The Anxiety Epidemic

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychological problem in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population.

There are very few highly effective treatment options available today that are healthy, safe and have little to no side effects.

But there is one powerful “brain training” method called Neurofeedback Therapy or Training that has been seen to reduce and even eliminate anxiety by retraining your own brainwaves and improving your brain’s ability to self-regulate. Through practice, individuals suffering from anxiety learn to be more in control of themselves, both mentally and emotionally, and anxiety can become a thing of the past.

But what exactly is anxiety and where does it come from?

There are several terms people use for this heightened mental and physical state: ‘stress’, ‘nerves’, ‘worry’, ‘fearfulness’, ‘wired’. Many individuals can endure this tension for days, weeks and months without relief. Some can live for years with anxiety and come to see it as so ‘natural’ for them that they lose sight of just how ‘tight’ they always are.

Anxiety and all the surrounding feelings – apprehension, doubt, a sense of urgency, chronic dissatisfaction, irritability, anger – can rule one’s own life and affect the lives of one’s family and friends.

Anxiety can also be couched or nested in other disorders that have their own set of problems. Post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, depression, and mood disorders each have components of anxiety that are part of the picture.

The most flagrant examples of anxiety are obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic disorders. These two problems have such clear behavioral expressions that the anxiety component is obvious.

Where does anxiety come from?

Anxiety can be longstanding or short term. One can be predisposed to it by inheritance or life’s experiences can instill a fearful, anxious state that is constantly waiting for ‘the shoe to fall’.

Continued demands that require our attention, but are ‘just out of our reach’ to satisfy, can bring on a stressful, anxious state. I once worked with an investment advisor who was responsible for the life’s savings of numerous, elderly people during very unfavorable stock market conditions that endured for months and months. He was unable to achieve a state of calm, would ‘take it home’ and worry until the next day. His sleep was affected as well as his confidence when making decisions.

Medical problems can cause anxiety. A former client was diagnosed with breast cancer and – besides that being unsettling enough – the course of treatment, while ultimately successful, was fraught with apprehension, doubt, and fear.

Serious life changes can bring about a state of tension and anxiety, especially if several happen within a short duration. One of my clients lost a parent and had to make a job change that required relocating in the matter of a few weeks. The combination of events in such a close time frame produced overwhelming emotional flows, feelings of being out of control, and recurrent sense of impending catastrophe.

One of the common results of a continued state of anxiety is a resorting to alcohol, drugs, gambling, regrettable sexual escapades, or other risky behaviors to quell the inner disturbance. Often, the person who becomes immersed in any of those activities loses awareness of the disruptive inner feeling state. This can frequently result in heartbreaking outcomes for them and those around them.

Neurofeedback is the solution

Neurofeedback is a brain-training method that directly confronts the nervous system and helps renormalize it. The symptoms of excessive worry, nagging fearfulness, restlessness, heightened emotional reactivity, defensiveness, perfectionism, and exhaustion are dealt with and relieved with this technique.

One of the wonders of neurofeedback is that it can work even if the person is unable to verbalize the feelings or is unaware of the underlying discomfort. Neurofeedback calms the mind and settles the body.

The training is straightforward and uncomplicated for the person receiving it and it allows one to feel a part of the process. Several electrodes are placed on the head which receive the signal information from the brain. These electrodes only ‘listen’, they don’t insert any electrical impulses. People frequently wonder if they are going to be “shocked”. The answer is “NO.”

The hook-up conveys the signals to a system connected to a computer program that translates the electrical information. That enables the program to give understandable feedback both to the trainer and the person receiving the training. This feedback informs the recipient and enables them to adjust their own brain state while watching a program on the computer monitor and listening to music and tones.

As with any other type of training, with practice, the person is eventually able to achieve a better state of mind outside of the office training session and the results and improvements carryover to their everyday life. It facilitates awareness, and minimizes erratic behavior.

With the application of neurofeedback sessions over time, clarity, self control, healthy resolve, improved living patterns, and, importantly, better and deeper sleep will develop. Neurofeedback for anxiety, unlike many prescribed medications, allows the person to regain a sense of involvement and self-fulfilling agency in life.

“I am able to deal with life’s daily issues in a much more relaxed and mindful state, making decisions easier, with clear and more intense focus. Problems are easier to solve, unexpected stress is much more manageable, and I deal more effectively with situations that are truly beyond my control. I can enjoy the true benefits and blessings that I have with my family, and significantly reduce the day to day trials and tribulations everyone experiences each day. My quality of life has taken a large step up. Although it is said you win some and lose some, Neurofeedback has changed this to you win most and lose few.” – Client of Litchfield Neurofeedback