Recent investigation provides new insight into generalized anxiety disorder

14 February 2022

A recent study in Medical News Today identified an abnormal heart-brain connection in General Anxiety Disorder sufferers.

General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is the most common form of anxiety disorder, and it frequently occurs with other conditions, such as depression and substance use disorders. Affecting nearly twice as many women as men, GAD causes excessive, uncontrollable anxiety and persistent worry lasting for at least 6 months.

  • Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) experience excessive anxiety during everyday life.
  • GAD is one of the most difficult anxiety disorders to treat.
  • A new study investigates the role of the autonomic nervous system and interoception — a sense of the internal state of the body — in GAD.

Researchers at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research (LIBR) in Tulsa, OK, have identified an abnormal link in communication between the heart and the brain’s frontal cortex in women with GAD. Read the full article.

The study shows not only that the abnormal functioning of the autonomic nervous system is a factor in GAD but also that it occurs in combination with abnormal functioning in specific areas of the brain. The researchers hope that this study will lead to further research on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex as a therapeutic target for innovative treatments for those with GAD.

How I Treat General Anxiety Disorder

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.