Anxiety Treatment

Do you suffer from persistent, excessive, and distorted worry?

• Do you feel like anxiety is poisoning your life?

• Do you have unpredictable or exaggerated reactions to certain triggers?

• Do you struggle to relax the tension in your body?

• Do you lose sleep at night as your mind loops your “to do” list or spins “what if” scenarios?

You are not alone.  Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the United States.  Some with anxiety show few outward symptoms, but their minds churn with apprehension and worry.  Others suffer from acute anxiety attacks, wherein anxiety literally overwhelms the body.  Commonly, those who suffer from anxiety also have to cope with its physical manifestation: backaches, migraines, or digestive troubles.  

Anxiety is a prolonged state of alarm, usually triggered by some initial fear.  Fear can be a healthy, self-preserving response.  Anxiety is when fear does not turn off when a perceived danger is unfounded.  

While depression tends to dwell in the past, anxiety is a forward-thinking disorder.  Anxiety is an anticipatory emotional state.  To the anxious mind, the future seems unpredictable, possibly dangerous, and uncontrollable.  

Take a moment to ask yourself: what triggers my anxiety?

If you decide to pursue anxiety treatment, these triggers will be at the center of your healing work.  It might take more than a moment of digging to uncover all your triggers, as some can be subconscious.  

Each trigger usually has an origin story attached to it -- often a trauma.  

Sometimes these linkages are obvious.  A client who had once been struck by lightning now has anxiety during storms.  She was once in danger and now when she perceives a similar threat, her brain hijacks her thinking.  

In other instances, our anxiety and our anxiety triggers stem from a deep insecurity that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) calls a core fear.  Underneath all our bluster, we are struggling with core beliefs that we are unlovable, incapable, or unsafe.  These core beliefs can be unconscious.  

Anxiety treatment at Kairos Wellness Collective consists of two parts:

1. Psychotherapy to heal unresolved traumas and core fears that underlie anxiety 

2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to reprogram the anxious mind with healthy thinking patterns

Most therapy offices provide Step 1), but few follow through with the practical solutions in Step 2).  At Kairos Wellness Collective, I prioritize results-based interventions.  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been shown to be effective for 60-80% of anxiety disorders.  This effectiveness increases when CBT is paired with psychotherapy work.

How is anxiety treatment and phobia treatment distinct?

The treatment approaches for phobias and anxiety disorders can overlap in some ways, as phobias are a specific type of anxiety disorder. However, there are some differences in how they are typically addressed in therapy. Here's a general overview:

1. Focus: Phobias are characterized by an intense and irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity. Treatment for phobias often focuses on exposure therapy, gradually and systematically exposing the person to their feared object or situation in a controlled and safe manner. The goal is to reduce the fear response and build new associations with the feared stimulus.

2. Specificity: Phobia treatment tends to be more focused and targeted compared to anxiety disorders, which may involve more generalized anxiety symptoms. The treatment for phobias typically concentrates on the specific phobic object or situation, whereas anxiety disorders may involve addressing a broader range of triggers and underlying anxiety.

3. Hierarchy: In exposure therapy for phobias, a hierarchy is often developed, starting with situations that cause mild anxiety and gradually progressing to more anxiety-provoking scenarios. The person is exposed to each step of the hierarchy until their fear response diminishes. This systematic approach helps build confidence and reduces avoidance behaviors.

4. Duration of treatment: Phobia treatment, particularly specific phobias, is often relatively brief and focused. With well-defined phobias and effective exposure therapy, significant improvements can often be achieved in a limited number of sessions. On the other hand, anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder or social anxiety disorder, may require more extended treatment due to the broader nature of the anxiety symptoms and underlying factors involved.

5. Comorbidity: Anxiety disorders can often coexist with other mental health conditions, such as depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In such cases, the treatment approach may need to address multiple conditions simultaneously. Phobias, while they can coexist with other conditions, are typically more isolated and may require less complex treatment strategies.

It's important to note that the specific treatment approach for phobias and anxiety disorders can vary depending on the individual, the severity of symptoms, and the preferences of the person seeking treatment. A qualified mental health professional at Kairos Wellness Collective can conduct a thorough assessment and recommend the most appropriate treatment plan tailored to the individual's needs.

Relevant Blog Posts

Breaking the cycle of anxiety is a lofty task for most clients of Kairos.  While we offer many modalities of therapy, as well as yoga and acupuncture, some still struggle to turn away from the safety behaviors (also known as “firefighter strategies'').  Our firefighting behaviors have been embedded in our consciousness as an effective, quick, but temporary way to to calm down.  These safety behaviors include rumination, checking, scanning for danger, rereading, and reassurance seeking.  One approach to more permanently calming such an overactive brain is to give it an experience of going to a level of higher consciousness.  

For those with severe anxiety, most of the traditional methodologies for brain activity calming, like meditation and mindfulness, are inaccessible.  This is because we are so used to the temporary soothing of mental reactivity to our worries.  We are unable to simply allow thoughts to “float away” as meditation encourages. 

For some with severe anxiety, guilt can come up because we are unable to utilize this seemingly simple solution, “Why can’t I just meditate? Why am I so bad at mindfulness?”

This line of thinking in and of itself can be a terrible cycle that reinforces a sense of hopelessness about anxiety treatment.  

The truth is that if we were able to think our way out of our troubles we would have done so long ago!

Most individuals with anxiety are highly motivated for their own treatment and truly come into therapy with such good intentions for healing.  When we reach a roadblock with more traditional anxiety relieving techniques, it is valuable to think outside the box and try breaking out of comfortable mentalities with something fully different. 

Studies have shown that titrated (individualized) low doses of Ketamine can offer the experience of an expansive mindset which can effectively break the cycle of anxiety.

Every time that you effectively dissociate into a deeper, wide-ranging calm, you allow your brain a new experience and learning.  You are opening up space in your consciousness that offers another possible place of internal safety that does not necessarily utilize your current firefighting techniques.  

Combining Anxiety Treatment with Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy is a burgeoning field and at Kairos Wellness Collective, we are proud to offer integrative treatment modalities that break away from standard talk therapy.  Please contact Chelsea to learn more.