Psychotherapy helps with anxiety by discovering the root of the problem and developing tools to deal with its symptoms.
There are many other types of psychotherapy that are effective in treating anxiety disorders, and the following represents
some of the more complimentary and alternative methods.
Guided Imagery
Guided imagery is a program of directed thoughts and suggestions that guide the imagination toward a relaxed, focused
state. It involves going into a state of deep relaxation and creating a mental image of recovery and wellness.
A number of clinical studies have determined that guided imagery is effective in reducing the symptoms of anxiety.
One study demonstrated that guided
imagery reduced anxiety in patients with OCD, while other research has shown it reduced anxiety in college students
with learning disabilities.
Hypnotherapy
The benefits of hypnotherapy with anxiety disorders has been an area of extensive research. In a neurochemical study of
hypnotic control of pain, patients suffering arthritic pain showed a reduction in pain, anxiety and depression after
hypnotherapy.
Other studies have determined that hypnotherapy helps to reduce preoperative anxiety. Research at Yale University
School of Medicine revealed that hypnotherapy significantly alleviated preoperative anxiety and increased beta
endorphin-like substances as compared to placebo. On entrance to the operating rooms, the hypnotherapy group had
a 56% decrease in their anxiety levels.
Scientists at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia used
hypnotherapy to alleviate preoperative anxiety and increase beta endorphin-like substances.
The therapeutic uses for hypnotherapy and anxiety have been demonstrated in all age groups. In one study of
school children who refused to go to school because of high anxiety, hypnotherapy reduced anxiety levels enough
that the children were able to attend school. Another study demonstrated that hypnotherapy reduced anxiety in
children with PTSD and complicated bereavement.
Music Therapy
When used with psychotherapy, music can induce an altered state of consciousness. Once in this state of altered
consciousness, people with anxiety disorders can learn how to reduce anxiety through relaxation.
An often cited effect of music is the Mozart Effect. Research has shown that listening to music composed by
Mozart has a wide variety of benefits from improving IQ test results to reducing the incidence of epileptic seizures.
Science has determined that these effects are caused by neurophysiological changes that the music produces in the brain.
Studies of brain circulation have shown that people listening to music composed by Mozart have more activity in certain
areas of the brain.
In addition to music composed by Mozart, other music can have a similar effect, including reducing anxiety and inducing
relaxation. One study showed that music therapy helped reduce preoperative anxiety in patients awaiting surgery.
In the study, one group of patients listened to music while a second group did not. The researchers observed that
patients who listened to music had significantly less stress and anxiety.
A similar study at Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska used music therapy to reduce anxiety in patients
following heart surgery.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), originated in the 1970s, is based on the premise that you can change any aspect
of your internal life by changing your belief system. Over the past 35 years, NLP’s popularity has grown exponentially.
This is primarily because NLP helps to shift core beliefs, thus causing major behavioral changes.
NLP is particularly effective at treating anxiety when combined with psychotherapy. An Austrian study used NLP with
115 patients with a variety of psychiatric conditions, including anxiety disorders.
Half the group received NLP sessions and half had placebo. After treatment, the NLP group had significantly improved.
A follow-up noted they had reduced their use of drugs, used more successful coping methods, and reduced symptoms
of anxiety, aggression, paranoid thinking, social insecurity, compulsive behaviors, and depression.
NLP can also significantly alleviate the symptoms of PTSD and attenuate phobias. After the attack on the World
Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001, the main lines of defense used by psychotherapists was Emergency
Medical Hypnosis, Ericksonian Psychotherapy, and NLP.
