Therapy is a very effective form of anxiety treatment. Anxiety isn’t something to be taken lightly, and it’s often best to throw everything we have at it. This means using methods like talk therapy and systematic desensitization in conjunction with physiological solutions like medication prescribed by a doctor or psychiatrist to calm the mental storm during episodes that get out of hand.
Talk Therapy
Talk therapy uncovers the origins of your personal anxiety and helps you develop a skill set to reduce or eliminate its symptoms. It works best in conjunction with some of the methods listed below.
Systematic Desensitization
Systematic desensitization treats anxiety by progressive re-exposure to its source. We gradually explore the causes of your anxiety through guided imagery and eventually direct experience, monitoring your anxiety levels throughout the process. This occurs in conjunction with relaxation exercises, which help break the anxiety associated with its cause, and helps restore your functionality.
Guided Imagery
Guided imagery creates a safe environment for healing by helping you form and realize a detailed vision of wellness. Using pictures and scenarios, we establish an operational frame of reference in which you’re already healed. The brain settles into operating that way—in a healthy manner—and the problem fades away. It’s like the neurological cousin of “fake it until you make it.”
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing is a research-based technique for overcoming trauma. It helps you self-regulate, relax, and feel alive. By increasing body awareness, you release tension stored in your nervous system.
Psychotropic Medications
Medication can be very effective at helping you manage anxiety symptoms. I can help you get in touch with a psychiatrist to see whether medication may be appropriate in helping alleviate your anxiety. They often prescribe medicine like Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, etc. to handle particularly bad episodes.
Get Help (Therapy)
Warm, supportive environments and solid therapeutic methods help you heal. Therapy also teaches additional coping skills that help you endure life transitions and understand the sources of your anxiety.
Ready to get the help you need to work through your anxiety?
Call me.