Anxiety

 

Anxiety is by far the most common reason that people go for counselling.  It causes immense suffering.  Counselling and psychotherapy can help to not only reduce the symptoms but also to uncover the root causes of your anxiety.  

 

How can counselling and psychotherapy help?

 

Counselling and psychotherapy help you to look at the causes of your anxiety.  What lies behind it?  Is there one root cause or are there several?  By talking with someone that you can trust, who is not directly involved and where the focus of the time is on just you, it is possible for you and your counsellor or psychotherapist to unpick what is behind your anxiety, what is causing it.  Your counsellor or psychotherapist will help you to explore your feelings and your unique life story.  You could develop new ways of responding to circumstances that make you feel anxious, based on what feels right to you.  Since the work is tailored to you, and looks deep into the causes of anxiety, this can bring permanent change.

 

There are strategies which are helpful to reduce the symptoms of anxiety.  See MIND’s excellent page on Anxiety and Panic Attacks  (https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks).  However, these are not a cure.  Counselling or psychotherapy gets to the root causes and helps you to rid yourself of the symptoms.  (NB It is important to mention that some anxiety is a normal part of a healthy life.  This article concerns debilitating anxiety which gets in the way of normal life).

 

Written by Alison Jones-Tyler MBACP (Accred), 107571

July 2019