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Anxiety Disorders
Laura specializes in treatment a variety of anxiety disorders using a cognitive-behavioral approach couples with mindfulness-based techniques.
Anxiety Disorders Treated At August Light Counseling
Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
A generalized fear and desire for the present moment to be something other than what it is. Some people primarily worry about the future and will often catastrophize about things going wrong, i.e., worst-case-scenario is likely. Others ruminate about the past and criticize their past mistakes or interactions. It is common to feel heightened motor activity or a sense of the nervous system being frayed. It is difficult to control these fears and can lead to a lack of sleep, as symptoms are often worse at night or when alone. Irritability is very common and people often regret the way they interact with loved ones when symptoms are unmanageable. Concentration can be affected and tension can be held in the body, frequently in the head, neck, stomach, or shoulders.
Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia):
Fear of interacting with or being around others, either in small or large groups. Monitoring what was said during a social interaction with a focus on judging the self and fears of being disliked by others. This often leads to avoidance of social settings and can cause extremely uncomfortable physical sensations when forced to socialize.
Health Anxiety Symptoms:
Overemphasis on health, being sick, or fearing being sick. There can be specific fixations with the body, like new aches or pains, fears about the heart or respiratory system, or worries about specific illnesses, like cancer. It is common for people with these fears to google symptoms, frequently meet with doctors or avoid them all together, and compulsive checking or monitoring bodily sensations.
Panic Disorder, With Or Without Agoraphobia:
Intense, sudden fears about losing control or dying. Physiological symptoms like racing heart, a feeling that one cannot breathe, shakiness, getting hot, and a strong desire to escape or leave whatever setting is cuing the panic are common. Some people might get nauseated or throw up during a panic attack. Symptoms can lead the sufferer to avoid places that can trigger panic, causing isolation and refusal to go places where escape might not be possible (agoraphobia).
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Specific Phobias: Common phobias can include: fear of flying; fear of death or a specific body organ being diseased, like the heart; or fear of specific animals.