If you find it hard to control your anxiety, then you may have reached the stage where you want professional help. A therapist or counsellor can help you identify and overcome anxiety problems.
While this kind of therapy can take different forms, some counsellors offer graded exposure therapy as part of their services. How does this work and what are the benefits of trying it?
How Does Graded Exposure Therapy Work?
Graded exposure therapy is often offered as part of a broader behavior therapy model. Here, you work with your counsellor to find ways to identify situations, people and things that bring on your anxiety. You then expose yourself to these triggers in various ways.
Unlike full exposure techniques, graded exposure therapy works more slowly and incrementally. For example, you and your counsellor might build a list of triggers and then rank them by the severity of the effect they have on your anxiety levels.
Some things may just make you a little worried; others may give you a full-blown panic attack. So, to start with, your counsellor will encourage you to expose yourself to minor triggers. As you progress and become more confident, you move on to ones that make you more anxious until you reach the major problems on your list.
In some cases, your counsellor may use imaginary exposure. You talk about a trigger as if you were living through it in the safety of your counsellor's office. Or, you may be asked to try tasks in real life and then report back in your next session.
How Does Graded Exposure Help?
Graded exposure therapy takes you to the root of your anxiety and helps you learn how to manage it. If you do something that would normally make you anxious, whether in an imaginary or real-life scenario, then you reduce your underlying fear and worries about what will happen in these situations.
This helps you put your anxieties into perspective. Often, the fear about what would happen in a triggering situation makes your anxiety worse. If you get evidence that things won't be as bad as you think through experience, then your anxiety should become more manageable.
Taking a graded approach is also useful. You start with baby steps and build experience until you can deal with bigger issues. Every trigger you conquer gives you more confidence and makes you feel better about yourself.
To find out more about graded exposure and other useful behaviour therapy solutions, contact local anxiety counselling services.
Share25 June 2020
I've struggled with bouts of depression and anxiety for the past ten years, and in that time I've tried a range of prescription drugs and alternative therapies. I started this blog to share my personal experiences and connect with other people who struggle with these illnesses, as I know only too well how lonely it can be to live under a cloud of depression. I post about a range of topics, such as talking to your employer about depression, getting support from family and friends and self-care tips. I also share my thoughts on the drug-free treatments I've used, such as talking therapy, yoga, homeopathy and meditation. I hope you find my blog interesting and useful.
