This is what anxiety really feels like and is meant to be nature’s way to help us prepare for anticipated challenges. The problem for us is that often the number of challenges we face are so many that our mind struggles to cope. We then develop a deeper sense of anxiety that can be present nearly all the time or which comes up in a much more severe form in response to even minor challenges. At times anxiety can result in people waking up in the night in panic or developing habits centred around obsessions or compulsions (known also as OCD). Some people respond to an underlying anxiety by developing a particular fear that is directed towards a fear of something such as of going outside or being in closed spaces or of an animal.
This is called a phobia. In other situations, a particular traumatic experience such as violence, a frightening accident or sexual abuse can result in an especially severe form of anxiety called post-traumatic stress disorder (or PTSD).
No one should need to have their life determined by situations that trigger them into anxiety or even into panic attacks. There is now a lot of research that has identified a wide range of ways that are helpful in reducing and resolving anxiety and panic, regardless of how long it has been a part of your life. If fears or anxieties seem to be running your life it is well worth teaming up with a professional trained in this area to find the right way to resolve your anxiety.
We use a range of approaches that can help with anxiety, including various types of psychotherapy, hypnosis, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). We are also one of the very few practices in the country that can use advanced technology such as biofeedback or neurofeedback to help speed up the process of reducing the impact of anxiety or anxiety related conditions. Neurofeedback and biofeedback are currently available only from our Palmerston North office.