What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is extremely common. It is estimated that 1 in 4 people in the UK experience some form of Anxiety. Anxiety can be experienced at different levels, from mild anxiety over a particularly stressful situation (such as a presentation or exam), to an anxiety disorder which can be severe and disrupt every day life.
Anxiety is an experience of feelings and thoughts and bodily functioning. When we are fearful or anxious, our bodies go into the Fight or Flight response (sympathetic nervous system). Our breathing can become rapid and shallow, heart beats faster, we sweat, our digestion is affected and the blood (therefore Oxygen) goes to our extremities so we can run. The most common result is that people will avoid the stressful situation or circumstance, which can trigger the anxiety in order to avoid these symptoms. The result of this can be self perpetuating and in the worst instance can affect the persons career or relationships.
Anxiety is different for everyone. What one person experiences, may not be the same as another. Through careful questioning I endeavour to find our what the experience means specifically for you. This means the treatment is tailored to the individual.
Anxiety Conditions I work with:
* Simple or Specific Phobias – Spider or insect phobia, Flying Phobia, Agoraphobia, Claustrophobia, Dental Phobia.
* Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Call me on 07977 788471 to arrange a free consultation.
* Panic Attacks
* General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
* Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
* Trichotillomania – (Hair Pulling)
* Public speaking
* Interview performance
* Driving test worry
* Exam and Test anxieties
* Sports performance
Resolving Anxiety
The symptoms of anxiety are natural. It is only a problem when the symptoms are present in an inappropriate situation. There are a number of steps I take to help you to change this cycle of behaviour:
* Education – understanding the function of fear.
* Relaxation techniques – how to relax the body and enable yourself to be in a Calm relaxed state (Parasympathetic Nervous System)
* Self Hypnosis
Rewind Technique
Of a wide number of strategies that can be chosen to resolve anxiety and worry, one of the most effective is the ‘Rewind Technique’.
This is a simple and effective way of disconnecting the fearful feeling of an overwhelming experience from the memory of the event.
It draws on the brain’s ability to ‘mix and match’ its way of remembering things. In so doing the experience is moved from the part of the brain it is stuck in (Limbic) to the part it can be safely filed way (upper brain function).
The result is that a past bad experience is no longer recalled with the unpleasant feeling when the memory is triggered.
The technique is also effective for positively rehearsing a future challenge.
