Here's the deal, people. If you're freaking out, you've got a double thing wrong with you.First of all, you have a physical problem, probably having to do with your nerves. Your nerves are all over your body, duh. From your toes to the tip of your tongue. Sometimes they get upset. In some people, they get upset and don't get over it easily. They express their distress (I'm pinched, I don't like the chemicals around me, I would really like some more B12, hey, YOUR anxiety is really starting to creep me out) by twitching, tingling, popping corn, buzzing, thumping, whatever.Your muscles notice what your nerves are doing to them and say "WTF?" They get tired from twitching, they, too, get your attention. "Hey, up there, we got a real problem down here, because I don't think we're supposed to be twitching like this."At some point you find out something you wish you hadn't on the internet. At that moment, your blood turns to ice water. You get a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. With your nerves and muscles clamoring for an answer, Brain says, "Available data suggests a number of poss--" About then the emotional part kicks in and says "HOLY CRAP WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" Your body releases a flood of chemicals designed to help you fight angry badgers. Now your nerves and muscles are really revved up. "KILL THE BADGERS!" But you got no badgers. You don't even have a squirrel to fight or run away from. But you still have all these powerful chemicals flooding your system. What do you think this does to your nerves and your muscles? Brain? At that moment a powerful association, or chain, is formed. Twitch = Badger. No, worse. Horrible Badger that captures you, ties you up and tortures you to death slowly.Everything about the circumstances surrounding the forging of that link is scary. The twitches, the muscle aches, your computer screen (seriously), certain words. And every time you are re-exposed the link between physical symptom and fear gets stronger. Which is a problem because you are twitching somewhere every 1.5 seconds. Meanwhile, Brain is still trying to make sense of all this. "Whoa, there. Let me prove to you we're okay. I found these neat exercises and diagnostic tests online (Brain never learns). Let's do these and you'll see we're perfectly fine." So you do. You feel a little better maybe. So you do it again. And again. LIke an alcoholic taking another sip of comfort. But just as drinking too much alcohol is bad for you body, so is compulsive self-testing. Eventually what you're doing is causing real muscle fatigue and soreness, because it is not natural.Now the emotional you is in even worse shape. It is curled up in fetal position saying "badgers, badgers" over again (although it ain't "badgers") your nerves are freaking out, your muscles are (being dumb) more confused and sore than anything. Everything you do to make yourself feel better, getting more information, testing, visiting here, just feeds the fear, and you get worse. The imaginary badger grows fat and strong from all that you feed it. It never leaves you alone, and pees on the carpet of every good emotional moment.After about nine to twelve months, Brain says: "I have an announcement! Available data indicates the badgers should have confined us to a wheelchair by now, and since we're not, we must be okay. I'm sounding the ALL CLEAR siren." Emotional you says "Yay," you start to relax, whatever amount of symptoms were aggravated by stress go away, and you are better. Badger begins to starve and sulks away, but vowing revenge.The problem is, during your first illness, you picked up a whole lot of information. You know about Bulbar Badgers. You already have screwy nerves for some reason, and sooner or later, the ones in your mouth are going to get unhappy. So now its "OMG THE BADGERS ARE IN MY FREAKIN' MOUTH." You try to swallow them, over and over, but that just makes your throat worse. You use your tongue to push everywhere, you puff your cheeks, you do the same kind of thing that drove your legs to the brink of secession a month ago. These badgers are even worse, because they're more horrible and faster, if possible, than the other ones! But you can't make them leave because they don't really exist.Eventually, you get over that, too. Maybe you go for a year or two without so much as thinking about a badger. But your the emotional you hasn't forgotten how scared it was. The link is still there, perhaps weak, because you don't compulsively feed it anymore. So one day the badgers attack, BOOM out of the blue. Something new. Not an experience you've already survived and therefore have some confidence about. But in reality, it is just the same old problem, different day. And you find yourself in the same place all over again, maybe quite a bit better because you learned a lot about badger-fighting over the last few years.So what have we learned from this tale?It is not your fault. Something is screwy with your nerves and you went to the internet like everybody does. You were traumatized. Once the link was forged between symptoms and fear, you seek consolation, which just makes things worse. Not only are you physically doing things to yourself, you are feeding that fear. Fear causes more physical symptoms, which cause more fear... the spiral of doom.You can take drugs to help with the fear. Really, they work, at least for awhile. But somehow you have to break the link between the symptoms and the fear. Every time you feel a twitch, say "Its just BFS." Every time you can't swallow, say "Its just BFS." Every time you have an intrusive thought, say "That's a mistake I made a long time ago and it no longer affects me." Slowly re-program your brain. Then, even when you have relapses, they won't be so scary and unmanageable.