People that suffer from anxiety can have symptoms appear out of nowhere, and cause them to be stressed and extremely afraid. They can become so frightened of situations, they will begin to avoid doing the things they enjoy. To cure anxiety is a very real dream to most people who experience it.
The classical symptoms of anxiety include increased worrying, rapid breathing, sweating, and panic. In addition to this, sufferers also report a feeling of impending doom or of dying. The combination of these very physical symptoms with these two common fears results in patients believing that something is physically wrong with them. Commonly, people mistake anxiety for depression. Even doctors must rule out depression in patients with severe anxiety; the symptoms are that similar.
It is difficult to stop anxiety as it often occurs in a cycle. Once someone starts experiencing one symptom of anxiety, they tend to lead to other symptoms. This causes even more anxiety and more symptoms follow and the cycle continues to get worse. It is usually a better idea to prevent anxiety from happening at all rather than trying to stop them. Once the person begins to react to their various symptoms it can be very difficult to stop the anxiety from progressing and worsening.
What is wonderful to know is that now we have a proven therapy for stopping this vicious cycle, one that can actually cure anxiety. It is termed Interoceptive Exposure and functions through exposing the anxiety sufferer to the physical manifestations of anxiety over and over again in a controlled, safe setting. The subject causes these feelings by hyperventilating (sometimes breathing through a small straw) for a short while. As one purposefully copes with these sensations, he or she experiences several changes which offer the assistance needed to prevent anxiety from plaguing his or her daily existence.
By exposing yourself to these sensations repeatedly, your anxiety will actually decrease in time. The reason this method works so well is that planned exposure allows you to experience your fear in a controlled manner. As you live through the panic, you learn that, despite how scary the attacks are, they are actually not dangerous. Learning this gives you power over the anxiety, and your anxiety will decrease in both severity and frequency.
Over the course of the Interoceptive Exposure therapy, your bouts of anxiety should trouble you less often and with less intensity as well. You’ll discover that the physical feelings you experience due to these anxiety attacks are not life threatening and can be managed. This therapy has proven to be highly successful as a means to cure anxiety, and you will find yourself on the road to controlling and eventually eliminating your anxiety.
The racing heart, dizziness, and shallow breathing that characterize anxiety mean that people often mistake it for depression. Everyone who suffers has prayed for a way to cure anxiety, which create a cycle of anxiety. A sufferer may panic when they start to exercise because they feel their heart rate increasing, which triggers anxiety and other symptoms. Thankfully, “Interoceptive Exposure” can stop anxiety by having sufferers experience their physical symptoms in a safe environment. Living through these symptoms and finding that you can control them gives you control over your fear, which allows you to prevent anxiety before they start.
Tags: anxiety, depression, panic attacks