Types Of Therapies For Anxiety Disorders

Some people might conflate anxiety with worry, whereas others may associate anxiety with nervousness. However, anxiety is an emotion separate from worry or nerves – anxiety is characterized by immense fear, distress, and physical symptoms. Anxiety often involves a fear of a real or perceived threat. 

You do not have to have a severe anxiety disorder to feel anxiety. However, if anxiety frequently negatively impacts your life, it may indicate an anxiety disorder or underlying concern. 

Anxiety overview

Several anxiety disorders are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V), and anxiety can increase a person’s risk of developing an additional mental health condition, such as depression or borderline personality disorder. The most common anxiety disorders include the following: 

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• Social anxiety disorder 
• Separation anxiety disorder 
• Specific phobias 
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) 
• Panic disorder

Several factors can contribute to the development of these anxiety disorders, including genetic and environmental influences. Individuals may be more likely to struggle with anxiety and other mental health disorders if they have a family history of anxiety or mental illness. 

Anxiety disorders symptoms

With a panic anxiety disorder, individuals might experience panic attacks and periods of immense distress with accompanying physical symptoms of anxiety: 

• Sweating
• Rapid heart rate
• Shallow breathing or hyperventilation 
• Shaking

Types of therapies for anxiety: Exposure therapy

With more than 400 types of therapy available in the US, there are many options to consider when treating anxiety disorder symptoms, including dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), interpersonal therapy, psychodynamic therapy, psychoanalytic therapy, commitment therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and more types of therapies for anxiety.

Types of therapies for anxiety

Below are five common therapeutic treatments used for reducing anxiety symptoms. However, the list is not exhaustive, and other therapeutic options for anxiety are available.

Animal-assisted therapies

Many animal-assisted therapies can bring emotional relief to people experiencing anxiety. Dogs, cats, and horses are often used in anxiety therapy due to their gentle nature and the possibility of allowing the client to form a connection with a loving animal. 

These types of therapies are often integrated into broader treatment plans by a therapist, as the bond with an animal can provide unique emotional benefits.Animals often leave individuals feeling relaxed. Their presence might help clients ignore their fears and focus on an activity with the animal. For example, people with anxiety participating in equine therapy may clean a horse, feed it, and go for relaxing rides.

These therapies can also be helpful for people with anxiety to experience a bond with an animal. It can be lonely to experience mental health challenges, and animals may provide a connection. 

Another type of animal-assisted therapy includes sessions with a therapy animal like a therapy dog. In these cases, the animal has undergone specific therapeutic training. They have calm temperaments and are often playful and cuddly. These sessions are frequently used by a therapist as part of a structured treatment for anxiety.

Note that therapy animals are not the same as service animals. Service animals are trained to complete one or more tasks to aid their individual handler with their disability. Service dogs are not allowed to complete tasks for people who are not their handlers or to provide therapy work unless they are specifically trained to do so. 

Art therapy for anxiety and mental health

Art therapy can be a unique way to release anxiety-related emotions, as this type of therapy can be challenging to express fear or worry verbally. Art therapy allows anxious clients to use various mediums to showcase their emotions or relieve tension. A randomized controlled trial found that art therapy is effective in reducing anxiety symptoms and enhancing quality of life and emotion control.

Art therapists integrate different types of art mediums, including paint, pencil, pastels, glass, jewelry, beads, paper mâché, clay, sculpting materials, and other art supplies into the treatment process to allow their clients to express themselves or talk while focusing on another activity. The art therapist can offer prompts, talk to the individual about their creative process, or silently create art with them. 

Creating art during art therapy may also build self-esteem. After the client finishes a project, they might feel a sense of accomplishment or pride. Their therapist may compliment their pieces and ask them to describe the pieces. 

Art therapy can take place in a group setting or in an individual one-on-one appointment with an art therapist. This type of therapy can also be adapted for personal use, as individuals are encouraged to create art at home to cope with distressing emotions or symptoms, extending the benefits beyond formal treatment sessions.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety treatment

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)  is a highly effective type of therapy that combines cognitive therapy and behavior therapy. This therapy is one of the most effective types of therapy for anxiety because it focuses on the connection between the person's thoughts, behaviors, and feelings.

When someone struggles with anxiety, their thoughts may be fearful or contain cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are unhelpful thoughts that may not be based on logic or reason. They can be hard to identify, but CBT therapists are trained to help clients restructure and rephrase these thoughts to make them more manageable. 

Exposure therapy, a key component of CBT,  is another common type of therapy for anxiety disorders and phobias. Exposure therapy often uses a therapeutic technique called systematic desensitization, in which therapists can use tools such as virtual reality exposure therapy to expose patients to anxiety-provoking stimuli and help gradually reduce their reactions. Some CBT therapists may also use tools like virtual reality exposure therapy to help clients face fears in a safe, simulated environment. 

Cognitive-behavioral therapy can be a short-term or a long-term treatment. Initially, in the early stages of therapy, clients may work with their therapist to recognize unwanted thought patterns and draw connections between their thoughts and their behaviors.

As CBT progresses, the therapist may use exercises or homework assignments to help the client learn relaxation techniques or new ways of thinking. These practical exercises reinforce the skills learned during therapy sessions, ensuring that the benefits of CBT treatment extend into everyday life.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, these cognitive restructuring practices can help people living with anxiety disorders decrease anxious feelings. This evidence-based approach, guided by skilled CBT therapists, is one of the most effective types of therapy available for treating anxiety disorders, providing clients with long-lasting tools to improve their mental health.

Biofeedback therapy for anxiety symptoms

Biofeedback therapy is a type of therapy that involves being hooked up to monitors and sensors that monitor bodily functions during therapy and treatment sessions. During these therapy sessions, the therapist may monitor the client's breathing rate, brain waves, heart rate, skin temperature, and blood pressure. As the clients discuss their symptoms or look at certain stimuli, the therapist can watch how their body reacts. 

Allowing the clients to see their physical progress may help demonstrate which coping skills are most effective. It can also help the client learn to identify signs of stress even when they are not hooked up to the monitors.

For example, if the clients remember how it feels to have a racing heart, they might notice their heart rate speeding up when they begin to feel anxious out in public. 

Medications

In some cases, medication is another type of treatment used for anxiety. Several anxiety medications provide short-term relief or help suppress anxiety symptoms. Many people will also attend therapy while taking medications for anxiety.

Medications are not always a long-term solution, and therapy, like CBT or dialectical behavior therapy, can be as effective as medication in reducing anxiety symptoms. In addition, psychiatrists and medical doctors are the only providers able to prescribe long-term mental health medications.

Do not start, change, or stop medication without consulting your doctor or other mental health professionals. 

Lifestyle changes for anxiety & mental health

Finding support from a mental health professional can be valuable when living with anxiety symptoms. However, you can make a few at-home lifestyle changes to care for yourself in conjunction with your therapy sessions. 

Breathing exercises

Anxiety can cause hyperventilation, a shallow and fast form of breathing. Fast breathing impacts your heart rate, may lead to muscle tension, and can feel distressing. Learning deep breathing techniques can help you regain control when anxiety arises.

One common breathing exercise is box breathing, which involves breathing in, holding your breath, breathing out, and then holding your breath again. 

Mindfulness and meditation practices for anxiety disorders

Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on the current moment through guided exercises, such as breathing, focusing on your senses, or meditation. It can allow individuals to ground themselves, feel "inside" their body, and reduce the distressing symptoms of anxiety or panic.

One quick way to practice mindfulness and ground yourself in the present moment if you are experiencing distress is to identify all of the items of a certain color in the room. 

Self-care activities

Self-care can include eating nourishing foods, practicing sleep hygiene, exercising regularly, participating in mindfulness activities, or engaging in hobbies. Self-care does not have to be effortful or expensive – even simply sitting outside can have mental health benefits.

Therapy options and exposure therapy for anxiety

If you feel anxiety negatively impacts your life, you may benefit from therapy. Although the five forms of therapy described above can be effective for treating anxiety, they are not your only options for therapy. One specific option is exposure therapy, which involves gradually facing the situations or thoughts that trigger your anxiety, helping to reduce your fearful response over time.

When looking for a therapist, you can ask your doctor for a referral or do an online search for therapists in your area. If you struggle to afford treatment or can't find a therapist you connect with in your city, you can also try online therapy.