Alternative Approaches to Anxiety Therapy

There are many approaches to anxiety therapy. Some of these include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure (ET), music therapy, and relaxation techniques such as yoga. CBT aims to change the way that the brain responds to anxiety-inducing stimuli. ET makes use of the environment in which the patient resides or works to instill avoidance or stress relief reactions that help patients cope with their anxiety disorders.

Exposure is one of the more popular forms of anxiety therapy. In this approach, patients are asked to confront their fears until they become aware of their fears. This can be done through a variety of methods. The most common is the use of a stage play or movie. It is also possible to expose the patient to his or her fears in the presence of a knowledgeable and respected source such as a family member or friend. The source may provide the only means of exposure necessary to help the patient deal with his or her anxiety disorders.

For example, a group of young adults preparing for a talent competition were invited to participate in a movie screening at a local theater. During the screening, the group was given a list of the movie’s plot outlines and brief clips so that they could prepare themselves for the film. Once the group realized the full extent of the fear that they were experiencing, they found that they had largely avoided acting out their fears, which in turn led to a significant decrease in their anxiety disorders.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most widely recognized approach to treating anxiety disorders. This therapy addresses thought processes and patterns, as well as behavioral patterns and social relationships, that lead to the development of anxiety disorder symptoms. Through the use of CBT, patients are slowly able to recognize when they are likely to experience a feared response, which helps them prevent anxiety disorders from developing in the first place.

Exposure to a stressful situation can also be an important component of CBT therapy. If a person has a pattern of responding to stressors in a certain way, CBT often teaches them to anticipate these reactions in the future. A common example of this is the “fear drill,” which teaches people to tense up when they hear a loud noise. Another example is to take small, quiet, slow steps when entering a room. Eventually, the patient learns to consciously relax every time they experience the onset of an anxiety or worry, and to respond in a different way when faced with that same stressor.

Finally, music therapy has become an important part of many anxiety reduction programs. In fact, music has even been used to treat some severe cases of panic disorder. Two of the most commonly used music therapies are binaural beats and monaural tones. Both of these types of music train the brain in a specific way, which may reduce anxiety symptoms.

While these approaches to anxiety treatment have shown good results in some patients, they do not for every patient. For those patients whose anxiety is intense, these methods may not be enough. CBT requires that therapists spend a great deal of time with their patients, as they work to reduce the core symptoms of anxiety. Treatments may also need to include other therapies such as support, exposure, skill training, and meditation.

The above treatments can prove helpful when combined with other therapies and approaches to treating anxiety, including cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation training, and other forms of social skills training. Social skills training will teach clients how to better interact with others, as well as learn how to manage their anxiety levels. When coupled with relaxation training, CBT has shown the potential to significantly reduce the symptoms of anxiety.

Ann Miller

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