Psychotherapy for Anxiety and Anxiety Disorder 

If you suffer from anxiety or have a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder, working with a therapist can help. High anxiety is treatable! Psychodynamic psychotherapy is particularly useful for treating anxiety. This is because it helps people understand why they feel anxious, not just how to stop feeling anxious in the moment.

What Are Common Symptoms of Anxiety?

When you’re anxious, you may feel tense or nervous, and have an increased heart rate and rapid breathing. This restless action in your body often pairs with a restless mind. You might have trouble concentrating, feel filled with dread, or become preoccupied with a worrisome thought.

Other symptoms of anxiety include:

• upset stomach
• dizziness
• dry mouth
• forgetfulness
• muscle tension
• difficulty sleeping
• sweating
• trembling or tingling sensations

The mental and physical aspects of anxiety are strong because they are part of the fight-flight-freeze defensive response to danger. This is the body’s automatic, natural response to stress, in which the nervous system is activated due to fear.

A certain amount of anxiety is natural, even useful. It is an important warning system that lets you know when something internal or external needs your attention. However, excessive anxiety gets in the way. It can interfere with your ability to function in your life. It can disrupt your ability to be present and relate to others.

Your therapist will be curious about your particular experience of anxious feelings and will tailor the treatment to you.

What Causes Anxiety?

The cause of anxiety is not fully known. It is generally thought to result from more than one factor. Indeed, given that anxiety is a natural response to uncertainty, the central cause is being a human being in an unpredictable world! Nonetheless, factors such as stress and your learned responses to coping with it, uncertainty in your day-to-day circumstances, as well as genetics and biology may all contribute to the intensity of your anxiety.

Heightened anxiety can follow adverse childhood experiences, along with past traumas, accidents, or experiences of stressful life events, such as losses and natural disasters. If we develop patterns of evading or suppressing difficult feelings connected with these events, these buried feelings can be triggered, with anxiety marking their return.

How Do Therapists Work with Anxiety?

Seeing a therapist to manage anxiety will likely involve the following:

• Working to reduce the symptoms of your anxiety
• Identifying and seeking to understand your anxiety triggers
• Processing emotions or past experiences that are contributing to anxious states
• Increasing your internal strength
• Developing problem-solving skills, creativity, and resilience that can help to ease your anxiety

Is Therapy or Medication Better for Anxiety?

You might already have a medical diagnosis of anxiety disorder and are receiving medication to manage your anxiety. Or, you might be considering medication. Therapy can complement medical treatment in a useful way.

Managing anxiety involves addressing the fearful thoughts and helpless feelings it brings. A therapist can help you to identify, express, and resolve those feelings. Talk therapy and medication don’t conflict. In fact, many people find they work better in combination.

What Other Psychological Experiences Are Associated with Anxiety?

There are many experiences related to anxiety and anxiety disorders. They include experiences of panic, phobias, obsessions; post-traumatic stress; and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Learn More about Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders

Read more about anxiety and anxiety disorders