Will therapy help with anxiety?

Therapy is a popular and successful treatment for anxiety and anxiety disorders. Therapy can be used alone to treat anxiety or used with medication. In therapy, you learn skills and tools for managing anxiety that will last and may even be helpful in other areas of life.

There are some therapeutic interventions that have been created and shown to be helpful in treating anxiety. While the approach can be an important factor in treatment, the goals for any therapy for anxiety will usually be to help you identify your feelings and triggers and to work on managing and changing your reactions to them. Your therapist should work to create a treatment plan that is specific to your issues and particular diagnosis.

Of the approaches used to treat anxiety, there are some that are more popular. These are cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT, exposure therapy, which is a form of CBT, dialectical behavioral therapy which is derived from CBT, and others.

CBT is a research-supported treatment for anxiety. It helps with anxiety by teaching you to recognize how thoughts influence feelings and behavior. When you identify and understand the thinking and behavior patterns that you tend to fall into, you are able to determine more helpful responses and realistic thoughts and behaviors.

Exposure therapy works by slowly introducing you to triggers to lessen their ability to have a triggering effect for you. This intervention is usually accompanied by relaxation techniques and other coping skills to use during exposure therapy and in life when presented with triggers.

DBT focuses on the acceptance of the anxiety while working to change it. In order to change, we must accept where it is that we are, and DBT is rooted in this. It uses and teaches coping skills like distress tolerance, interpersonal skills, emotional regulation, and mindfulness.

There are other great approaches to anxiety that can include an integrated approach that draws on multiple types of therapies, narrative therapy, and more. Your therapist will work with you to find the most helpful treatment for your situation.

One of the benefits of therapy is that it can be tailored to the individual. It’s also a process that is unique to the individual, which means that time to progress can vary as well. Therapy shouldn’t be thought of as a “quick fix”, but rather a long-term and powerful one.

To make the most out of your therapy experience, ask your therapist questions and find a therapist you feel you “click” with. One of the biggest factors in therapy success is the relationship you and your therapist build. Do work outside of sessions that your therapist may recommend. Try your best to share your true thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Work with the therapist to create goals that are unique and personal to you.

If you’re experiencing anxiety and it is interfering with your daily life, talk with your doctor or mental health professional.