I live in the New York area so I thought I’d share an article about how local therapists manage anxiety. Read on…
Our bodies are designed to keep us alive. The purpose of essentially every single function in the mind and body is there to help make sure that we are as safe and healthy as possible.
Plus the above is especially true of the “fight or flight system.”
Within the human brain is a section known as the “amygdala,” which is responsible for regulating emotions, encoding memories, and – perhaps most importantly – activating parts of your body when you’re in danger to help you stay safe from harm.
When you are face to face with danger, your amygdala triggers a reaction that includes:
- Increasing your heart rate so you can run faster.
- Dilating your pupils so you can see and respond to movement better.
- Sweating so that you do not overheat when you’re fighting or fleeing.
- Drawing blood to the muscles so you can punch harder, and more.
Stories about people lifting cars off of trapped children are directly related to the “fight or flight response”. Faced with fear, the system is triggered, and they are able to react faster and stronger than ever before.
I’m sharing about this “fight or flight response” (and how it creates anxiety) because I’m a bestselling wellness author with about 2 million books sold globally.
Plus I founded the therapist recommended video course called The Anxiety Cure.
With this in mind, I created this article – loaded up with therapist recommended suggestions (gathered from my local New York area) – to help people who struggle with anxiety issues.
Let’s get started…
An Imperfect System in a Safer World
Unfortunately because of our programmed “fight or flight response,” our bodies – and our brains – do not always work correctly in our modern world, where we don’t face the dangers and survival needs of early man.
As a result, sometimes, the “fight or flight response” is triggered when no danger is present at all.
When this happens, it becomes what we call anxiety. Our anxious feelings of fear, worry, and stress wind up triggering physical symptoms associated with this “fight or flight response”:
- Rapid heartbeat, which feels like it’s pounding since we’re not running away.
- Blurry vision or headaches, because our pupils dilated.
- Lightheadedness, because our blood moved from our head to our muscles, etc.
Because the “fight or flight response” is triggered, we also feel more fear. Our minds race and we start to think scary or worried thoughts. Over time, this creates a cycle of anxiety symptoms and worries, and becomes a mental health condition that benefits from professional treatment.
Ways a Therapist Approaches Anxiety Recovery
As mentioned, I live in New York. And for those living in the area, a Roslyn Heights psychologist typically addresses anxiety by trying to reframe and refocus these thoughts and behaviors.
For example, when a person has anxiety, they start to have irrational thoughts and show behaviors that seem logical at the time, but actually increase their anxiety.
That is why a big part of the treatment process – and the one that is typically seen as most effective in research – is breaking this cycle of anxiety by helping patients…
- manage their fear
- restructure their thought processes
- change the way they react when the fear occurs to be more psychologically helpful
This process is known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or “CBT.”
It’s one of several treatments offered by therapists across the country. But it is the approach that also has been extensively researched, and is effective for an estimated 60% to 90% of patients in various studies.
An example of a behavior that seems logical, but is actually harmful, is…
This is our natural tendency to avoid the things, places, or actions that cause us the most fear. This “avoidance response” seems to be a logical response to anxious feelings. But studies have shown that avoiding something because of anxiety winds up reinforcing the anxiety, making it worse in the future.
Long Island therapists often use a variety of treatment modalities, including psychodynamic theory and positive psychology. But with CBT, part of the treatment process involves identifying these behaviors through the conversations, and then using techniques such as exposure therapy and response prevention to prevent the fear from being reinforced in the future. It is one of several techniques in CBT that addresses both these thoughts and behaviors.
Anxiety and its Response to Treatment
It’s true that the human body is designed to keep you alive. It is also true that, at times, the human body can malfunction.
Anxiety is an example of that, as the activation of the fight or flight system starts to trigger when no danger is present.
Still, the body – and especially the brain – are also able to respond well to change. Anxiety therapy, like CBT, is an example of that. Anxiety can be controlled, managed, and in some cases even cured if a person is able to work on their mental health and learn new ways to think and react in their day to day life.
Anxiety may be partially due to a malfunctioning fight or flight system, but with therapy, lifestyle changes, and other potential treatments, it can be patched up and fixed in ways that provide those who have anxiety with a better quality of life and more control over these negative emotions.
Get More Support To Manage Anxiety
Explore my therapist recommended online course: The Anxiety Cure.
P.S. Before you wander off to whatever’s next, here are 2 things that will help you get more out of this wild ride called life:
1. Explore My Book: "Your To Die For Life: How to Maximize Joy and Minimize Regret Before Your Time Runs Out." It's just the tool you need to pry more joy, love, meaning and fulfillment out of your life. Curious? Learn more and snag a copy here.
2. Life Review Therapy - This is a coaching session where we get real about where you are, where you want to be, and why you haven’t gotten there yet. We’ll dig deep into what’s working, what’s holding you back, and how to create more joy, love and fulfillment moving forward. If you’re ready for actionable steps and real results, book a free consult call here.
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