Can therapy help with anxiety?

Anxiety is a perfectly normal response to certain situations, and many people experience it from time to time. The body has a built-in anxiety response system, often called the fight or flight response, designed to help us face threats that the brain and mind detect. This system can help us flee from danger, stand and fight to protect ourselves, and may even temporarily sharpen the skills we possess to navigate difficult situations.

Anxiety can also become problematic, though. It can occur for what seems to be no reason, become difficult to manage, and symptoms can also interfere with daily life. Anxiety symptoms can be disturbing and uncomfortable. These can include:

• Feeling nervous or tense
• Feeling a sense of impending doom
• Hyperventilation
• Shaking or trembling
• Feeling weak and tired
• Difficulty focusing or concentrating on anything but the anxiety or worry
• Changes in sleeping patterns
• Stomach problems like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Difficulty managing worry
• Avoiding things that are thought to cause anxiety

There are multiple types of anxiety disorders, so the presentation of symptoms and when they present are factors that a doctor or licensed professional counselor will consider when working to understand what you’re experiencing. Anxiety is frequently treated with psychotherapy (also called therapy, talk therapy, or counseling), medication prescribed by a medical doctor (like a psychiatrist or your family doctor), or a combination of both, depending on your needs and preferences.

Multiple therapy interventions are helpful and research-supported as being helpful with anxiety. Cognitive behavior therapy or CBT is frequently used. CBT emphasizes the role that thoughts play in emotions and focuses on helping you identify helpful and unhelpful thoughts, challenging existing thought and belief patterns that may cause anxiety to spike or worsen. Exposure therapy is a form of CBT that emphasizes careful and gradual exposure to objects associated with anxiety. Mindfulness, solution-focused therapy, narrative therapy, and many more are helpful with anxiety. Your therapist will work with you to determine what specific modalities and interventions may be most helpful to you and suited to you and your symptom presentation.