Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Treating Anxiety

Anxiety is a very common condition. However, the Anxiety & Depression Association of America reports that only 37% of patients receive anxiety treatment. This statistic is unfortunate because effective therapy is available.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a feeling of strong discomfort. It makes a person want to flee the situation causing it. Many different circumstances can trigger anxiety, and it depends a lot on the person experiencing it.

Anxiety presents itself in a variety of symptoms. Some common ones are irritability, nausea, disturbed sleep, repetitive thinking, clammy skin, headache, weakness, shaking, hyperventilation, and feelings of doom.

Anxiety is a natural human emotion. It stems from survival techniques people have experienced for thousands of years. When the brain senses danger, the body prepares to flee or fight.

The increased heart rate, pumping adrenaline, and desire to escape are valuable tools when running from physical danger. However, they do not help someone anxious about speaking publicly or taking a test. The brain must learn new ways of dealing with these situations.

What is cognitive behavior therapy?

One of the best methods for anxiety treatment is cognitive behavior therapy. CBT is a form of talk therapy. It teaches people to:

• Identify the cause of anxiety.
• Examine their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
• Replace negative ideas with positive, realistic ones.
• Change behavior that causes problems.

CBT has been used since the 1950s. It can be effective for people of all ages. Typically, a person seeking anxiety treatment meets with someone trained in cognitive behavioral therapy. The therapist may be a social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist.

The person seeking treatment may meet one-on-one with the therapist, or people can meet in a group. Typically, patients complete treatment within 10 to 20 visits. This is an average amount, however, and individuals may finish in a different number of sessions.

Types of CBT

A therapist can use different types of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety treatment. One type is cognitive restructuring. It teaches people to recognize their negative thoughts or behaviors and replace them with more accurate and helpful ones.

Another type of CBT is behavioral activation. This technique involves planning to do the activity that causes anxiety. The action plan helps the person deal with the anxiety and move forward.

Journaling and relaxation techniques are also types of CBT. A therapist can teach patients how to use these tools to calm the mind and body while switching negative thoughts with beneficial ones.

Effectiveness of CBT for anxiety treatment

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a very effective way to deal with anxiety. It teaches people to manage their symptoms by equipping them with positive, helpful thoughts and behaviors.

Medication can also be used to treat anxiety, and in many cases, people use both therapies. Unlike medicine, though, CBT treats the cause of anxiety, not just the symptoms.