periods. For a chimp to patrol the border of his community in a relaxed state might not produce the desired outcome, but to remain in a constantly vigilant and tense state of fight-or-flight is also not sustainable. The high-ranking chimps with pent-up energy and anxiety would let it all out when needed, in displays or just quick drumbeats on a hollow tree buttress. Here, again, my jungle experiences illuminated my practice.

Robert was a patient in his thirties. Single, he worked full-time in the maritime business and enjoyed his work and social life, but his usual level of anxiety had increased. We explored several possibilities and could find no clear answer as to why he felt more anxious than usual.

Soon his increased anxiety was affecting even the most mundane aspects of his life. Robert spoke nervously during one of our appointments and then got a bit choked up as he told me, “I don’t even like to drive the car anymore because I’m afraid something will happen to me.”

I pictured the male chimps Satan, Figan, and Evered pacing along the border that separates their community from the southern community. Always in motion, they seemed tense, but they appeared to be directing the adrenaline that naturally built up in their systems into powerful swaggers and movements. The chimps released their pent-up hormones in aggressive displays and charging behavior.

Then I pictured Robert sitting in traffic with his anxiety and tense muscles, worried and seemingly paralyzed. No movement or release of tension was possible, except for perhaps groaning or shifting in his seat. The adrenaline would likely be passively circulating through his blood as the byproducts and cortisol built up, making Robert feel uneasy and eventually tired. If only he could charge down a hillside, climb high into a tree, or let out a loud vocalization that people could hear hundreds of yards away, he might well feel better.

There are drugs that work well in relieving chronic anxiety and are usually safe and non-habit-forming, including some that are also used to treat depression by elevating the level of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Robert wasn’t interested in taking medication, so we designed a rigorous exercise program that involved jogging every day. It could be as little as fifteen minutes, but twenty to thirty were even better. I did not bring up tree climbing or hurling kerosene cans.

For anxious patients, I sometimes demonstrate relaxation techniques that they can do on their own. One that I shared with Robert involves slow breathing and picturing oneself on a warm, sandy beach or in another favorite sanctuary. These visualization techniques have been used in meditation and prayer for centuries and can also be used to self-calm. Patients find that they can create a sense of tranquility during this exercise and are then able to transfer it to other parts of their lives.

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