Anxiety Therapy

Anxiety Therapy questions and answers

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Q: For those who have had Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety?
I'm currently having cbt for my anxiety and agoraphobia and am on session three and was wondering what other peoples experience of this type of therapy are.thanks.xx.

A: I have very bad depression and anxiety. It helped me. I really found it incredibly helpful. A good book that is really good to use alongside cbt is The Feeling Good Handbook by Dr David Burns. Its aimed at depression and anxiety. xx

Q: What is the best way to lead an anxiety support/therapy group?
I have several clients that have different diagnosis that fall under the anxiety umbrella, including panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. I am looking for the best way to inspire change and to educate my clients.

A: I find some behavior therapy techniques work best. Systematic Desensitization is a relaxation technique. Walk your clients through some relaxation exercises. (Close your eyes, imagine you are on a beach...the air is cool, the waves are crashing in the distance, the sun feels warm on your skin) Once they are relaxed, instruct each person to make a list of anxiety-provoking situations (ranging from least provoking-->most provoking) have your clients imagine themselves in each situation and discuss ways in which they could respond. Group feedback is great because clients will be able to relate to each other and offer support for the client. These exercises are a healthy way to confront anxiety provoking situations without the client actually being in them. The idea is to get comfortable with the ideas/situations to be able to carry them out in real world situations. If clients start to feel anxious, direct them back to a relaxed state.

Q: Has anyone had therapy for social anxiety disorder?
Has anyone here had cognitive behavioural therapy for social anxiety disorder and blushing? What were the techniques and how much did they help you?

A: Hello CBT is effective for social anxiety also a similar therapy called Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT). The “shame attacking exercises” (calling out bus stops) mentioned by Shaneris are from REBT. An essential principle of these cognitive therapies is to get you to focus on who you are with, where you are and what you are doing rather than focus on yourself. To focus outwards rather than inwards and to focus on what you are doing rather than how well you’re doing. You will also learn to dispute your unhelpful thoughts and beliefs and replace them with realistic and helpful beliefs. For example “I must not look stupid” would become “I would prefer not to look stupid, but there is no reason why I must not” “If I do look stupid it’s not terrible or horrible and I can stand it – it’s not the end of the world”. “I would prefer it if everyone liked me but it’s not necessary for my survival to be liked and approved of by everyone for everything I do” Hypnotherapy can be useful for blushing and building confidence. There is some useful stuff at http://www.mental-toughness.co.uk/

Q: has anybody had cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety did it work?
im due to start cbt for anxiety the wait on the nhs is too long so im going private 55 pound an hour so i want to know if its worth it.ill try anything to ease this vile condition

A: As a psychologist who works with CBT and anxiety I can assure you that it works quite often.

Q: How do I find inexpensive therapy for depression/anxiety?
I really need to lessen my feelings of depression and anxiety but I'm really tight on money and can't afford to pay a psychologist for private sessions. Is there some other way? I have an aunt and uncle who are both psychologists but I'm very hesitant to ask them for help because I don't feel comfortable sharing this with family or friends for that matter. I don't know if it is worth it to ask them or not? What other options are out there?

A: Depression - caused by chemical imbalances of serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and other important neurotranmitters in the brain which balance emotions is a serious issue. Psychologists state that depression is a unhealthy state which we 'can' work through in order to experience greater levels of happiness. Some who daily experience deep chronic depression may require both prescribed medication along with 'Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy {M.B.C.T.') provided by Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapists and there are some who experience chronic-but not deeply chronic depression who work well with M.B.C.T. alone. *Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD along with Psychologists Mark Williams, John Teasdale, and Zindel Segal have authored an Excellent self-help book called: "The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness". Mindfulness, a simple yet powerful way of paying attention to your most difficult emotions and life experiences, can help you break the cycle of chronic unhappiness once and for all, that you may experience greater levels of happiness. In 'The Mindful Way through Depression', it is explained why our usual attempts to "think" our way out of a bad mood or "just snap out of it" leads us deeper into the downward spiral of depression. Through very insightful lessons-drawn from both Mindfulness and Cognitive Therapy - Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD and Psychologists- Mark Williams, John Teasdale, and Zindel Segal demonstrate how to sidestep the negative habits that lead to unhappiness and despair, including self-blame and rumination so you can effectively face life's challenges with much resilience.

Q: Can Cognative Behavioral Therapy for anxiety help with being more assertive for every day life situations?
If not, do you have any suggestions of were to get assertiveness training in toronto?

A: I am having CBT at the moment and I am finding it helps me be more assertive. Its natural to think about all aspects of your thoughts when you have the treatment. I have learned to respect myself more and this in turn is making me more assertive.

Q: Does Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety help with self confidence issues?
And, if so, how does it do this?

A: Yes my daughter has OCD and she is so much more confident, she isn't afraid to make friends, to tell others how she feels, ask the teacher questions. I have a new child-a much different one than last year. She loves her therapist too, the therapist is just the sweetest being on this planet!

Q: Does therapy make anxiety worse?
I have been suffering from anxiety issues for several years. Recently I decided to attack the root cause and decided to go for the therapy. I try to keep myself busy normally to keep away from anxiety. But, now that I focus more on the underlying problems that have caused the anxiety, I feel it is getting worse. All these years I have tried hard to forget bad things and now, they are surfacing with vengence. Does anyone have any experience with this? Does it get worse with therapy before it gets better? I just could not sleep for days now. Please advise.

A: You feel worse because you are getting closer to the dragon. Keep fighting.

Q: Does Cognitive Behavior Therapy work for anxiety and racing negative thoughts?
I'm starting CBT in addition to taking Paxil and I'm wondering if CBT is any good. Has anyone been helped by it? Can it really change the way I think? What will my therapist do with me? What will I have to do on my own? Any info/opinions on this would be great.

A: A thought: CBT is a concept by which a therapist attempts to convince his patient that rationality and reason can help assuage many incongruent and illogical thought patterns. Many times, we are just not thinking logically about a problem which is presented to us. If we take the time to think through the source of the problem and the behavior which is manifested because of it, we can, in many cases, logically conclude that there is no reason to fall into the trap of allowing our overzealous thoughts to control us. Instead, our rationality can usurp our rambunctious and irrational ego.

Q: Has anyone even gone to therapy for social anxiety and been "cured"?
I went to therapy for about 4 months once a week for social anxiety. We would do exposures where I would have to embarass myself infrount of many people in public places. I would go home feeling worse then before. Has anyone had this work for them? Is there something else that might help with getting over social anxiety?

A: Yeh. Meds are good until we gain more social skills. Emotional Intelligence books push you right along. They cover a lot of topics and the information is so good for everything, that they are a must read anyway. Study intuition also. Low self worth and arrogance are either ends of the same stick. Thinking too much about our selves. Thinking of our self is self consciousness. We can't focus on our self and what we're doing at the same time so we're awkward and miss what is going on around us. We need to be somewhat aware of people and what they're doing. Most people monitor other people to some extent, not judging, not using judging words, but desciptive, objective ones and picking up on verbal and non-verbal signals and storing the information. I always look at least twice at an intersection. People are worth that much. So, how does that all work together. Emotional intelligence give you an idea where people are coming from and a better understanding of your emotions as well. Understanding your emotions means you're not so subject to them. Intuition gives you subtle signals from people to give you grace in a social situation and creative thinking about social situations, like a people artist. The intuition is objective and not subective so we can look at things objectively instead of being so subjective. Feelings cloud thinking so understanding that they are only energy and support what you're thinking about. If you think about something positive your emotions will come over to that, when they know that that is where you are going to stay and/or you expect them to come over. They seem to obey quite well and do what you expect without needing more bidding, especially if you stand your ground. LOL Likewise, if you think negative thoughts the same energy will go there. The subjective mind is negative so people almost always have to think only about intuitive thoughts and using them. This kind or thinking causes no problems except that we have to observe things outside our thoughts also. Objective, right brain, intuitive thoughts are positive, calm and 'knowing'. It's hard to explain, but not that hard to do. And finally, to take your thoughts off yourself, monitor your intuitive thoughts and make descriptive observations and you will be way ahead of everyone, as only half of people know how to think right. When they learn they will be no threat, as they will be happy and friendly as you will be. And oh, yes, stay away from negative people. Don't despair, you got three books in this one message so you're mostly done. Do the whole thing and you will be over confident and too happy, but that's another problem. Isn't life like that? I would really like to see if this works for you as it has for me and to discuss experiences. I have a new Yahoo Group and no subscibers so you could help me get started. Also I really have an interest in this subject. It's at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Emotionalintell/?yguid=293593604

Q: Desensitation therapy for social anxiety?
I just started cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety and my therapist gave me Homework to do in between our next session. I have to go up to 20 strangers everyday and ask them the time. I'm a little nervous about doing it but don't have a problem with it. He says by doing things like this it will increase my self-esteem and confidence and I will soon be able to feel comfortable doing more daring things. Does this really work?

A: Yes it actually does. I'm just the same as you. I suggest asking people who you think look friendly and work from there. It's going to help you with the confidence part because then you'll start thinking that asking isn't embarrassing or annoys others and become little more comfortable with interacting with other people and there your self-esteem will increase.

Q: Has anyone had electroshock therapy for anxiety?
I am considering a more aggressive treatment for my anxiety attacks, which have recently confined me to my home or close by my home (safety zone). I have suffered from this on/off or 15 years - half my life. Has anyone tried electroshock therapy or something similar? I have had no real effects with med therapy. Any EDUCATED responses would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

A: I am terribly sorry about your anxiety being so bad. I too have had such bad anxiety for 14 years now and am confined to my home quite often but definitely can only go so many miles from my home when I am actyally able to leave. I can tell you from personal experience that I had ECT's for depression 3 years ago. I would personally never have the treatments again because for me they only lasted short term and I did not like the memory loss associated with them. However, I know of some people that have had them and they have helped a great deal with their depression but I was not aware that they helped with anxiety. I have run out of options as far as medications too so if your Dr. has suggested this I say it is worth a try. I truly wish you the best in whatever you decide and hope your anxiety gets better. Good luck :o)

Q: How can a person suffering from anxiety make and go to a therapy appointment?
I feel like the anxiety over calling and going is so overwhelming. I want help but at the same time I can't deal with the anxiety associated with going. I feel like I might be able to hide it at first but I don't want to break down or drive there and then sit in the parking lot frozen by anxiety. And mind over matter doesn't help...as I'm sure those of you dealing with anxiety know. I've tried to feel different, I just can't seem to.

A: Call your local hospital outpatient clinic and state your issues and say you would like to see someone. This would be a lot easier than picking one out of the phone book, or maybe you already have one in mind. Your anxiety can be helped greatly by therapy and medication and you need to comfort yourself with these thoughts. When you get in there and start talking about whats bothering you, you will start to feel a little less anxiety. Is there some major problem in your life right now, like death of a loved one, or something else traumatic that happened to you? Your probably like me and have a genetic predisposition to having anxiety but there is most likely something in your life making it worse, think about what that is and write about, cry about it, think about and start dealing with it. Plus stay far away from any stimulants, like coffee, tea, soda with caffeine.

Q: Need some good social anxiety exposure ideas for therapy?
at the hospital im going to i have so far greeted people randomly and introduced myself to select few.. need more ideas please!! thank you in advance!

A: View the information and weblinks for social anxiety/shyness, and self confidence, in sections 9, and 38, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris Here is an exercise that can help you. It is called "Act as If." When you are in a social situation, act as if you are outgoing. Talk more, smile at everyone, ask questions, speak in a normal or excited tone, not a meek tone. Watch some of your outgoing peers, and imitate the style of their social behavior. (I PRETEND that I'm an ACTOR, PLAYING a PART). Research shows that when you "act as if" continually, your image of yourself begins to conform to your new behavior. In this case, you will gain self-esteem and self-confidence, and begin to see yourself as socially normal, not shy. You will become more socially successful, and this will motivate you to continue your new social behavior until it becomes a habit. Try this for a month, in every situation you can. I am confident that you will become much more comfortable and outgoing. One form of therapy is to go somewhere that nobody knows you, and deliberately make an utter fool of yourself: put on a paper hat, and scream out: "I'm queen/king of America!", or something else ridiculous, then get back in the taxi, (warn the driver of your intentions, first) or car, and leave. People will point, and say: "Look at that idiot". But, you're probably not up to the stage where you can do that, yet (I can, and I used to be shy). It will teach you that, although it isn't actually pleasant, (EXPECT MODERATE DISCOMFORT) you will survive; be stronger for the experience, and the next time (should you need to repeat this type of therapy) will be considerably easier. Remember: "A fear avoided is a fear strengthened; a fear faced is a fear reduced." Regard it as your final test: once you have accomplished it, the barrier will be broken; just don't go too far, the other way! Learn to laugh at yourself, and give a big, cheesy grin when others see you do something foolish, as we all do, occasionally. It is endearing, if you don't do it too often. Use positive affirmations: for example: "I am very likable and other people feel comfortable around me". Write down all of your self limiting beliefs; then write down the positive counter of them, (exact opposite) and repeat them and imprint them into your mind. Most importantly: Force yourself to approach somebody and initiate some sort of communication. Start out small by asking the time and directions and gradually go bigger. Although there are anti-anxiety medications (anxiolytics) available, these come with risks, and the possibility of side effects, habituation, even addiction, and withdrawal problems, and are unsuitable for young people. Try having a cup of "Tension Tamer", herbal tea, by Celestial Seasonings, (from supermarket tea, or health food aisles) or make some at home, and cool, then bottle, and drink as needed (I find it so strong tasting, that I need to drink it quickly, followed by something like fruit juice, to take away the taste, but others may find it more tolerable). C(h)amomile tea is a more palatable option. As with all herbal/green teas, use lemon/lime, and/or a little sweetener (NOT ARTIFICIAL!!!) but no cream, or milk. Xylitol, or Stevia is preferable, (health food stores) or fruit sugar (fructose, such as "Fruisana", from supermarket sugar aisles). Valerian has also been recommended, but some people experience "valerian hangovers". Ensure you know how you react to it, before doing something potentially dangerous, like going out on the roads. The idea is to use the above like water wings, to provide initial, short term support, while you become proficient in those techniques. 40% of people are fairly suggestible. http://www.hypnosisdownloads/ has many: SEARCHBAR - "social anxiety".

Q: Is there a career that deals with helping babies overcome seperation anxiety like therapy PLEASE read details?
im not a parent i just want to know... like where you can show the kids that stuff comes back and stuff to help them ease into letting go or just therapy that helps kids under like 3 with whatever if u have this job or know someone with this job or just know there is a job like this or sent ur kid to something like this please explain oh and what is it called exactly??

A: You can look into pediatric or child psychology. Family therapy is also an option. There are also programs called Early Intervention Programs for children under the age of 3 with disabilities and developmental delays. Separation anxiety is a disorder and may qualify (I'm not sure).