Anxiety Therapy: Is CBT right for me?
Do you struggle with racing thoughts, excessive worry, panic, physical fatigue, sleep disruption, or other physical or mental symptoms of anxiety? Then you may be one of the 40 million Americans that struggle with anxiety and may benefit from anxiety treatment and anxiety therapy.(1)
But are all types of anxiety therapy and treatment the same?
There are several different evidence-based therapy interventions that the research indicates are effective at reducing anxiety symptoms and over the next few weeks, we will be exploring several of the most popular interventions. Every person suffering from anxiety is different and understanding some of the most popular evidence-based treatment models may help you connect with an effective anxiety therapy intervention for you.
So what is CBT?
CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and is one of the most widely used therapy interventions for anxiety, depression, and some other common mental health disorders.
Basic principles of CBT as a form of anxiety therapy include:
Anxiety is in part based on unhelpful thinking patterns
Anxiety is contributed by behavioral patterns that are learned
Anxiety can be treated through learning coping skills, to change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns
Does CBT work to treat anxiety? Is it an effective form of Anxiety therapy?
The research does indicate that CBT is an effective intervention for anxiety. It is validated by the American Psychological Association. (2) If you are interested in diving deep into all of the numbers and stats, here is a link for a meta-analysis of research on CBT and anxiety treatment, and other mental health disorders.
So what should I know about CBT?
For many people, CBT is an effective intervention for anxiety, but there are some considerations that may help you determine if this is the right fit for you:
There is homework: this is true for many skill-based therapy interventions but many therapists that incorporate CBT into the treatment of their clients will encourage some form of practice or implementation of the skills taught between sessions. This may come in the form of worksheets, logs of completed exercises, or other forms of practice accountability. If homework is not something that you are interested in doing or have the capacity for, you might consider an approach like EMDR therapy that typically has more work completed in session than outside of session.
It is a lot of thought work: It may be obvious in the name, but with CBT there is a large focus on the thought associated with the anxiety experience. Be prepared to really get into the nitty-gritty of those thought processes take some deep dives into that part of your anxiety experience as a part of your anxiety therapy.
There is a focus on independence in skill implementation and anxiety management: One of the goals of CBT is to help individuals learn to address anxiety symptoms, apply the skills and ultimately manage the anxiety responses on their own. This is great for some people wanting to feel in control of their anxiety therapy process, but it also requires a good deal of personal investment and individual responsibility.
One final note- some people find that elements of CBT sound appealing and helpful to them, and other aspects may feel overwhelming, boring, or just not quite their style. The beauty of anxiety therapy and working with a trained therapist is that oftentimes “eclectic” models can be used to address your unique needs and desires. This means that we can take some of the good parts of several different models to design a plan just for you. It is not always an all-or-nothing or one-size-fits-all approach.
Do you have more questions about CBT or if it could be an effective anxiety treatment for you? Are you interested in taking the next steps in your anxiety therapy journey and want to connect with an anxiety therapist? At our Arlington, TX-based therapy practice our team of therapists is ready and trained to help. Wherever you are in your anxiety therapy journey, let us join you in accomplishing your anxiety treatment goals. With online therapy options and in-person options in our Arlington, TX-based coursing office, we have options to help meet your anxiety treatment needs.
