How is anxiety treated in psychotherapy?

Anxiety problems are one of the most frequent psychological problems among the population, and are It is estimated that they are present in the form of anxiety disorder in approximately 5% of the population in the countries Westerners.

That is why, for decades, psychologists have dedicated much of our work to developing and applying effective anxiety treatment methods.

Throughout this article we will see, in summary, how anxiety is treated in psychotherapy, the different ways in which psychologists help patients with this kind of discomfort.

• Related article: "The 7 types of anxiety (characteristics, causes and symptoms)"

What forms can anxiety problems take?

Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state that is expressed in various ways, although all of them have something in common: it appears as an anticipatory reaction to possible sources of danger or risk of losing something.

It is a phenomenon present in all healthy individuals and that in most cases is adaptive (that is, useful for our ability to survive adapting to the environment), but that can sometimes be involved in psychopathologies or even diseases physical.

In fact, anxiety is associated to a greater or lesser extent with a large part of psychological disorders that appear in the most used diagnostic manuals. However, sometimes the anxious component is so central to the appearance of psychopathology that this is considered to be the main driver of it. In these cases we speak of anxiety disorders.

The most important anxiety disorders are the following:

• Phobias
• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Panic disorder
• Separation anxiety disorder

On the other hand, other disorders closely linked to anxiety are Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and addictions. In all these cases, the problem or a good part of it has to do with the behavior patterns that the person adopts to alleviate the discomfort from anxiety; strategies that work more or less in the short term, but make the situation worse in the medium or long term.

For example, in the case of spider phobia, the fact that we have become accustomed to fleeing quickly when we meet these animals will make us more used to this type of reaction in us, and anticipatory anxiety will be higher. Something similar happens in all disorders associated with anxiety, because they are based on the anticipation of what will happen.

How is it treated in therapy?

These are the key ideas for understanding how anxiety treatment occurs.

1. It is a gradual process

There are no magic bullets that will eliminate anxiety problems overnight. The psychotherapeutic process lasts between several weeks and several months, and requires constancy in conducting sessions with the psychologist.

2. You have to face what generates anxiety

All forms of therapy to overcome anxiety are based on "learning" ways to deal with what makes us feel anxious, without letting it take control of our actions. Therefore, involves getting used to enduring a certain level of discomfort or emotional distress for a few minutes, although psychologists supervise and help to make this easier.

• You may be interested in: "The 8 benefits of going to psychological therapy"

3. There are beliefs to correct

Often times, part of what keeps anxiety disorder alive is a dysfunctional belief system, which give more reasons to experience that state of alertness and anticipation. In psychotherapy, the appropriate context is created for patients to question these preconceptions.

4. There are routines that help manage anxiety

On the other hand, there are a number of preventive measures that help patients to be prepared to adequately deal with times when anxiety rises a lot. These have to do with maintaining good physical and mental health, on the one hand, and learning some techniques to learn to relax at key moments, on the other.

Tools used in psychotherapy to overcome anxiety

These are the main therapeutic resources used to treat anxiety problems.

1. Systematic desensitization and similar methods

Systematic desensitization is a series of procedures that aim to help the person get used to what causes anxiety, coping with it to associate it with a state of calm or neutral emotionality. These are done following an ascending difficulty curve, so that patients can progress from the easier experiences to the more anxious ones.

There are a number of similar modes of intervention that also have this objective, the most important of which are controlled exposure and EMDR therapy.

2. Cognitive restructuring

Cognitive restructuring is a series of techniques belonging to cognitive-behavioral therapy, which aim to help patients shed maladaptive beliefs and that they are participating in the maintenance of the disorder.

3. Mindfulness

Mindfulness consists of a psychological state characterized by directing attention to the present, observing it from a perspective of acceptance of imperfections.

It is inspired by ancient meditation practices, although it does not have the religious implications of these last, and is used for therapeutic purposes in various contexts: psychotherapy, work environment in companies, sport, etc. Among other things, helps to get rid of psychological rumination, that is, invasive ideas or thoughts and disturbing that appear in our consciousness over and over again.

4. Relaxation techniques

The relaxation techniques are aimed at making anxiety dissipate through practices that modify the state of the body from an emotional and physiological point of view. The best known are Jacobson's controlled breathing techniques and progressive muscle relaxation.

Are you interested in having professional help for anxiety?

If you are suffering from a problem related to anxiety and you are looking for professional help, in Cepsim Psychological Center We invite you to get in touch with us.

Our team of psychologists has training, experience and mastery of the most effective techniques and methods to treat a wide variety of psychological disorders: work stress, relationship problems, phobias, generalized anxiety, trauma and post-traumatic stress, relationship problems, and more. We serve both at our headquarters located in Madrid and through the online mode.

To see more information about Cepsim Psychological Center, you can visit this page.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association -APA- (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Madrid: Panamericana.
• Hofmann SG, Dibartolo PM (2010). Introduction: Toward an Understanding of Social Anxiety Disorder. Social Anxiety.
• Otte, C. (2011). Cognitive behavioral therapy in anxiety disorders: current state of the evidence. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. 13 (4): pp. 413 - 421.
• Rynn, M.A.; Brawman-Mintzer, O. (2004). Generalized anxiety disorder: acute and chronic treatment. CNS Spectrums. 9 (10): pp. 716 - 723.
• Sylvers, P.; Lilienfeld, S.O.; LaPrairie, J.L. (2011). Differences between trait fear and trait anxiety: implications for psychopathology. Clinical Psychology Review. 31 (1): pp. 122 - 137.