Anxiety & Stress relief Counseling
Anxiety therapy is best for those who fit DSM diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders, related physical symptoms and concerns such as:
worry
sleep and focus difficulties
tension and feeling on edge
fear of and avoidance of social situations, people, places and things including public speaking, exams and more
anxiety or panic attack symptoms such as rapid heart rate, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, racing thoughts, difficulty concentrating, sweaty palms
Lotus Consulting is a premier outpatient treatment, psychotherapy and wellness center helping adult clients 18 years old and older with loss and grief, food, body image concerns, eating disorders, addictions, stress, anxiety, depression and mood concerns, trauma, relationships, transitions, performance enhancement and more. Located in Ann Arbor, Lotus is easily accessible to individuals in Ypsilanti, Dexter, Chelsea, Saline, Plymouth, Canton, Brighton and surrounding areas. Find out more about us HERE.
Types of anxiety disorders
There are several types of anxiety disorders.
These include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), phobias including social phobia, panic disorder.
Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by worry about everyday things such as the health of family members or work/school performance. During the course of one’s GAD the focus of the anxiety may shift from one area to another. The duration, frequency, or level of anxiety is out of proportion with the likelihood or actual impact of the feared event. People with GAD have difficulty controlling their worry, and they often experience muscle tension, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, irritability, disturbed sleep, and fatigue, as well as other physical symptoms. Many individuals with GAD report having been nervous and anxious their whole lives. Anxiety can continue throughout ones life, often fluctuating depending on stressors that may come up. Anxiety in general has a tendency to run in families.
Social anxiety disorder/ phobia is characterized by fear of discomfort in social situations including public speaking and performance situations. Individuals affected by social anxiety often anticipate they will be judged, fear making bad impressions, doing something embarrassing. Many individuals with social anxiety avoid feared situations and experience significant level of anticipatory anxiety connected to actual or perceived poor performance and a vicious cycle in the future. This can interfere with relationships, school and work performance.
Panic disorder involves worry and other symptoms as well as panic attacks. A panic attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming fear that can come without clear reason or warning. Individuals experiencing a panic attack report racing heart rate, difficulty breathing, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, trembling, sweating, chest pains and an overall fear that something terrible is about to happen. For some this can resemble symptoms heart attack.
Phobias are the most common type of anxiety disorder. A phobia is characterized by an intense and unreasonable fear of a specific object or situation. This means having an extreme anxiety response towards something that is not causing immediate danger. Someone may have a phobia of needles, snakes or planes, for example.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD is a commonly misunderstood illness. PTSD happens after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Symptoms include flashbacks of the event, nightmares about the event or a similar experience, frequent anxiety that wasn’t there before and intrusive, uncontrollable thoughts about the event. Symptoms can last a few months or many years. Some people see their PTSD symptoms decrease over a short period of time where others experience consistent symptoms or “flare ups” after a stressful event. Individuals who have a complex PTSD have multiple traumas over the course of their life such as sexual abuse as a child coupled with multiple abusive and unhealthy relationships.
ANXIETY TREATMENT
With anxiety disorders, knowledge and understanding are key. The more you understand about your anxiety and where it originated, the more in control you feel. If you are suffering from an anxiety disorder, we will help you to understand it, identify triggers that cause anxiety and help you learn effective and specific interventions to cope with it as it happens. Becoming more aware of your anxiety, labeling it, learning where it came from and what purpose it serves can help you. Additionally, as you implement skills taught and begin experiencing success in managing your anxiety where you can cope with it instead of it controlling you.