Health Anxiety and PTSD
Winter Garden women's therapy is seeking a dramatic rise in health anxiety issues. This year's health pandemic contributed to the manifestation of health anxiety symptoms for many people that have not become physically ill. So what is health anxiety and how does anxiety counseling in Winter Garden help?
Health anxiety for women or men can be a symptom of a larger mental health issue, such as generalized anxiety disorder, depression, or PTSD. PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is most commonly accompanied by health anxiety. When you work with a women's counselor in Winter Garden or a men's therapist for anxiety, you uncover the root causes of where these symptoms may have begun to originate. By getting to the root causes of your symptoms you can learn the tools to foster healing, rather than just learning to cope and muster through it.
How Does Health Anxiety Start?
Health anxiety can begin in a very subtle way with an experience that your brain processed as trauma memory. That trauma memory now begins to form a physical relationship with your body, eliciting physical symptoms of anxiety which you become attuned to. For example, if you saw a family member go through medical treatment and witnessed the toll that it took on their body and general livelihood, you may then begin to develop an aversion to the doctor's office. You may also notice that you experience heightened anxiety when you feel the sign of health-related symptoms emerge.
Health Anxiety and PTSD
This consistent worry and nervousness surrounding health are allowing you to flood your prefrontal cortex with the triggers that will activate any PTSD tendencies thus sending you into a spiral of overthinking, worry, anxiousness, fear for safety, and trying to control everything you can in order to not allow the thought of being sick rise. In Winter Garden counseling for anxiety, PTSD from medical injuries or incidents is addressed with a combination of psychotherapy, mindfulness interventions, and lifestyle coaching. You will learn what is fueling the health anxiety, how to eliminate it, and specific strategies to overcome the health anxiety you are feeling so that you can live your best life.
Healing From Health Anxiety
The first step would be seeking the advice of an anxiety specialist, who is trained specifically in the areas of trauma relief and response. "Talk" therapy alone is not a long-lasting solution, so you need to be very mindful of the professional that you choose to work with. The specific tools that you learn when you work with a Winter Graden counselor are research-based and healing is the goal, rather than just teaching you to "cope."
Getting Help For Anxiety
Health anxiety symptoms and PTSD are nothing you should blame yourself for or beat yourself up over because you can't cure yourself. There are specific anxiety therapy techniques available to you that help you heal from anxiety and do not have any side effects like anti-anxiety medications do. Call now to speak to an anxiety counselor in Winter Garden today or email Orlando Thrive Therapy for more information.
