How Does Therapy Work for Anxiety?

Everyone experiences some form of anxiety during high-stress situations in life, and while the occasional feeling of anxiety is normal, a mental health disorder may be present if it becomes debilitating. Problematic anxiety lasts for weeks, months, or years, and it can result in extreme avoidance of certain places or things. Anxiety disorders can severely impact someone’s ability to function in an everyday setting at work and school. The good news is that treatment is available in the form of evidence based mental health treatment. For those wondering, “How does therapy work for anxiety?” Banyan Mental Health shares what to expect during treatment.

What Anxiety Feels Like

Anxiety can affect everyone differently, and some people may experience more physical symptoms than mental, and vice versa. So how does anxiety affect physical health?

Common symptoms include:

• A churning feeling in your stomach
• Changes in sex drive
• Light-headedness or dizziness
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Panic attacks
• Problems sleeping
• Rapid breathing
• Restlessness or the inability to sit still
• Stomachache
• Teeth grinding, especially while sleeping
• Thumping or irregular heartbeat
• Using the bathroom more or less often

Physical symptoms of anxiety are normally caused by the individual’s mental symptoms. Common mental effects of anxiety include:

• Depersonalization, which is a type of dissociation where you feel disconnected from your mind or body
• Derealization, which is another type of dissociation where you feel detached from your surroundings
• Feeling like other people can see you are anxious and are looking at you
• Feeling like the world is speeding up or slowing down
• Feeling like you cannot stop worrying or that terrible things will happen if you stop worrying
• Having a sense of dread or fearing the worst
• Low mood and depression
• Rumination, which refers to frequently thinking about bad experiences or thinking about a situation repeatedly
• Wanting much reassurance from other people
• Worrying constantly about things that might happen in the future
• Worrying about anxiety itself, such as worrying about when panic attacks might happen
• Worrying that people are angry or upset with you
• Worrying that you are losing touch with reality

Anxiety can contribute to both physical and mental distress. For instance, a person who becomes anxious about having to speak in front of a crowd may feel a strong urge to use the restroom due to a sudden upset stomach. Without mental illness treatment, the individual’s symptoms can become severe enough to disrupt their day-to-day life and increase their risk of long-term health problems.

What Is Therapy for Anxiety Like?

So how does therapy for anxiety work, and how can it help me? At Banyan’s facilities for mental health, anxiety treatment is made up of multiple evidence-based practices, each led by licensed experts with years of experience. Anxiety disorders are treatable and manageable with the right kind of support.

Patients who seek professional help for their anxiety will undergo a medical assessment to determine the best level of care. There are various levels of care for mental health treatment, ranging from intensive inpatient programs to outpatient services. The continuum of care chosen for the patient’s treatment depends on the severity of their symptoms.

During treatment, patients can expect to individually meet with a therapist and engage in a unique therapy method, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), depending on the individual and the type of anxiety they have. In some circumstances, anxiety medication will be administered to patients who need it.

Individuals in treatment will learn new skills that will help them manage symptoms in an everyday setting and to overcome uncomfortable situations. Each therapy session will include attainable goals that the patient will set and learn how to achieve.

In addition to individual care for the patient, anxiety treatment programs sometimes offer family therapy to support the patients’ loved ones. Mental illness can impact the entire family, straining relationships and making at-home support less attainable. For this reason, our PHP and residential mental health facilities offer family therapy that incorporates individual sessions for family members and group sessions with patients.

Moreover, depending on the facility, clients may also have access to aftercare services to further support them in their transition back to home life. It can be difficult to go from 24-hour support to being at home on a different schedule. Aftercare programs provide additional support for individuals who have completed treatment to ensure that after rehab, they adjust as smoothly as possible to their lives.

Get Help Today

As we previously mentioned, therapy does help with anxiety when you go to the right provider. If you or someone you care about is battling a mental illness, Banyan Treatment Centers can help. With multiple locations across the nation, we have helped numerous communities recover from addiction, mental illness, and co-occurring disorders for years.

Call Banyan Mental Health today at 888-280-4763 or send us your contact information to learn more about our adult mental health services.

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