From the author: Published on September 13, 2013 on the website When using the material, a link to the article is required. In my training seminars and in individual consulting, I teach people this method. This method has proven effective in coping with various levels of anxiety, as well as in recovering from psychogenic states such as hysteria, anger, aggression, panic, and fear. All these states correspond to different levels of anxiety. Based on my practical experience in psychological counseling, I take the liberty of asserting that the cause of these states is the discrepancy between what a person expects to receive at a certain point in time and what he actually receives at that moment. moment of time. Existential fears, such as fear of death, fear of the future, fear of not understanding oneself, fear of illness, fear of losing what has been achieved, fear of exposure, are also the result of a mismatch between what I want (consciously or unconsciously) and what might happen. Discrepancy in the “expectation-reality” system of a person is anxiety. It manifests itself through different modalities, so different people define it differently. Some define it as a “feeling of an uncertain threat”, others as a “feeling of diffuse apprehension and anxious anticipation”, others as “anxious thoughts”. An increase in mismatch contributes to an increase in the level of anxiety. Professor F. Berezin in his work “Psychological and Psychophysiological Adaptation of Humans” structured the levels of anxiety in the form of an “anxious series” and described them: 1) a feeling of internal tension - does not have a pronounced shade of threat, serves only as a signal of its approach, creating painful mental discomfort ;2) hyperesthetic reactions - anxiety increases, previously neutral stimuli acquire a negative connotation, irritability increases; 3) anxiety itself is the central element of the series under consideration. Manifests itself as a feeling of vague threat. A characteristic feature: the inability to determine the nature of the threat and predict the time of its occurrence. Inadequate logical processing often occurs, as a result of which, due to a lack of facts, an incorrect conclusion is issued; 4) fear - anxiety specific to a specific object. Although the objects with which anxiety is associated may not be its cause, the subject has the idea that anxiety can be eliminated by certain actions; 5) a feeling of the inevitability of an impending catastrophe - the increase in the intensity of anxiety disorders leads the subject to the idea that it is impossible to prevent the upcoming event; 6) anxious-fearful arousal - the disorganization caused by anxiety reaches a maximum, and the possibility of purposeful activity disappears. These levels of anxiety vary in intensity and duration. They cause negative changes in a person’s emotional state, which negatively affect both his behavior and the functioning of his physiological organs. Why does this happen? Because anxiety tends to be fueled and grow due to negative imagination and negative thoughts that arise in person with her. And along with the growth of anxiety, the strength of its negative impact on the human psyche and body also grows. Therefore, it is very important to know this and learn to work with your anxiety in different ways. One of the ways to do this is the method of “assembling photo puzzles”. In this article I will describe only the basic level of working with this method, since there are also advanced levels of working with it. They are more complex, since they differ from the basic level; work can be added to transform negative images with the help of breathing, different types of numerical counting, pronouncing certain words, feeling certain parts of the body, feeling certain parts of the body, awareness of one’s postures, variousmovements and other additions. What is needed to work with this method? I offer my clients to make photo puzzles of their photographs. It is best to make photo puzzles of several of your photographs, for example at least three. I make sure that the photographs show them in a very calm state or in a very joyful state. Photographs should convey these states. And this is very important. You can order photo puzzles of your image from photo studios or advertising and printing companies. Photo puzzle formats can be different: Format 10x15 (20-30 elements) cost from 350 rubles. Format 13x18 (40 elements) cost from 450 rub. A4 format (50 elements) cost from 600 rub. A4 format (80 elements) cost from 600 rubles. Algorithm for working with the method of “assembling photo puzzles”? 1. If you feel anxiety and realize that it is inadequate to the current situation, it is growing, it prevents you from doing some work, it prevents you from communicating, being effective, living, being in the “here and now” state, and so on, you take photo puzzles of your photograph and pour them onto the table, on the sofa, on the bed, on the floor, in general, on any flat surface.2. Mix them.3. Collect photo puzzles. If you have just started practicing this method, you may not determine the time period during which you want to collect the photo. If you have been practicing this method for some time, then it is better to determine a time period, for example 10 minutes or more, or less, everyone decides for themselves, during which you collect photo puzzles. Defining a time period helps to increase your concentration on completing this task. This is the value of the time period.4. Next, you begin to collect photo puzzles.5. Work in this way until you feel that your anxiety level has decreased. What helps reduce the level of anxiety? Switching attention to a new task, to assembling photo puzzles, their visual and tactile perception by a person helps to reduce the level of anxiety. A very important role is played by the fact that a person sets himself a specific task - TO ASSEMBLE YOURSELF! What does this mean? I explain it this way: throughout his entire life, a person unconsciously “leaves” himself in different situations, past events and in imaginary futures, therefore, very little of him remains in the present. The method of “assembling photo puzzles” allows a person to collect himself in the present, thereby regaining his energy, which remained along with parts of himself both in the past and in the future. So, a person sets himself the task of “assembling himself.” An image of his photograph appears in his mind, which needs to be collected. Then he turns his gaze to the photo puzzles and begins to assemble them. Simultaneously with physical actions, a person’s mental activity also starts. With its help, he evaluates individual photo puzzles, compares them with other photo puzzles and with the general image, and determines the place of each photo puzzle in this image. A person’s attention, his thoughts and actions are directed precisely to solving the task at hand. All this contributes to a shift in attention, which, in turn, stops the growth of anxiety. Anxiety ceases to receive nourishment, as a result of which its negative impact on the psyche and body decreases, and, in the end, is reduced to zero. Therefore, it is very important to concentrate your attention on collecting photo puzzles. You should try to think only about how you assemble photo puzzles and whether you can do it even better. You cannot help but allow other thoughts or images into your consciousness. To do this, you need to connect your feelings. For example, when you take a separate photo puzzle, try to feel it. You may find that each photo puzzle has a different feel to it. Try to remember them. After all, each photo puzzle is a part of your photograph in which you are depicted. And this means that with.