Anxiety
is similar to depression in that the psychiatric community
does not have complete agreement as to its source, or
the best way to treat it. There are, of course, anti-anxiety
medications, which in some cases are very beneficial.
From a psychological (as opposed to a medical perspective),
anxiety is a form of fear. A main difference between anxiety
and fear is that with fear, the person is usually able
to identify what they are afraid of, while with anxiety,
the source of the fear is often unknown. Usually, when
people come to therapy for a problem with anxiety, the
main symptoms are: 1) An "out of control" feeling, similar
to being on a roller coaster; 2) Shortness of breath,
along with a fear of losing consciousness, or dying; 3)
Rapid heartbeat and pulse, sometimes accompanied by sweating;
4) involuntary visual images of impending doom. Anxiety
disorders can be treated in a number of ways, aside from
medication. If you suffer from anxiety, you can be reassured
that your anxiety is treatable, and does not mean that
you are losing your mind, or that you will have to endure
this for the rest of your life. As in all emotional problems,
there is no "one size fits all" solution. The therapist
may give you behavioral techniques to reduce or eliminate
your anxiety if it comes periodically. These may include
breathing exercises and visualization techniques, which
can help you to regain a sense of control over your body,
and eventually relax. The next task is to help you identify
exactly what is causing the anxiety, or to put it another
way, and to name your fear. Identifying what the fear
is, and it's origin, can be a big step towards resolution.
Sometimes, that alone is enough to reduce or eliminate
the anxiety. If it isn't enough, the therapist can then
use other methods, and again, this is determined by understanding
the person's personal history, and defensive structure
(coping mechanisms). People can develop problems with
anxiety which stem from one single event in their lives,
such as being in an airplane, that suddenly loses altitude,
or anxiety can develop from a more generalized problem
such as being raised in an alcoholic family where there
was never any sense of security. Obviously, the above
two situations are so different in nature that they would
call for completely different treatment approaches, and,
the length of treatment would also vary. With the airplane,
one treatment approach could be termed "systematic desensitization"
where you might be exposed, through guided imagery, gradually
to the same event, while helping you to remain relaxed.
By combining the feeling of relaxation with the event
that initially caused stress, over a period of a few sessions,
you may be able to reduce or eliminate the anxiety. In
the example of the alcoholic parent, there would be a
number of tasks necessary for you to gain a sense of security
in the world that might take many sessions, especially
if you have never experienced that sense of safety before.
Some
therapists view anxiety as a midway point between a full
expression of the emotion (letting the emotion be fully
experienced) and a full suppression of the emotion, which
would be experienced as a lack of emotion or depression.
The emotional energy is attempting to flow through your
body, but your fear prevents this from happening and the
emotion gets trapped in the body, oftentimes in the chest
and shoulder areas. As always, your will and determination
to succeed (in this case to succeed at reducing or eliminating
the anxiety) are the most significant factors in recovery.
Can
we help you? Schedule an appointment today! 15720 Ventura
Blvd. Suite 520 Encino CA 91436 Tel: 818-906-7079
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