{"id":14975,"date":"2016-06-21T11:03:28","date_gmt":"2016-06-21T10:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=14975"},"modified":"2023-03-09T13:44:22","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T13:44:22","slug":"how-does-therapy-help-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-does-therapy-help-anxiety.htm","title":{"rendered":"How Does Therapy Help Anxiety?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"holiday

photos by David Garrison at Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

by Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/p>\n

While it is true that there are some personality types more prone to being anxious, it’s absolutely not<\/span> true that you have to always suffer from anxiety or that anxiety is a life sentence.<\/p>\n

Support in the form of psychological talk therapies is now evidence-based <\/em>(proven by research) to help reduce or even resolve your anxiety completely. <\/strong><\/p>\n

But how<\/em> does therapy help anxiety? What does it really involve?<\/p>\n

[Uncertain if you are really suffering from anxiety at all? Read our piece on Anxiety vs Stress<\/span> <\/a>to find out.]<\/p>\n

How does therapy help anxiety, exactly?<\/span><\/h2>\n

How can going to therapy (the very thought of which might leave you feeling even more<\/em> anxious) actually make your anxiety any better?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It can help in the following ways:<\/p>\n

1. You can finally admit the full extent of your anxiety.<\/h3>\n
\"How

By: Alfy<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Anxiety, because of it’s illogical nature, can leave us feeling ashamed<\/strong> of what we are going through, meaning we can hide our suffering<\/strong> from friends and family – and even from ourselves.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just speaking out loud the true extent of all that you’ve been suffering can feel a huge relief. <\/strong><\/p>\n

2. You can be fully understood.<\/h3>\n

A therapist will not make you feel silly or judge you for being anxious. To the contrary, they will take your anxiety very seriously, and know exactly what you are talking about.<\/p>\n

And nothing you tell an experienced therapist will surprise them<\/strong> \u2013 they will have dealt with many similar cases before.<\/p>\n

3. You get clarity on why<\/em> you suffer anxiety.<\/h3>\n

Anxiety often feels so unconnected to what’s really going on around you it can be impossible to see how it all began and ‘why you’, so to speak.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A therapist is trained and skilled at helping you sift through your life experiences to understand just how you might have developed anxiety as a coping mechanism.<\/p>\n

4. You gain fresh insight into your triggers.<\/h3>\n

Anxiety can be connected to certain triggers, especially when it comes to anxiety disorders such as social anxiety<\/span> and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)<\/span><\/a>. A therapist can help you get really clear on what those triggers are.<\/p>\n

You might find that you can catch and circumvent your anxiety faster than you realise if you learn to really pay attention to things like the subtle bodily sensations that come before an anxiety attack<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

5. You find new and effective<\/em> ways of handling your anxiety.<\/h3>\n

Anxiety is an awful, uncomfortable feeling for most people.<\/p>\n

So when anxiety hits, we develop ways of trying to not feel it, which might provide short-term relief. Of course these exact ways of coping might be prolonging your anxiety, not helping it! <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Therapy helps you see this, then helps you find other ways of managing your anxieties that are more adaptive and healthy and lead to you feeling better about yourself and your life.<\/p>\n

6. You learn techniques to bring instant relief when anxiety hits.<\/h3>\n
\"how

By: Michael Pravin<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Therapists are trained at teaching a range of techniques that combat anxiety, which can include things like:<\/p>\n