Five Forms of Anxiety

The symptoms of anxiety cannot be compartmentalized into a single diagnosis; there are a number of conditions for which anxiety may be one of the symptoms. For this reason, when a person is experiencing symptoms such as rapid heart rate, sweaty palms, or dizziness, their doctor will need to investigate further to determine which form of anxiety is the cause.

For example, the doctor may ask in what setting the anxiety symptoms tend to occur or if the patient uses any type of prescription medication or illicit drugs. The doctor will also probably gather information about any traumatic events the patient has experienced in the past. With these questions, and perhaps additional testing, the patient’s healthcare provider can develop a diagnosis as to what type of anxiety is present.

Anxiety can take many forms. Here are five of the most commonly diagnosed forms of anxiety.

·         Social Phobia symptoms include an intense fear of being judged by others or of becoming the center of attention. It can cause the patient to avoid social contact and to worry incessantly about being humiliated weeks before a social occasion.

·         Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a form of anxiety that results from traumatic events in the past. The symptoms of PTSD may not be displayed immediately after the trauma, but the patient may later begin reliving the event mentally, suffering from extended insomnia, withdrawing from everyday life, or being easily startled. PTSD symptoms take different forms, but the central factor of having lived through some form of trauma is a constant.

·         Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is actually a form of anxiety that causes a person to obsessively perform certain rituals that can hamper their ability to work, be in relationships, and otherwise function normally.

·         Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is diagnosed when the patient reports feeling largely anxious or fearful without an obvious cause. This overall feeling of anxiety can keep the patient on edge, irritable, or overly emotional.

·         Panic Disorder is present when the person reports severe attacks of anxiety that appear without warning. The patient may have difficulty breathing, feel dizzy or nauseous, have an accelerated pulse rate, or experience chest pains. These episodes are usually not connected in any way to the person’s circumstances at the time.

Treatment for anxiety depends upon which form the disorder takes and also on the severity of the symptoms. The more details a patient can furnish their doctor or therapist, the more accurate the diagnosis and the more successful their treatment will be.

NEUROFEEDBACK FOR ANXIETY

Gentle Relief with EMDR Therapy

Treatment of patients traumatized by painful memories can be a lengthy process. Fortunately, the introduction of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has dramatically reduced the time required to assist patients in processing trauma and moving forward to emotional recovery.

EMDR therapy is based on the results of years of credible research and is approved as therapeutic for treating traumatized patients by such organizations as the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Therapists trained in EMDR techniques lead their patients through remembering the traumatic event and then allowing the mind to reframe it in a healthy, positive way. As this multi-step process is being followed, the patient is also taught eye movement techniques that encourage the release of the painful memories being stored in the memory areas of the brain.

The above is a very simple explanation for a complex process that occurs within the brain. To better understand the startling success rate of EMDR therapy, consider that during dreaming, when the brain is processing old memories and recent events, the eyes are in constant movement known as REM (rapid eye movement.) The development of EMDR is, in some ways, an extension of that natural process.

Careful training is required for clinicians to assist the person suffering from the after effects of trauma to break free from destructive behaviors, depression, frozen emotions, and anxiety. The careful coordination of eye movements (or in some cases other stimuli) with this process is crucial. For that reason, this training is restricted to licensed medical or social work professionals with advanced education in the provision of mental health services.

From the patient’s viewpoint, EMDR therapy can allow them to make great strides in a shorter time period. With proper preparation and guidance, they can recall the painful events triggering their emotional disturbance and then learn to see them in a different way. The gentle, non-invasive relief that EMDR offers can release them from the troubling symptoms that caused them to seek help in the first place.

EMDR therapy has been beneficial to thousands of patients in relieving the long-term effects of trauma. It does not involve medication and is practiced by well-trained, licensed professionals. The significance of the mind/body connection that is the basis for this form of treatment is still being explored and may offer hope for even more forms of emotional dysfunction in the future.

ATERNATIVE MEDICINE: NEUROFEEDBACK THERAPY FOR NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS

Is EEG Biofeedback the Same as Neurofeedback?

Defining EEG Biofeedback 

As new and innovative medical treatments have gained notoriety over the last few years, many people have been confused about the distinction between EEG biofeedback and neurofeedback. Today we will put that misunderstanding to rest and then explain the treatment and how it works in depth. First off, there is no difference: EEG biofeedback and neurofeedback are different terms for an identical therapy. This is a pain-free and noninvasive procedure that delivers long-term results without the risk of any side effects – and no, it’s not too good to be true.

The concept behind EEG biofeedback is this: the human body is an amazing machine of functionality, and it wants to perform flawlessly. Having said this, things happen that can throw off our various body systems, and the brain is no exception. Where a normal brainwave pattern accomplishes its goals efficiently and without issue, when our brainwave patterns get off kilter, problems such as neurological disorders ensue. EEG biofeedback works to normalize these patterns, and to teach your body how to keep them normal for good. 

What Can Be Treated? 

EEG biofeedback has already been proven effective against an amazingly wide array of neurological disorders, including:

·         Anxiety

·         Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

·         Autism

·         Chronic Pain

·         Fibromyalgia

·         Insomnia

·         Memory Loss

·         Migraines/Tension Headaches

·         Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

·         Seizures

Embrace the Future of Medicine 

EEG biofeedback got its name because it relies on electrical signals delivered from your brain called EEG’s. Prior to beginning therapy, an assessment is performed and subsequently interpreted by doctors using high-tech reading devices. This information, in turn, is used to determine which brainwave patterns need to be corrected. Patients are guided through a series of brain exercises, usually in the form of a video or audio recording (the “feedback” part of EEG biofeedback), that teach the brain to self-regulate when brainwave patterns begin to deviate from the norm. After a certain amount of repetition, the brain will eventually learn how to perform these normalizing functions automatically, which should then help address the problem not only in the right now, but for the long-term. In this way, EEG biofeedback accomplishes what medication or therapy sets out to do without continually eating up your time, money, and patience.

To take the first step in changing your life forever with BrainCore’s incredible EEG biofeedback, click here today and get in touch with our team.