anxiety therapy north Vancouver is a normal and natural human emotion that helps us to prepare for danger. But when it becomes disproportionate and interferes with daily life, counselling can help.
Our counsellors are trained in anxiety counselling and use a variety of approaches. They will work with you to reality test beliefs that may be contributing to your anxiety and create coping strategies specific to your needs.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy is an evidence-based practice that has been proven to be effective in reducing anxiety disorders. Its premise is that the way you think about a situation affects your behavior and emotions. For example, if you are afraid of public speaking because you believe that other people will consider you boring or stupid, this could trigger a fear response, such as trembling, sweating or an elevated heart rate.
CBT is structured, short-term and goal-oriented, and its therapists will typically ask you to complete homework or other activities that will help you change your maladaptive thoughts and behaviors. Depending on which disorder you are struggling with, CBT may be used in combination with other types of psychotherapy or treatments. For example, it is often used in conjunction with exposure therapy. This involves exposing you to the situations, locations, or objects that trigger your anxiety. For instance, if you have a fear of public speaking, your therapist will help you confront this fear by guiding you through the process of giving a speech.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Anxiety is a feeling of fear or nervousness that can make it difficult to focus, sleep or relax. It can also cause a variety of physical symptoms like hotness, numbness and shaking. Some people become so uncomfortable with these feelings that they begin to avoid the situations that trigger them. This can affect their quality of life and relationships.
A counselling session can help you to understand and accept your anxiety. A counsellor will also teach you coping skills to manage your anxiety and develop a sense of balance in your life. These coping strategies include mindfulness, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
DBT is a type of cognitive behaviour therapy that has been shown to be effective in treating mental health conditions including anxiety. It is especially helpful for individuals who have borderline personality disorder (BPD) and difficulty regulating their emotions. DBT helps them to change their unhelpful behaviours and learn skills to build a life worth living.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is an empirically-based psychotherapy that trains psychological flexibility. It encourages people to accept what is out of their control— including unpleasant thoughts, feelings and sensations— and commit to behaviors that enhance and enrich life.
Unlike other therapies, ACT rejects Western psychology’s notion that negative private experiences are signs of mental illness. Instead, it promotes what psychologist Russ Harris refers to as clean discomfort. He describes this as acknowledging that something is uncomfortable, but not fighting it.
ACT incorporates mindfulness, self-acceptance, and values clarification to increase psychological flexibility. Your counsellor will teach you skills to accept difficult feelings and sensations, detach from them (via cognitive disfusion), and commit to living a life aligned with your values.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses hypnosis to treat symptoms, health concerns, or behaviours. It may be used to help people quit smoking, improve their quality of sleep, or reduce stress levels. It is also an effective treatment for anxiety, depression, PTSD, complicated grief and other mental health problems.
The unconscious mind stores skills, memories, intuitions, attitudes and beliefs that we have acquired throughout our lives. These thoughts and feelings are the root of many behavioural and health issues. Hypnotherapy aims to change the unconscious programming by shifting core thoughts and emotions. It is often a powerful add-on tool in combination with other forms of therapy.
Regardless of the cause, anxiety is a common and distressing problem that can impact your daily life. It can affect your relationships, work performance, and overall well-being. Fortunately, it is a condition that can be effectively treated using evidence-based therapies like CBT, DBT and RTT. With these treatments, you will learn how to control your negative thought patterns, manage stress and anxiety, and gain tools for living a happier, healthier life.