If you suffer from anxiety you may be wondering when the next shoe is going to drop, or when the ax is going to fall, so to speak. There always seems to be something looming in the distance that could spell doom. Read on if any of these descriptions applies to you!
What Are Anxiety Triggers?
These are anything that can get your anxiety going. They can be either external or internal, and either real or imagined. Most people who suffer from anxiety engage in something called catastrophizing, which as I alluded to above, is about the future. Other people have a nightmare image of what might happen due to having too many things to do all at once, and they become concerned about not being able to do everything. They are usually unaware of the nightmare image, but become overwhelmed all the same.
Many Anxiety Triggers are About Catastrophizing
Most of the time people have some preconceived worst-case scenario worked up in their heads they are 100% convinced is sure to happen. It is so common for people to have these in their heads, either from past experience or from some nightmare scenario they are trying to avoid like the plague. The problem is, many times these scenarios are not identified and people can spend their entire lives trying to avoid them. This often shows up as a feeling of being overwhelmed, and anxiety triggers are at the center of the situation. These days feeling overwhelmed has become the norm because of how fast the world seems to move and how many stressors people experience at the same time.
What Image Transformation Therapy Does to Anxiety Triggers
Image Transformation Therapy, or ImTT for short, is a breathing and visualization technique that helps people eliminate unpleasant feelings and emotions, as well as the images that drive them. Anxiety triggers in the form of nightmare scenarios that show up for people when the feel overwhelmed, but aren’t sure what it is they are all worked up about. Therapists trained in ImTT help their clients identify these nightmare scenarios and eliminate them. The feeling that underlies the anxiety is also processed away. For example, if someone is dealing with car repair issues on top of marital conflict, and they’re trying to manage a chronic illness, they can easily get overwhelmed. They may be concerned about winding up homeless if they can’t manage all of these things and have a nightmare image related to this. They may feel terror about this, but unless that terror is identified, nothing gets truly resolved. ImTT eliminates the terror as well as the nightmare image so the anxiety trigger is stopped in its tracks.
How I Can Help With Anxiety Triggers
I have been using ImTT and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for most of my 10 years as a therapist and have literally helped dozens of people to overcome anxiety triggers and enjoy functional lives beyond the debilitating effects of anxiety and feeling overwhelmed. The awful catastrophes that have dominated peoples’ minds can basically evaporate once they have developed some basic coping tools and used one of these 2 trauma therapies to aid them in getting past anxiety and overwhelm. I can give you an idea of whether I can help you get past these with a 15-minute phone consult. You can call me at 512-648-3053, or just fill out the form below, and I’ll get back to you at my earliest opportunity. With all the fear and dread that typifies everyday life for most people, anything you can do to lessen these for yourself and your world can make so much of a positive difference. It takes courage to reach out for help, but you can’t get relief in the first place until you take the first step for yourself. I support you in doing that today!
About the author: Scott Kampschaefer, LCSW is a private practice therapist in Frederick, Maryland. He has an extensive background in working with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder at a clinic for older adults with these disorders in Austin, Texas. He now works with adults and adolescents 14 and up in private practice. His new e-book is entitled Life’s Lessons from the Young and the Old and is available for purchase on Amazon.
Visit our page on anxiety therapy to find out more about how Scott can help you with anxiety triggers.