Anxiety symptoms are symptoms of stress caused by anxiety (worry, fearful thinking). Any method used to reduce the negative effects of stress on the body can help reduce stress and anxiety symptoms.

But to permanently resolve anxiety, we need to address the core causes of anxiety. We call these core causes the Underlying Factors of anxiety.

Therapy is the most effective way to identify and address the Underlying Factors of anxiety. Since each person will have a unique set of Underlying Factors, an experienced therapist can identify your factors and help you successfully address them.

Once you identify and address the core causes of anxiety, anxiety as a condition disappears. This is the most effective way to permanently resolve anxiety.

There are four main types of anxiety therapists: psychiatrists, psychologists, personal coaches/counselors/therapists, and social workers/layman counselors.

How helpful is therapy in resolving anxiety?

In a poll we recently conducted, participants indicated:

Of those who tried therapy:

• Personal Coaching/Counseling/Therapy provided the most effective help.
• Help provided by anxiety psychologists was second in effectiveness.
• Help provided by psychiatrists was a distant third in effectiveness.

Note: We didn’t ask about therapy with social workers/layman counselors during this poll. We may do so in the future.

It was also mentioned that therapy provided by a therapist who personally experienced and recovered from anxiety provided the most effective help overall.

Since psychiatric help usually involves medication, of the three therapy treatment options rated, respondents said that the combination of psychiatric treatment and medication made the most people feel worse at 30.2 percent. We find this interesting because up until recently, the recommended treatment for anxiety was therapy and medication. Yet our poll found that this combination produced the lowest success rate while producing the highest negative outcome. (Our personal experiences with anxiety and as anxiety therapists also support this finding.)

Overall, our poll results indicate that therapy by Personal Coaches/Counselors/Therapists provided the best overall results.

While anxiety treatment options that provide symptom reduction can play a role in anxiety resolution, they should NEVER be considered as a cure for anxiety. Therapy, on the other hand, can be considered as a CURE for anxiety, since it deals with the core causes of anxiety. Once you eliminate the core causes of anxiety, you eliminate anxiety as a condition.

NOTE: This poll was open to the general public and not specifically to anxietycentre.com members or clients.

Next time we’re going to provide summary conclusions based on our poll of anxiety treatment options.

Have a great week!