Mind Healing Counselling

Medication can sometimes be used to treat anxiety problems. However, for many clients, therapy, either by itself or in conjunction with medication, is the most successful form of treatment. This is because therapy, as opposed to medication, equips you with the skills you need to control your anxiety both now and in the future.

Various therapeutic approaches have been created to address anxiety over time, ranging from psychoanalysis methods to the most recent cognitive behavioural therapies.

Understanding Anxiety

No matter what kind of anxiety you have, the basic mechanisms that power them frequently have a same pattern. People who suffer from anxiety may attempt to control their reactions by avoiding triggers since they tend to react to unpleasant feelings, thoughts, and circumstances more intensely. Sadly, this kind of avoidance just serves to amplify worries and fears.

The majority of contemporary therapies focus on avoidance and negative thinking to help you control your anxiety.

Types of Anxiety Therapy

All therapeutic methods aim to assist you in understanding your feelings, your triggers, and potential ways to alter your response to them. Some forms of treatment even impart useful methods for reframing unfavourable thoughts and altering conduct.

Since there are many different types of anxiety disorders, therapy is customised to your unique symptoms and diagnosis. Depending on your particular symptoms and diagnosis, your therapist will choose how frequently and for how long you meet with them.

Professionals in mental health employ a variety of anxiety therapies. The type of therapy you receive will also depend on your diagnosis and how severe your symptoms are.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

The most often utilised treatment for anxiety is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). According to research, it can effectively cure a variety of anxiety issues, including panic disorders, phobias, SAD, and GAD.

The foundation of CBT is the idea that your ideas, not your circumstances at the time, determine how you feel and, in turn, act. CBT aims to recognise and comprehend your negative thought patterns and dysfunctional behavioural patterns and then replace them with healthier ideas, useful behaviours, and efficient coping mechanisms.

Your therapist serves as a coach for you during this process, teaching you practical techniques. For instance, you might frequently think in "black-and-white" terms, assuming that everything is evil or wonderful. Substitute the more accurate view that there are a number of shades of grey somewhere between for those thoughts.

Utilising these tactics requires practice. You can learn to use the coping mechanisms you learn in CBT to handle fear, panic, and concern after you start to recognise your anxiety and your triggers.

Exposure Therapy (ET)

One of the most popular CBT treatments for a range of anxiety disorders, such as phobias, SAD, and PTSD, is exposure therapy. The fundamental idea underlying exposure therapy is that facing your fears head-on is the most effective approach to do so.

During exposure treatment, your therapist will gradually introduce anxiety-inducing situations or things. This is frequently accomplished via a method called "systematic desensitisation," which entails three steps:

Relax: Your therapist will teach you some relaxation techniques to help you manage your anxiety. Progressive muscular relaxation, deep breathing, meditation, and guided visualisation are a few examples of relaxation training.

List: You will create a list of your anxiety-provoking triggers and ranking them in intensity.

Expose: You will gradually move through the events or objects that you have described as being anxiety-provoking in this final step, employing relaxation techniques as appropriate.

Your therapist may subject you to anxiety-inducing stimuli in a variety of ways. The most common examples are listed here:

Imaginal exposure: You'll be encouraged to vividly picture the thing or circumstance that causes your anxiety during this form of exposure.

In vivo exposure: With this technique, you will actually encounter the thing or circumstance that causes you worry. Therefore, it could be suggested that a person with social anxiety join a club after this kind of exposure.

Virtual reality exposure: When in vivo exposure is not an option, virtual reality may be employed in specific situations. Technology is used in virtual reality therapy to mix aspects of real-world and fictitious exposure. The use of this approach has been particularly beneficial for veterans and those with PTSD.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is a highly effective type of CBT. DBT is now used to treat a number of issues, including anxiety; however, it was initially developed to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD).

The main goals of DBT are to promote change, acceptance, and what appears to be a "dialectical" (opposite) outlook. You’ll learn to embrace your anxiety while actively trying to change it during DBT therapy. It's comparable to the idea of accepting oneself as you are yet still making an effort to improve.

DBT treatment teaches four powerful skills:

Mindfulness: Focusing on the present and observing fleeting thoughts, such as anxiousness, without allowing them to control you.

Distress tolerance: How to control your anxiety in tough circumstances.

Interpersonal effectiveness: Learning how to say no or assert yourself.

Emotion regulation: Managing anxiety symptoms before they get out of control.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Another sort of therapy that has been proven successful in treating many anxiety types is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Finding your personal beliefs and living accordingly are key components of ACT.

ACT has two main components:

Accepting that thoughts and feelings won't necessarily need to be controlled and committing to take actions that help a person live life according to their values.

ACT teaches individuals how to tolerate their uneasy, nervous feelings. They learn emotional coping mechanisms to assist them in tolerating discomfort rather than attempting to suppress or alter these feelings.

Psychoanalytic Therapy

This Freudian theory proposes that anxiety symptoms represent unconscious tensions. Solving them is the goal of psychoanalytic therapy. To gain a greater understanding of how you perceive yourself and to lessen your anxiety, both you and your therapist will analyse your ideas, worries, and desires through psychoanalysis. It might take years to recognise patterns in your thinking, making this one of the most intense forms of therapy.

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

The focus of Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is on social roles and connections. In IPT, your therapist will work with you to figure out any interpersonal difficulties you might be experiencing, such as unresolved grief, disputes with family or friends, alterations to your job or social roles, and troubles with others. Then, you'll discover constructive techniques to communicate with others and express your emotions.

Which anxiety therapy is best?

The most effective first-line therapy for anxiety is cognitive behavioural therapy. This strategy can successfully assist individuals in identifying and modifying the unfavourable beliefs that underlie worry. It's crucial to remember that each person is different and might react differently.

Effectiveness of Anxiety Therapy

Psychotherapy can be highly helpful. According to a study, the most effective treatment involved a combination of personalised CBT and medication.

According to research, online therapy for anxiety looks to be just as helpful as in-person counselling.

What to Expect From Anxiety Therapy

One typical misconception about therapy is that you'll feel better right away. This is true at times. However, you frequently feel worse before you start to feel better. Interestingly, feeling worse is frequently a sign of improvement. And that makes sense when you stop to think about it.

When you decide to start counselling, it's frequently because you were unable to manage your anxiety on your own. During therapy, you will dig deeper and more meaningfully into the what causes your worry. Your anxiety may temporarily increase as a result of this.

Never consider therapy to be a quick fix. It's a procedure that each person goes through differently. Your level of anxiety and your symptoms’ intensity will determine the kind of therapy you need, the skills you gain, and how long you spend in therapy.



It's crucial to realise that although the entire process won't always feel pleasant, it will be entirely beneficial in the end.

How to Make the Most of Therapy

It can be difficult to try to change. Therapy for anxiety is no different. But if you persevere, things ought to get better.

Here are some suggestions for getting the most out of treatment and really seeing some progress:

• Tell your therapist anything and everything.
• Ask questions.
• Focus on your goals.
• Practice healthy lifestyle choices.
• Do the work outside your sessions.
• Make sure you have a social support system.
• Don't pretend to be OK.
• Reduce stress in your life that may make your anxiety worse.

You can see that the biggest influence on how well treatment works for you involves putting in effort and staying present during the therapy process.