Anxiety and withdrawal

Maybe I am wrong here but I don't feel most of these anxiety control techniques work while tapering of benzos.  They are developed for those who are natually anxious without benzo addiction.  Let's say that you didn't have any concerns in life or that the ones that you had resolved themselve.  You would still be going though mild to severe depression and anxiety just because you are tapering off benzos.  No? 

So my point is that if much or all of the depression and anxiety some of us have is artificial and a side effect created by the withdrawaing from benzos then no real life coping systems will work since you will get the symptoms anyway.  Its like how some people here get flu-like symptoms while withdrawing,  taking flu meds won't help since it's not really the flu.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

Maybe I am wrong here but I don't feel most of these anxiety control techniques work while tapering of benzos

From one who had terrible anxiety during withdrawal, I can assure you that practising anxiety control techniques DO work during w/d.  My therapist worked on the theory that anxiety is anxiety, not matter whether benzo related or pre-benzo anxiety.

One thing with the techniques as annb says, they have to be worked at.  Lying on the bed listening to relaxation messages on my iPod were my saviour, but I sometimes listened to them several times a day.  It's all about getting the sub-conscious mind to absorb as many positive messages as it can and eventually you believe that the anxiety can be controlled. 

The deep slow breathing also works - but again it won't work the first time - may distract you a little - but you just keep working at it over and over again.

Believe me my anxiety was crippling my life and I knew I had to do something about it.  It's taken a lot of work but now I find when the anxiety is rising in me I can control it and that's what I intend to do now.  No more drugs for me.