Feeling anxiety is completely normal, and we can experience it in our daily lives in many situations. For example, just before an exam when our nerves are on edge or when we can’t sleep because we have an important decision to make.

Anxiety is a normal and adaptive reaction that appears in situations of stress or uncertainty . However, when anxiety causes functional impairment, affects different areas of our life (interpersonal relationships, work, school…) and causes great discomfort and suffering, then it is possible that it is an anxiety disorder. In this case it is necessary to go to psychological therapy.

Symptoms of anxiety disorders

Negative anxiety can manifest itself for different reasons, as there are different types of anxiety disorders. Some people have a great fear of public speaking (social phobia) and therefore , tend to avoid situations where they are exposed to this discomfort .

Others have irrational and catastrophic thoughts almost daily about events that have not happened and are very unlikely to happen (generalized anxiety disorder), and others feel great discomfort in reliving a traumatic event from the past (post-traumatic stress disorder). Regardless of the type of anxiety, some characteristic symptoms of this disorder are

  • Intense and irrational fear.
  • Excessive concern.
  • Dizziness, sweating, muscle tension, shortness of breath, dry mouth or fatigue.
  • Avoidance of feared situations.
  • Repetitive thoughts and behaviors.
  • Traumatic events are relived.
  • Sleeping difficulties.

Treatments for anxiety

If you think you’re one of those people with an anxiety disorder, you should know that you’re not alone, because anxiety is a very common problem. Because there are different types of anxiety disorders, each has a specific treatment.

Now, we psychologists can provide a series of techniques that help to improve states of anxiety , but the problem does not go away if you do not do your part. It is your responsibility to implement certain habits and strategies in your life to make anxiety stop being a problem.

If you want to know which treatments are applied in the therapeutic sessions, below you can find a list with the most relevant and outstanding ones:

1. Relaxation techniques

Our body reacts to anxious thoughts with muscle tension and a series of physiological reactions. When an anxious person interprets a situation as threatening, the fight and flight response is activated, a series of hormones are released, and the autonomic nervous system prepares the individual to respond to a dangerous situation.

Relaxation techniques aim to teach individuals to relax, learn to breathe properly and decrease physiological activation. There are various types of relaxation techniques, for example, Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation technique or Schultz’s autogenic training.

2. Exhibition techniques

Anxiety is not a pleasant feeling, so people with this disorder try to avoid situations that cause discomfort. A very frequent way of doing this is to get away from the situation or the anxious stimulus . If someone is afraid of speaking in public they may avoid attending their best friend’s wedding to avoid giving a speech in front of everyone. If someone is afraid of flying, he can drive for days to avoid getting on a plane.

Exposure therapy, as its name suggests, consists of exposing the patient to feared situations or objects . The idea is that through repeated exposures, the patient will acquire a sense of control over the anxiety, and the situation will tend to disappear. Exposure techniques are used in cases of phobias and other anxiety disorders (e.g. obsessive-compulsive disorder), and are characterized by the fact that the patient must confront the feared stimulus until the anxiety is reduced by habituation.

Thanks to this type of technique it is possible to prevent escape or avoidance from becoming a safety response. To do this, a hierarchy of feared stimuli is usually established so that the patient can gradually move towards these stimuli until extinction is achieved. This type of technique can be carried out both live and in an imaginary way. Today, thanks to new technologies, it is possible to perform these techniques through Virtual Reality . Exposure therapy can be used alone, or it can be performed as part of cognitive-behavioral therapy.

3. Systematic desensitization

Instead of facing the feared situation or object immediately, it is possible that the treatment and exposure starts with a situation that is only slightly threatening , to work gradually towards the goal. This step-by-step approach is called systematic desensitization. Systematic desensitization allows you to gradually challenge fears, build confidence and master panic management skills.

Systematic desensitization is similar to expository techniques (and for some authors it is included within these). However, there are some differences between both treatments. While in expository techniques habituation is used to overcome anxiety, in systematic desensitization counter-conditioning is used, that is, the substitution of an anxiety-producing response for one that is incompatible with it. In systematic desensitization the approach to the stimulus occurs gradually, but in the exposure technique the rate of approach depends on the time available, the patient’s disposition and the rate of habituation.

Systematic desensitization includes three parts:

  • Learn relaxation skills , and, once the patient faces their fears, use these relaxation techniques to reduce their anxiety response and encourage relaxation.
  • Prepare a step-by-step list . 10 to 20 scary situations are selected to progress to the final goal. For example, if you want to overcome your fear of flying, the first step may be to look at pictures of airplanes.
  • Working the steps under the guidance of the therapist . The patient is exposed to the feared situation and replaces the anxiety with the learned techniques.

4. Cognitive restructuring

Cognitive restructuring is based on the idea that the way we feel, behave and respond to situations based on our way of thinking, so this technique tries to modify thought patterns and dysfunctional beliefs.

Cognitive restructuring is derived from cognitive therapy (but is also used in cognitive behavioral therapy) that can help people identify and challenge the thought patterns and beliefs that cause anxiety. The purpose of this technique is to modify the patient’s thinking patterns through various methods.

5. Pharmacological techniques

In some cases it is advisable to complement psychological treatment with pharmacological treatment , especially in those situations where it is necessary to reduce symptoms rapidly, such as to treat a panic attack.

However, drugs must be combined with and gradually replaced by different cognitive and behavioural techniques. Drugs can be addictive and intolerant, so caution is needed in their use and self-medication should be avoided. Two types of drugs are commonly used in the treatment of anxiety: anxiolytics and antidepressants.

6. Mindfulness

Mindfulness belongs to the third generation of psychological therapies. One of the most widely used programs for the treatment of anxiety disorders is MBCT (Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy). The program combines meditation with the acquisition of practical skills that characterize cognitive therapy , such as the interruption of thought patterns that lead to anxious symptoms.

Mindfulness, more than a set of techniques, is a philosophy that focuses on self-acceptance, compassion, focusing on the here and now, and adopting a non-judgmental mindset. It is based on the idea that it is not the events that cause anxiety, but how we interpret and deal with them. It is not a question of eliminating anxiety but of accepting it, because by not putting up resistance, the anxious symptomatology is reduced.

Going to psychotherapy, the best option to overcome anxiety

When it comes to treating anxiety disorders, science shows that psychotherapy is generally the most effective option. Therapy helps patients discover the underlying causes of their worries and fears; it allows them to learn to relax and look at situations in a new light, and gives them the chance to develop better coping and problem-solving skills. The therapy provides the tools to overcome anxiety and teaches how to use them.

The length of treatment will depend on the type and severity of the anxiety disorder. However, many anxiety therapies are relatively short, because the vast majority of people get better after 8-10 therapy sessions

Mensalus Institute: experts in psychotherapy

If you suffer from any anxiety disorder and are interested in finding a solution to this situation that is affecting you, the Centro de Psicología Instituto Mensalus has a team of professionals who are experts in the treatment of this type of problem. From an integrative approach and with a multidisciplinary team, it offers individual therapy sessions in which relaxation techniques, cognitive restructuring, systematic desensitization and training in specific skills, among others, are worked on to overcome the disorder.

It also offers family therapy sessions, which are very useful for the treatment of children, because the family is trained to act as a cotherapist. When necessary, it is complemented by pharmacological treatment. Mensalus has a team of psychiatrists who work in coordination with psychologists to carry out a joint diagnosis and achieve successful treatment.

  • If you want more information, you can find the contact details of the Centro de Psicología Instituto Mensalus at this link.