Different Treatments for Anxiety Disorders

There are two main forms of anxiety therapy: exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Each approach to anxiety therapy has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it is important to discuss your anxiety issues with your doctor before you make a decision on which approach to take. Exposing yourself to anxiety-provoking situations over time will allow you to develop a coping mechanism for dealing with anxiety disorders, while CBT will teach you new ways to handle common stressors in your life.

Exposure therapy is a single session of CBT where your therapist expose you to the most common sources of anxiety disorders and their symptoms. Common situations to expose yourself to include being in traffic, having to give a speech, or sitting down to a meeting where you might be nervous. Over time, as you become better at handling these situations, your therapist will lessen the number of situations you are exposed to and only expose you to them when absolutely necessary. You will be surprised how quickly the anxiety symptoms diminish when you can no longer avoid them.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) works by identifying your negative thinking patterns, and changing them. By using a variety of CBT exercises and discussions, your therapist will help you change your negative thinking habits toward the situations that bring on anxiety and panic attacks. They may call these patterns "Scripts" and will ask you to list what things you typically do or say when you experience an attack. Once you have identified the scripts, your therapist will help you change your behaviors toward those things. This type of therapy is more effective than exposure therapy because it offers immediate results.

Another advantage of CBT is that you can return to these sessions repeatedly. This is important because repeated exposure is the key to successful CBT. By learning to identify your triggers, you will become better at recognizing when you are about to experience an anxiety or panic attack. These episodes will occur less over time as you become more skilled at responding to your triggers. CBT is often combined with other approaches, such as relaxation techniques, to achieve maximum benefit.

Mindfulness-based CBT is sometimes used in conjunction with other therapies. For example, someone suffering from depression and agoraphobia may benefit from cognitive restructuring training. Through this combination, anxiety and panic disorders can be successfully treated in a holistic manner. Mindfulness meditation is one such technique that can be effective in alleviating anxiety and panic. It calms the mind by redirecting your focus away from stressors and focusing your attention inward instead.

Mindfulness-based therapy usually requires about 12 weeks of training in cognitive restructuring and exposure therapy. A trained therapist will evaluate your situation and help you determine the best program for you. Mindfulness-based therapies do not require the use of medications, making them especially appealing to the couch potato in addition to those who need medication for anxiety. However, if your anxiety is caused by chemical imbalances, you may want to consult your physician before starting any type of CBT or exposure therapy.

The American Psychological Association praises Mindfulness Therapy as an effective treatment for a variety of anxiety disorders. In fact, it has been used for decades as a treatment for many types of mental disorders, including depression, alcoholism, phobias, and obsessive compulsive disorders. The technique makes use of gentle, controlled breathing to bring about a sense of relaxation. You can learn to identify the negative emotional states and change your thinking processes accordingly. Once you have identified the problem areas, you can begin to work towards eliminating them.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy is widely used for treating anxiety disorders. It has been widely used as an alternative to traditional medicine since the acceptance of cognitive behavior therapy was released in the 70s. This treatment is based on the idea that our reactions to stressful situations are shaped by distorted thoughts and beliefs. CBT is designed to interrupt these erroneous beliefs and replace them with more realistic ones. By working on your negative thoughts, you can learn new, healthier ways of thinking, which in turn will lead to better anxiety symptoms and a healthier life overall.

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