Anxiety Therapy For Anxiety Disorders Anxiety encompasses multiple things like panic attacks, obsessive irrational thoughts, constant worries, phobias etc. It is important for people to know that anxiety isn’t something you have to live with. It is a problem that has a solution and the correct form of treatment can solve it. The most viable and effective option to treat anxiety is anxiety therapy. Remember, there are medications for anxiety as well. However, medications are used to control symptoms whereas therapy is used to eliminate the symptoms altogether. Anxiety therapy understands the underlying causes of anxiety and teaches individuals how to calm down, look at situations from a different, less threatening perspective and to develop healthy coping mechanisms and problem-solving techniques. Since anxiety disorders differ considerably, the kind of therapy used must be tailored specifically to the need and diagnosis. Length of therapy varies depending on the type of disorder as well as severity of the problem. The most common types of psychology therapy used in anxiety therapy are exposure therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. Anxiety therapy is either conducted with one-on-one sessions or in a group setting but the goals for both remain the same. Exposure Therapy - Anxiety, obviously, isn’t a fun feeling and it is only natural for individuals to avoid anxiety triggering situations. Individuals who fear water will stay away from water bodies, or individuals who are scared of heights will stay away from skyscrapers or bridges. The fact of the matter is, however, that avoiding your fears only make them stronger. Exposure therapy exposes individuals to their fear. Through repeated exposures, individuals start feeling a greater sense of control over the anxiety they feel, and it becomes less scary, hence less anxiety provoking. Exposure therapy can be used either by itself or in collaboration with cognitive behavioural therapy. When exposure to the anxiety provoking situation is done in steps, it is known as systematic desensitization. This allows an individual to gradually challenge their fears and eventually become more confident to control their anxiety. A mental health psychologist conducts systematic desensitization in three steps: •
Learning certain relaxation skills
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Creating a list of steps which eventually end at the final goal
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Working through these steps to the goal
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the most popularly used therapy to treat anxiety disorders. It effectively treats problems like phobias, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic disorders and other conditions. CBT involves to primary components which are:
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Behavior Therapy which understands the way a person behaves and reacts when something triggers anxiety within them Cognitive Therapy which examines a person’s thought patterns and cognitions that cause anxiety CBT uses a concept known as thought challenging which is known for cognitive restructuring. This involves identifying negative thinking patterns and replacing them with positive thoughts. This involves three different steps. These are: • Identifying negative thoughts and thought patterns • Challenging these negative thoughts and thought patterns • Replacing negative thoughts and thought patterns with positive, realistic thoughts The work that cognitive behavioural therapy requires from the individual’s end is not a piece of cake, which is why CBT is practiced while in therapy as well as at home or anywhere else. This includes: • Learning how to recognize anxiety triggers and when it makes you anxious • Learning how to cope with anxiety • Confronting fears and anxiety
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