The American College of Orgonomy
Press Release
August 2008
The Sky Is Falling, and Human Anxiety Increases Accordingly
"I was panic-stricken...Devastated. Depressed. Afraid. Vulnerable. Weak. Alone. Just terrible." What terrible personal event is this person in fear of?
According to the Associated Press, this 50 year-old woman from upstate New York is convinced that the world is out of oil, economies are collapsing, and that starving masses of rioters will threaten her life.
Her solution was to cut up her credit cards, swear off plane travel, and buy a wood-burning stove. Her panic is not unique. Web sites for survivalists are on the rise, filled with dire speculation about the 'crisis' and impending disasters.
A cable news show recently featured a counselor who treated groups of people ridden with anxiety over environmental disasters. People interviewed reported sleeping disorders, an inability to function due to constant worry and guilt over the destruction of the planet. What has caused so many rational, intelligent people to be so fearful and incapacitated?
Dr. Richard Schwartzman, a psychiatrist, offers the following view:
"Anxiety and fear have been a part of the "human condition" as far back as can be traced in recorded history. Save for rational fears of real or impending dangerous situations, the large majority of fear is a reactivation of the terror felt in earliest childhood. This deeply rooted anxiety and fearfulness is actually lodged within us, although out of consciousness, and never "forgotten" as is believed.
Individuals so "sensitized" do not feel strong and confident, able to overcome difficult or even dangerous situations. Rather, their underlying, deeply rooted anxiety makes them very suggestible to the fear mongers who preach gloom and doom. The media seizes upon this vulnerability for many reasons, especially financial profit. They are in no small part responsible for exacerbating people's deeply held fears.
My advice to those "addicted" to such stuff, be it on TV, radio, the print media or in the movies, is stop it - all of it! Tune out! Save for the weather (and here too they will scare you if you let them) and traffic conditions (if you need to drive the highways) listen to books on tape and calming music and come in contact with nature."
The American College of Orgonomy maintains a web site that features articles about anxiety disorders and how they can be effectively treated. Visit the ACO website at www.orgonomy.org to learn more about how therapy can be effective without reliance on prescriptions.
Contact the ACO for other books, DVDs, and other publications as well as for more information on the science of orgonomy at:
http://www.orgonomy.org/
This press release is created by The American College of Orgonomy (ACO), located near Princeton, New Jersey. The ACO is a nonprofit education and scientific organization devoted to setting and maintaining standards for work in the field of orgonomy. The ACO provides information, training, and research support for those interested and involved in orgonomy. This press release is meant to inform those who may have an interest in the science of orgonomy and the activities of the ACO. The ACO is not affiliated with any website, newsgroup, bulletin board, network, service, or other media that may be reproducing this release. The ACO does not endorse any information, data, text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, video, messages, or other materials transmitted, posted, published, distributed, or otherwise disseminated on any media other than the ACO's website at www.orgonomy.org. Please contact www.orgonomy.org for information on the ACO as well as to verify the original text of this press release.