Anxiety

Anxiety

Here at Behavioural Freedom, I understand that you may not immediately see the differences between anxiety and stress.

This page will tell you all about the types of anxiety disorders I treat but for an answer to the question ‘what is anxiety’, please go to the What is Stress & Anxiety page.

If you have a constant feeling of anxiety, it will eventually start to affect your everyday life socially, personally and professionally and may, if you leave it untreated, lead to more serious mental and physical health issues.

At Behavioural Freedom, I will free you from the unwanted behaviours that prohibit you from living the life you want to live. I will free you from the uncomfortable, negative and often debilitating feelings of anxiety that control you and allow you to focus on moving forward with positivity, a fresh outlook on life and the knowledge that you can do anything you put your mind to.

You will feel calmer, more in control of your life and more confident.

‘Anxiety disorders’ is a collective term for the range of issues I treat. It’s important to know that there are no ‘off the shelf’ packages. Each client has specific and unique issues and your sessions are tailored around YOU and you only.

If you suffer from anxiety in any of its forms, including but not limited to the issues listed here, PLEASE contact me today. It could very well be the most important call you make this year.

Phobias

A phobia is an anxiety disorder where you have a deep-rooted, irrational fear of something that generally speaking poses little or no threat to you, such as –

  • Situational Phobias such as Flying, Confined Spaces, Driving, Dentists, Bridges & Tunnels
  • Natural/Environmental Phobias such as Storms, Thunder, Water, Dark, Heights
  • Animal Phobias such as Spiders, Dogs, Snakes, Insects, Rodents
  • Blood/Injection/Injury Phobias such as Blood, Needles, Germs, Surgery
  • Other Phobias such as Vomit, Illness, Death, Loud Noises

The list of phobias stretches into the hundreds but whatever is stopping you from living your life to the full, I can help you. See CBT for Phobias to understand how you can free yourself from your fears.

Social Anxiety

Social anxiety is far more common than we might think and most of us have suffered from social anxiety in one form or another during our lives. It manifests itself as a fear of rejection or being judged or embarrassed in front of other people. It leads to avoidance behaviour and can have a disruptive, negative effect on how you live your life, including but not exclusively –

  • Meeting new people
  • Giving presentations
  • Speaking to authority figures
  • Shopping
  • Eating out
  • Rejection

General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Put simply, GAD is essentially worrying about worrying. If you feel anxious about a whole range of issues rather than a specific issue or event, the likely diagnosis is GAD. For most people, their anxiety is far greater than the situation warrants and it comes with physical symptoms including trouble sleeping and the associated fatigue, headaches, muscle cramps, nausea and shortness of breath.

Panic Attacks

A panic attack is a sudden feeling of intense fear, apprehension and anxiety whereby the individual often feels like they are having heart attack-type symptoms. It’s important to note here that while panic attacks can be both frightening and disruptive to everyday life, they are not dangerous and with treatment, I can free you from their shackles.

How I Treat Anxiety

At Behavioural Freedom, I use a skills-based model for treating anxiety. During our sessions, I will teach you relaxation techniques and helpful ways in which you can fundamentally and positively change the way you behave, think and act. It’s also important to note here that you can’t be stressed or suffer from anxiety when you are in a relaxed state. The skills you’ll learn during your time with me will be vital to both your on-going treatment and perhaps more so as you leave my care.

A combination of Applied Relaxation and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is considered by the British Medical Journal to be one of the most effective therapies to alleviate anxiety and put you on a path to having a positive mind-set and being able to live life to the fullest, free of worries. By combining both and adding in the element of hypnosis, I believe this is the most effective, pragmatic and relevant approach to the treatment of anxiety.

Please contact me today to start the journey back to behavioural freedom.