Cognitive behavior therapy- is a form of short-term therapy that allows therapists or counselors to help patients understand and reflect on their thoughts,
feelings, emotions, and how they impact behavior. CBT is also impactful, because it allows for individuals who struggle with anxiety to recognize their
negative thought patterns or distortions. By noticing those patterns, people can slowly change those negative core beliefs and interpret life events in more positive ways.
Once patients are able to develop healthy thoughts and positive beliefs about themselves, they will exhibit less anxious behavior patterns.
As a result of this form of therapy, people are able to develop better coping strategies for their stress and find more confidence in their everyday lives.
Another positive fact about cognitive behavioral therapy is that counselors collaborate with patients to help them define clear goals that they would like to achieve for themselves.
Once those goals are set, therapists are able to give individuals a variety of stress management techniques to use in-between sessions and track their progress.
These goals can even be achieved within a matter of a few months with CBT in comparison to other forms of therapy that are long term.
The best part about this type of therapy is that it is used to treat several types of anxiety disorders and has been proven to be effective through many research studies.
Exposure Therapy - is a cognitive behavioral technique that is used to help people with disorders like social anxiety or PTSD to conquer their fears.
One main behavior that is an indicator of the need for exposure therapy is anyone who avoids or withdraws themselves from different situations or
activities that are a normal part of everyday life. The action of avoidance may be a temporary fix, but it can increase feelings of anxiousness overtime.
With exposure therapy "patients [can] face and gain control of the fear and distress that was overwhelming in the trauma" or event that has caused them to
avoid certain situations or activities (John M. Grohol, Psy.D.). Counselors can use multiple techniques like desensitization to slowly decrease the anxiety associated with fear and trauma.
With Exposure Therapy, individuals are able to gain control of their lives and find healthy ways to confront their fears and make sense of traumatic memories.
Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Therapy (PFPP)- is a form of therapy that is often used to treat patients who suffer from panic disorder.
PFFP are based on a few "psychoanalytic concepts" that focus on the conscious and unconscious thoughts, feelings and conflicts that impact behavior
(Fredric N. Busch, MD and Barbara L. Milrod, MD).
These conflicts and emotions are often "hidden through defense mechanisms" that make it difficult to find the root cause of a person's anxiousness
(Fredric N. Busch, MD and Barbara L. Milrod, MD).
Once these defense mechanisms are noted by a therapist,
they can help patients to be aware of how their unconscious thoughts shape their behavior and produce symptoms related to panic disorder.
Therapist can also aid individuals in examining past traumas that have impacted the development of negative unconscious thoughts or conflicts.
Once individuals become aware of these hidden thoughts, they can be more equipped to handle their symptoms and reduce panic attacks.
Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy - is a type of CBT therapy that is often used to treat individuals who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
The first step in this form of treatment is exposure therapy.
Patients are slowly exposed to images activities or certain situations that they may fear or consider anxiety inducing.
This will be challenging at first, but the goal of exposure therapy is to reduce the fear that is often increased by the act of avoidance.
After patients grow to be less fearful, they can slowly reduce the compulsive behavior that is often connected to negative thought patterns.
The Response Prevention part of ERP deals with "making an [active] choice" not to repeat the "same compulsive behavior" that is
started by events or situations that "trigger" obsessions (International OCD Foundation). Through ERP, people learn to recognize and combat their symptoms and become less fearful overtime.
The end goal of this type of therapy is to allow patients to stop using "compulsive behavior [as an] attempt to feel safe" during challenging situations (International OCD Foundation).
EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING THERAPY (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy - is a form of therapy that helps individuals reduce the emotional and visual memories associated with a traumatic experience.
EMDR is commonly used with people who suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but it can be used for anyone who believes that trauma from past events has impacted their thoughts and behavior in the present. EMDR is usually done by encouraging a patient to focus on a disturbing memory while simultaneously participating in a form of bilateral simulation.
This can either be done through eye movement or hand tapping. This bilateral simulation allows individuals to reprocess and desensitize a traumatic memory.
Reprocessing also helps patients to gain new insight about their thoughts and emotions that are associated with the event.
This form of therapy aids individuals in having closure with the negative experiences of their past and can help to reduce anxiety in the future.
Once a memory is desensitized, patients can work with their therapist to tackle other memories and gain new insights that lead to positive thoughts and behaviors.
International OCD Foundation. "Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)"
https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/ocd-treatment/erp/
Accessed May 1. 2020
Busch,Fredric N. Milrod , MD Barbara L. "Panic-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy"
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/panic-disorder/panic-focused-psychodynamic-psychotherapy
Accessed May 1. 2020
American Psychological Association. "Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy"
https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/eye-movement-reprocessing
Accessed May 1. 2020
Grohol,John M. Psy.D. "What is Exposure Therapy?"
https://psychcentral.com/lib/what-is-exposure-therapy/
Accessed May 1. 2020