Living with an anxiety disorder can be challenging. Therapy can help give you the tools to change your ways of thinking and learn how to cope with feelings of fear or panic when they arise. There are several types of therapy for anxiety disorders that can help you discover its underlying causes and develop healthy problem-solving skills and techniques to assuage your worries.
There are several anxiety disorders that may cause people to react to distressing feelings, thoughts, and situations in an extreme way. In some cases, those with anxiety attempt to manage their reactions by avoiding certain triggers. However, this can backfire and cause your anxiety to worsen. Therapy for anxiety disorders can help treat conditions such as:
Types of Therapy for Anxiety
Each anxiety disorder comes with its own hurdles and affects individuals differently. That’s why it’s important to be thoroughly evaluated by a mental health professional before beginning any type of therapy. The type of therapy that works best for you will depend on the severity of your symptoms and your diagnosis.
The basic principle of cognitive behavioral therapy is that your thoughts, not your immediate circumstances, impact how you feel and react. CBT helps you recognize and understand negative ways of thinking and damaging behavior patterns and learn how to replace them with more rational thoughts and actions and effective coping mechanisms.
Your therapist can give you specific strategies for reshaping unrealistic or negative thoughts and help you learn to apply healthy coping skills to manage panic, fear, and worry.
A counselor may employ a type of CBT called exposure therapy, which involves introducing anxiety-producing objects or situations and helping you work your way through them using relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, guided imagery, or meditation.
Another type of CBT that can help anxiety disorders is dialectical behavior therapy. DBT emphasizes a dialectical (opposing) way of thinking, acceptance, and change. In short, this type of therapy for anxiety disorders helps you discover how to accept your anxiety while actively working to change it. Common techniques for easing anxiety include:
Some other types of therapy for anxiety and other mental health conditions include acceptance and commitment therapy, psychoanalytic therapy, and interpersonal therapy. No matter which one seems the most appealing to you, seeking therapy for anxiety disorders can help you find out which types meet your specific needs and personality.
The therapists at Kayenta Therapy can help you find the tools and skills you need to cope with therapy for anxiety disorders and live a healthier, happier life. Contact a therapist directly to schedule an in-person or teletherapy appointment today.
