Free Drt by Eric Thomas

at the table exchanged smiles with me as a greeting and all said ‘Be Well’ but not in any discernible union. I had sat down only minutes ago, and maybe it was Sylvia’s calming spirit, but I felt like these people understood me. They understood my troubles like no one else had or would.  
    “I want to start out with this,” said Sylvia, smoothing the dog ears on her open notepad in front of her. “I am not a doctor, nor am I qualified to diagnose. I am however, a therapist. Just like you, I have had my problems with anxiety but I am here to help you. We are here to help you and we also hope you can help us, Greg. Your experiences are valuable to us and we thank you for joining us.”
    “Thank you,” I said with an almost lump in my throat. “I would like that help.”  
    “You poor darling, you have had a very hard time, haven't you?”  
    “Yes.”
    “This is where it starts getting better.”
    The group made supportive noises. Various murmurs of ‘It’s okay’ or ‘I’ve been there’ congealed into a paste of platitudes.  
    “Thank you,” I said. I realized how long it had been since I slept.  
    “Well, Greg,” Silvia said. “Maybe we could go around the table and introduce ourselves. Katy let’s start with you.”  
    The group went around the table and said their names. Some even added their conditions like it was an Al Anon meeting. Some of them said depression, many said anxiety. When the group finished, Sylvia broadcast a smile to the table.  
    “Very good. Well, seeing as how we have our new person here, I think we should do some sharing today. Let’s talk about why we are here, what we are feeling. Then Greg, you can share with us.”  
    “That sounds great.”  
    “Tom, why don't you start? Talk about your experiences.”
    Tom smoothed the strands of hair so that they lay more flat on his head. “Well, like I said my name's Tom and I have anxiety disorder. I lost my job last year. It came as a shock and I didn’t really know what to do. I didn’t trust anything or anybody after that. I felt lost. One day I was at the grocery store and it hit me. I felt like my chest was collapsing in on itself. I couldn’t breathe and I felt like I was on fire. I was standing in the dairy section, but I felt like I was going to burn up, so I started taking my clothes off, first my coat and shoes and then my pants and my underwear. I was standing in the aisle, with a carton of eggs in my hand, as people started screaming and pointing. I realized what I had done, that I was standing there naked. I decided to try and pass it off. I kept shopping. For some reason I decided that if I just acted casually no one would notice. They did, of course, running at me with their maroon aprons and ties. They tackled me, detained me, and I was arrested when the police arrived.  
    I have to say, I feel so much better since I have been coming here. I meditate twice a day; I release a lot of stress by taking a jog. I have learned how to manage it so much better. I still have the attacks but they don't last long and they are not nearly as bad.” Tom stopped talking and just nodded awkwardly at the group.  
    The people at the table nodded, still eating. I nodded too and suddenly my own problems didn’t seem so bad. I felt like I could tell these people anything. I knew they would understand.
    Sylvia nodded. “That was great, Tom. Grant, could you speak also?”  
    A muscular man with a skin tight white shirt answered to the name Grant. He shrugged his shoulders. “Okay. Hey, I was the last person that I thought would be going to meetings like this, but about two years ago,” his words ran somewhat together. He sounded like he said bouttooyearsago. “I found my girl in bed with a friend of mine. Just walked into my fuckin’ house and found a friend of mine fuckin’ my girl in my bed. I was just about to knock that fuckin’ asshole out but my girl stopped me and tried to calm me down. She was there naked