Finding the courage and willingness to seek therapy is a big step for anyone who suffers from anxiety. It’s also a vital step!
Your therapist on https://radiantflow.sg will ask you questions to better understand your anxiety. It’s important to tell the truth. It may take several sessions before you are comfortable with your feelings. Your therapist might also use relaxation techniques to ease your symptoms.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy has been proven to be an effective treatment for anxiety disorders. CBT’s goal is to change unhelpful, unhealthy ways of feeling, thinking and acting. It uses practical self help strategies to improve your life.
During the first few sessions, your therapist will focus on assessment and identification of distressing symptoms. He or she may ask questions about general functioning such as how often do you feel anxious, and what triggers your anxiety. This information will allow your therapist to develop the best treatment plan.
The cognitive component of the CBT helps you identify negative thoughts that are contributing to your anxiety, such a catastrophizing and focusing on worst-case scenarios. During these sessions, your therapist will teach you to recognize these thoughts and replace them with more realistic and helpful ones. The behavioural component of CBT may include exposure therapy, which is especially helpful for people with phobias and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). This involves slowly and gradually confronting the items or situations which trigger your fear.
Your therapist may also use role-playing to help you get comfortable with the items or situations that are making you anxious. Your therapist may play the part of a doctor if you’re afraid to visit the doctor for an examination. Over time, you will gain confidence and be able to tolerate the situation.
Your therapist may also prescribe specific activities you must complete outside of therapy sessions. You might be asked to keep a journal in which you record your disturbing thoughts, or do breathing exercises whenever you feel anxious. During sessions, your therapist can teach you these activities and give feedback.
CBT has been successfully used to treat many different anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, OCD, and PTSD. It is important to note that although each disorder has unique characteristics, CBT has been proven to be effective in addressing the common mechanisms of anxiety disorders such as neuroticism and emotional avoidance.
Schema Therapy
Schema therapy is based on the idea that early maladaptive’schemas’ play a major role in the development and progression of many psychological disorders including social anxiety. Schema therapy aims to change the unhelpful ways of coping that are often associated with these schemas. These unhelpful coping styles include avoidance, surrender and overcompensation. This is done by encouraging the individual to try new behaviors that counteract the negative schemas and reinforce healthier alternatives.
The first step in addressing schemas involves examining the evidence that supports and refutes them. This is usually done by using questionnaires such as the Young Schema Questionnaire, and visual imagery techniques. For example, the therapist may ask clients to close their eyes and imagine themselves as children with their parents. This will often reveal the core schemas.
Once the schemas have been identified, the therapist works with the client by using a mixture of cognitive and behavior techniques. Cognitive techniques include learning the schema, examining evidence that supports or refutes it, as well as identifying negative beliefs and feelings associated with it. The therapist will help the client learn healthier ways to feel and think about themselves.
Emotional Deprivation is a common schema that describes the belief in others’ needs being more important than your own. People with this schema often feel guilty for attending to their own needs. They also have difficulty expressing their emotions, like anger and sadness. This schema is often formed in childhood when children feel responsible for their parents’ or siblings’ well-being.
Another common schema is Mistrust/Abuse, which describes the belief that people will deliberately hurt or abuse you. These individuals tend to be overly suspicious of their co-workers and friends, as well as resentful of their families. They have difficulty expressing their feelings, which can lead to difficult relationships. This schema is formed in childhood, when children are abused by their parents, peers, or siblings.
Eye Movement Therapy (EMT)
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), a form psychotherapy, uses eye movements to help people process traumatic memories. This form of therapy can be used to treat a variety mental health disorders including anxiety. EMDR works by helping people desensitize traumatic events and acknowledge that they are no longer a threat. EMDR is an effective treatment option for those who suffer from trauma-related conditions such as depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
During a session of EMDR, your therapist asks you to think back on a traumatic incident that has caused you stress. The therapist will ask you to identify images, emotions or self-thoughts associated with the memory. The therapist will then begin to move their hands or use bilateral stimulation to activate both sides of the brain, usually with eye movements but can be tactile taps or audio tones. The therapist will do this until the negative feelings that are associated with the memory are processed.
After each brief set of bilateral stimulation, your therapist will stop the eye movements or other BLS and ask you to report any new thoughts that have emerged. This new material will be the focus of BLS in the next session. In the final phase, also known as installation, of EMDR therapy, your therapist will guide through relaxation techniques to help you regain emotional stability and reinforce positive cognitions.
EMDR has been proven to be effective by multiple clinical trials. It is based off the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) theory, which suggests your brain processes traumatic and non-traumatic experiences differently. This can lead unprocessed trauma to manifest as flashbacks or anxiety. EMDR is a safe, non-invasive, and effective treatment that can be used alone or in conjunction with other therapies. It can be combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy to address underlying issues contributing to your anxiety.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
When anxiety symptoms are caused by interpersonal difficulties, IPT can be highly effective. IPT has been proven to reduce anxiety when addressing underlying issues, such as role transitions and unresolved grief. It helps people improve their support system and cope with anxiety symptoms. IPT is a treatment that can be used in conjunction with other therapies or as a stand-alone treatment.
IPT, unlike CBT places an emphasis on interpersonal aspects that influence a person’s emotional condition. IPT’s goal is to give individuals a framework through which they can explore and understand their social interactions and relationships. IPT helps them identify and address underlying issues that may be contributing to their anxiety symptoms, including problems with work, family, friendships, and romantic relationships.
IPT is a combination of techniques and interventions that improves communication and social functioning. It involves identifying and exploring interpersonal issues that are contributing to anxiety symptoms. This includes boundary-setting skills and assertiveness. It also focuses primarily on improving self-advocacy. IPT can help overcome anxiety and depressive disorders by fostering healthy connections.