Meditations or Medications?
This story is told with permission of my patient and her parents.
N. is a bright and lively 9-year-old girl. Her parents brought her to see me because she was dealing with sever anxiety, multiple daily panic attacks, nightmares, and social problems. When she came to see me, she was on 10 mg of Adderall for her ADD (adult dosage) and 175 mg of Zoloft (200mg is a maximum adult dosage).
During the initial evaluation it became clear that N. was overwhelmed by her anxiety symptoms. In addition to her panic attacks and nightmares, she was also suffering from fear of future panic attacks, known as anticipatory anxiety. A bright, talented, and kind girl, she was not able to function in the real world. She couldn’t successfully create friendships, focus, achieve academic success or even interact with her warm and loving parents.
During our first session, we practiced a deep relaxation. She called it “hypnosis.” But that’s not what it was. It was a guided a meditation session that helped her to relax and start releasing her fears. She imagined the color of her fears – deep blue. She visualized a blue smoke leaving her body gradually during the meditation.
She was soon taken off Adderall. Stimulants like Adderall can increase the “fight or flight” response and make people, especially children, feel extremely anxious. The parents were encouraged to research Intuniv (non-stimulant ADHD medication). I also taught the mother simple relaxations and meditations to do at home with N.
In the following week, during our regular session, N. said that she felt much better and so did her mother. Her sleep normalized. She said that she no longer had episodes of intense panic. We started gradually discontinuing Zoloft.
After six sessions, N. practices daily meditations and relaxations. She started learning techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy to monitor her scary thoughts and substitute them with opposites.
She is no longer on Adderall. We continue to withdraw Zoloft slowly and carefully. Currently, she is on 125mg. Our goal is to bring it down to 0. N. now says that she is completely free from panic attacks and is very excited and happy about her upcoming international vacation.
To access my meditation stories for children please visit:
Dr. Eugenia Steingold 
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