Cure Anxiety Through Interoceptive Exposure.
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.
A sense of panic, dizziness, excessive sweating, and shallow breathing are some of the usual symptoms of anxiety. These signs often occur in conjunction with a feeling of impending disaster or a sense of imminent death. Anxiety victims tend believe that the symptoms are result of something being physically wrong; fairly often, they believe that they are suffering from depression.
It is difficult for many people to stop the continuous cycle of anxiety they experience. The anxious cycle can start if a person experiences as few as one symptom. When a person starts working out, for instance, their level of fear may increase as they sense their heart beating faster. The level of anxiety you experience will increase as your system copes with the stresses. Of course, these new changes lead to greater anxiousness which leads to more symptoms. As the cycle becomes more frequent, the number of anxiety experienced increases; this can make it hard to end or prevent future anxiety attacks.
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.
As you find yourself experiencing these sensations repeatedly, your anxiety about them will lessen over time. Since you are living through these symptoms with some measure of control over them, you will also have control over your fear, and learn that the symptoms are not dangerous. Over time, the anxious cycle will end, due to the end of the fear.
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.
Published April 19th, 2008
Filed in Health, Psychology