Anxiety is a naturally occurring emotion that we all experience. It alerts us to the environment and our surroundings so that we can act accordingly (fight, flight, or freeze). Ideally, it would come and go once we have processed and addressed the threat; however, for many, it is not that simple. For some, we get stuck in an anxious loop that never ceases, or in some cases builds and builds. For these individuals, it is important to know that they do not have to live trapped in this loop, and seeking therapy can aid in breaking the cycle.

What Does Anxiety Treatment Include?

Therapy for anxiety will help you in several ways. Unlike medication, which often treats the symptoms, therapy will dig deep into the roots and cause of your worry and anxiety. Looking for learned patterns or common themes that could bring self-awareness and aid in reframing certain situations. This could help you look at certain situations with a less fearful perspective or redistribute your attention to more important or realistic things. This could go deep into your childhood or be connected to a major event in your life, depending on your own experience.

Anxiety often dominates the mind through our thoughts. This can present as rumination, intrusive thoughts, and negative cognition, and can even distort our perception of reality.

When anxiety or worry controls our mind it can feed us lies under the guise of truth. Differentiating the lies from reality is a battle that comes much easier after we become more aware of ourselves and with support from a therapist. Changing our thought patterns can arguably be the hardest battle but holds the greatest rewards and can offer internal peace and relief; for our thoughts have a direct line to the emotions we feel.

Anxiety is deeply rooted in our sympathetic nervous system and can be extremely taxing when constantly activated. Gaining an understanding of the early warning signs of our body can give us back control, by intervening before the anxiety gets out of hand. It also opens the door to techniques that subside the sympathetic nervous system and can combat anxiety on a physical level (breathing techniques, laughter, progressive muscle relaxation, or guided imagery).

What type of therapy is best for anxiety?

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective form of psychotherapy for anxiety disorders. Generally a short-term treatment, CBT focuses on teaching you specific skills to improve your symptoms and gradually return to the activities you've avoided because of anxiety.

How Do I Choose Between Medication and Therapy for Anxiety?

For anxiety disorders, cognitive-behavioral therapy, antidepressant medications and anti-anxiety medications have all been shown to be helpful.

Research generally shows that psychotherapy is more effective than medications, and that adding medications does not significantly improve outcomes from psychotherapy alone.

Different people respond to treatment differently. But research shows that psychotherapy can be helpful even for people who do not respond well to medications. Psychotherapy and medications both require that you stick with the treatment.