Patients who come to the consultation with anxiety disorder show recurring concerns. One of the ones we receive most in is in relation to whether anxiety has a definitive cure.
Lucas, 29, has made three psychological therapy sessions and tells us if he will have to do many more sessions.
How long can psychotherapeutic treatment last?
Most patients can reduce and eliminate their anxiety symptoms by returning to their “normal” life after a few months of a psychotherapy adequateHowever, we must take into account several facts. We all function with a minimum level of anxiety since it is necessary for our own activation and, therefore, for us to be able to carry out the different tasks of our daily life.
This residual anxiety always remains but in people without anxious characteropathydoes not pose any problem. On the other hand, in patients with a anxious personality There is a tendency to magnify, to catastrophize, it is possible that, due to the different cognitive distortions of your thinking, the residual anxiety be lived as a true anxiety.
It is very important that there is a therapeutic alliance good and strong between the patient and the psychologist. The patient will feel comfortable and will collaborate more in his own change. Also, at we believe that there is no better psychological therapy that personalized treatments. In the same way that a suit will not fit everyone, because there are tall, short, thin or fat people, the same occurs with the anxiety treatmentAs with the suit, occasionally adjustments to the treatment plan will be necessary depending on the consequences for the patient and the family, work and social environment.
It's all a matter of time
Let's go back to Lucas. When he came to the consultation he did so with some excessively high expectationsbelieving that anxiety was cured in two or three sessions and, if not, there was always the resource of “magic pills” that did it immediately.
It is necessary that, from the beginning, the patient understands that both the anxiety disorders themselves Since the treatment takes time, it is not instantaneous. However, you will notice improvement in each session.
Each patient is different, unique and unrepeatable and each person will manage the therapy in a different way, just as each of us does when we go on a diet or our body behaves differently with sport or food. Emotions are no different.
What is the most important thing to remember
It is very important that a patient who may be at the limit after suffering various anxiety attackdo not fall into the trap of all those who promise you a “miracle cure and instantly” whether in the form of pills, supplements or any other form.
Due to pseudotherapies, very serious consequences have occurred for patients with various physical and psychological disorders.
If we give ourselves time and give time to the professional who cares for us, in whom we must place our trust, we can control anxiety.
But can anxiety cure itself?
An exact time cannot be given regarding the healing anxiety because, as has already been said, it depends on each patient. Also, it is important to remember that you should not expect time alone to cure anxiety because it does not, because the belief that we are going to go from a state of fear to another in which we have no fear and the problems have been resolved without any need to implement coping skills on our part is false.
The progress you will notice is slow, but gradually for the better. Also, you must be very aware that it is not a linear process, relapses are possible and, clinically, it is most likely; this does not mean that the treatment is wrong, does not work or the psychologist “does not understand”, no, it means that we are progressing and that, with each new fall that we are able to face and get up, we become stronger, we grow as confident people and, above all, without fear.
And not everything depends on the therapy itself, part of it – I usually tell my patients “50%” – depends on them, on their personality, on how they have interpreted the life experiences they have stored, on how they manage their own emotions. All of this can also cause anxiety to increase or decrease.
So, if we are able to make everything work properly, you will have to make an effort to assimilate that, in the future, your anxiety may turn into stressful situations. However, there will be a gap that you will have crossed and that will have made you more secure and more confident in yourself.
Yes, but what is the recovery time for anxiety?
I repeat again that recover from anxiety“it is not a matter of magic” but the result of a psychotherapeutic treatment, among the most effective being the cognitive behavioral treatment. Nowadays, you can also benefit from the third generation therapies and new technologies applied to treatment, such as virtual reality.
In this process it is necessary that the patient collaborates in the psychotherapeutic work from various points. It is always about reaching the intended goal, which is nothing more than the maximum possible reduction of your anxiety. Among the points to be worked on are:
- The patient must accept – but not resign himself – to the fact that he has anxiety but that, nevertheless, nothing bad can happen to him because of it.
- Trust in yourself: if we are going to jump over a chasm there are only three essential words to remember, “believe in yourself«and you will achieve it.
- The patient must understand that his mind is just as intelligent as he is and, therefore, is constantly setting traps for him in the form of negative irrational thoughts of the type “you won't be able to”, “you won't get out of this”, “others are better than you”… The important thing is to learn the method to avoid falling into these traps.
- Learn to rationalize and the technique of cognitive restructuring to change irrational, negative and recurring thoughts and transform them into rational and positive thoughts.
- Using techniques such as Imagination exposure or exposure with prevention of response which they prepare, in consultation, to be able to carry out a in vivo exposure to those situations that are scary. In some cases, virtual reality replaces in vivo exposure completely or partially.
- Acquire coping skills to do everything that causes fear and anxiety.
- Carry out breathing exercisesrelaxation, and even meditation to alleviate symptoms.
- Once psychotherapy has started, maintain the protocol suggested by the therapist or online psychologist (if applicable) to allow symptoms to subside.
Is there anything else I can do to overcome anxiety?
This is the attitude. Inquire – not on Dr Google, please! – ask, ask for exercises. In fact, Your psychologist is there for that; to resolve doubts, to explain, to provide resources, as well as to treat.
Sometimes I have had patients come to me who, after hearing the diagnosis, have said, “ Well, I'll get over it.”, “I'm going to wait a while for it to go away«… but Anxiety “doesn’t go away” with time because it is not a cold or the flu.
We are talking about one of the three most important diseases, according to the WHO, and perhaps it would be necessary for us to give it the importance it really has.
Do you know that? Spain is one of the main consumers of anxiolytics in the worldAnd, worst of all, many of the people who take it are not sufficiently well informed or, really, they do not even need it since they could benefit from psychotherapy.
Guidelines to reduce, control and overcome the symptoms associated with anxiety
- Practice breathing, relaxation and meditation exercises regularly.
- Practicing regular physical exercise. Walking on the beach, yoga or pilates are recommended to reduce the symptoms of anxiety disorders.
- Participate in social activities that allow you to interact with other people. This relieves feelings of loneliness, increases self-esteem and reinforces self-confidence.
- Maintain a balanced and healthy diet because it is essential to keep your body and mind balanced. There are foods that, due to their high tryptophan content – such as milk, bananas, cheese and nuts – an essential amino acid that helps regulate serotonin levels in our brain – help to reduce anxiety level.
- Avoid alcohol, tobacco and substances of abuse
- Establish a scale of priorities in your life activities to eliminate anxiety that could be like this:
- 1. Urgent and important activities
- 2. Urgent but not so important activities
- 3. Not so urgent but important activities
- 4. Activities without urgency or importance
- Take a hot bath to relax before bed
- Always think positive.
At we invite you to make a first consultation with a psychologist completely free of charge and see for yourself how psychology can help you.