This issue includes...
1) TODAY'S MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE
2) FEATURE ARTICLE: Types of Psychotherapy Used
to Treat Anxiety Disorders
3) TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!
4) CONTENT FOR YOUR WEB SITE OR E-ZINE
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1) TODAY'S MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE
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"You can't dig a new well by digging the same hole deeper."
-- Edward De Bono
============== FEATURE ARTICLE ================
2) Types of Psychotherapy Used to Treat Anxiety Disorders
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CBT, STDT, Gestalt - what does it all mean? Here's a layman's
cheat sheet for several types of psychotherapy used to treat
anxiety disorders.
Types of Therapy
Two of the most effective forms of psychotherapy used to
treat anxiety disorders are behavioral therapy and cognitive-
behavioral therapy.
Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral therapy helps you to unlearn self-defeating patterns
and habits in your day-to-day actions. It teaches you new,
healthy skills and ways of reacting to situations that trigger
anxiety.
Behavioral therapy is action based. It assumes that if you
can learn to change your behavior, then your thoughts,
feelings,
and attitudes will change too.
Behavioral strategies may include progressive muscle relaxation
techniques, gradual exposure to the anxiety trigger, changing
breathing patterns, positive and negative reinforcement, and
learning empowering ways of relating to others.
Cognitive Therapy
Cognitive therapy is based on the belief that faulty thinking
patterns and belief systems can cause psychological problems.
It assumes that by changing self-defeating thought patterns
and transforming them into more successful belief systems
you can improve your mental and emotional health.
The main focus of cognitive therapy is to change emotions
and behavior by changing our self-defeating thoughts, such
as all or nothing beliefs, negative assumptions, labeling, and
so on.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a combination
approach that uses both cognitive therapy and behavioral
therapy.
Cognitive and behavioral therapies compliment each other.
When used together, they stimulate areas of growth that
are difficult to achieve using one or the other by itself.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy addresses both the thoughts
and behaviors that promote and perpetuate anxiety.
Psychoanalytic Therapy
Psychoanalytic therapy helps bring unconscious thoughts,
feelings, motivations, and experiences into the conscious
mind. It assumes that behavior is determined by unconscious
motivations, drives, and instincts from the first few years of
life.
This "classic" psychoanalysis is an intensive and long-term
process of bringing these unconscious feelings to the
surface. Through this process the therapist helps you to
find patterns in your thoughts and behaviors and interpret
how
they might relate to your current problems.
Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt therapy uses techniques such as role-playing and
confrontation that help increase awareness of feelings.
These techniques are designed to strengthen your ability
to face current situations and problems and realize the
power you hold to change yourself. You and the therapist
work together to help you understand yourself by
experiencing the present together rather than talking
about past situations or events.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or
EMDR, is a tool for helping people who suffer from trauma,
post traumatic stress, anxiety, panic, and grief.
In its simplest form EMDR involves visualizing an image
(pictures, feelings, sounds) of "the problem," while watching
the therapist's systematic hand or finger movements. The goal
of EMDR is to assist the brain in releasing the negative
memories
and emotions stored in the nervous system and
help it process
the traumatic experience successfully.
EMDR is designed not to be a complete solution in and of
itself,
but rather to be part of a comprehensive treatment plan.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), can be described
as psychological acupressure. It combines ideas from
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Applied Kinesiology, the
study of the principles of mechanics and anatomy in relation
to human movement.
EFT involves a gentle tapping sequence in which you
touch specific energy points in the body to clear emotional
charges, allowing you to release many types of emotional
blocks. Like EMDR, this technique is typically designed to
be part of a
comprehensive treatment plan, rather than a
stand-alone solution.
Short-Term Dynamic Therapy (STDT)
Short-Term Dynamic Therapy, or STDT, uses the same basic
principles as psychoanalytic therapy. However, it is practiced
differently and has different goals. The goal of STDT is to be
a short-term therapy to help you gain insight into how life
events, relationship dynamics, and ongoing situations
contribute to your anxiety.
Because the therapist takes a more active role in this type of
therapy, trust is especially important. Very early in the treatment
the therapist identifies your defenses and resistances. Then
he/she interprets them to help you re-experience painful events
and express unresolved emotions.
Art Therapy/Music Therapy/Play Therapy
These "creative" therapies use art, music, and play as ways
to express deep feelings and understand yourself better.
Each of these therapies is based on the idea that the
right (creative) hemisphere of the brain is helpful in
identifying what's going on emotionally and encouraging
the healing process. Play therapy is used most often with
children.
What Is An Eclectic Approach?
Most therapists are flexible, adjusting the types of techniques
and therapies used to fit your unique needs. This is called
an
"eclectic approach." The eclectic approach incorporates
elements of several types of therapy to create the most
effective and successful treatment plan for you.
Most therapists realize that what's most important is not the
therapist's orientation or technique, but whether or not the
therapy
"clicks" for you at a gut level and enables positive
change.
An Eclectic Approach: The Conquer Anxiety Success
Program
Personal experience and research have shown me that each
type
of therapy has something to offer. In reality each individual's
needs are usually much too complex for any one technique
to be used in isolation. That's why our Conquer Anxiety
Success Program uses an eclectic approach.
Our course consists mainly of cognitive-behavioral therapy
(CBT) techniques - combined with elements of Gestalt therapy,
psychoanalytic therapy, Short-Term Dynamic Therapy
(STDT), the creative therapies, and several alternative
therapies.
We at ConquerAnxiety.com believe this eclectic approach
enables positive change by offering you a comprehensive set
of tools to guide you in making the leap from intellectual
understanding to personal insight and power.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Deanne Repich is the Director
of the National Institute of Anxiety and Stress, Inc., a
former
anxiety sufferer, and creator of the Conquer Anxiety
Success Program. The course is a "take-action" self-study
program that guides you step by step through over seventy
practical strategies for overcoming anxiety. The course, our
newsletter, and other helpful resources are available at:
http://www.ConquerAnxiety.com
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Check out Omega supplements to
support your anxiety-free lifestyle at:
http://wellness.conqueranxiety.com
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3) TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!
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4) CONTENT FOR YOUR WEB SITE OR E-ZINE
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Need some fresh content for your web site or e-zine?
You now have permission to reprint these Anxiety Tips
articles on your web site or in your e-zine as long as:
a) Each article is printed in its full form with no changes.
b) You send a quick e-mail to editor@conqueranxiety.com
to let us know where you'll be publishing.
c) You include the following byline at the end of each article:
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Deanne Repich is the Director
of the National Institute of Anxiety and Stress, Inc., a
former
anxiety sufferer, and creator of the Conquer Anxiety
Success Program. The course is a "take-action" self-study
program that guides you step by step through over seventy
practical strategies for overcoming anxiety. The course, our
newsletter, and other helpful resources are available at:
http://www.ConquerAnxiety.com
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Copyright 2001-2005 by the
National Institute of Anxiety and Stress, Inc.
900 E. Pecan St., Ste. 300, PMB 305
Pflugerville, TX 78660
All rights reserved
Article copyright September 26, 2002,
revised September 7, 2005
Disclaimer: All material provided in this newsletter
is provided
for informational or educational purposes
only. No content is
intended to be a substitute for
professional medical advice,
diagnosis, or treatment.
Consult your physician regarding the
applicability of
any opinions or recommendations with respect
to
your symptoms or medical condition.
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