Last week we asked you to rate your experience with the many types of anxiety treatments available today. A great many of you did. To those who participated, thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

Because of the many submissions, over the next number of weeks we’re going to address each treatment option, your responses to it, and our comments about it, based on our personal experiences and the many years of experience we’ve had as anxiety coaches/counselors.

Therefore, we are going to postpone our segments on stress and present them when we address stress reduction as an anxiety treatment option.

To begin addressing the treatment options and our poll results, we’re going to preface our comments by saying that based on our personal and professional experiences with anxiety, and the latest research, anxiety is NOT a disease or illness that is genetically inherited or contracted. Anxiety is a physiological and psychological state that is caused by unhealthy thoughts, actions, and behaviors.

Anxiety turns into an anxiety condition (disorder) when you become afraid of it, such as being afraid of:

Fear is the root of all anxiety! Fear is an emotional byproduct of the perception of danger.

Since fear is a survival instinct, anxiety is NOT AN ILLNESS OR DISEASE.  It’s a fundamental instinctual response ALL humans experience in the face of danger. The Emergency Response is designed to protect us from harm. Therefore, the theories of chemical imbalance or problems with the brain are simply silly notions purported by those who are ignorant about anxiety, or who want to offer or sell you “their” treatments.

We encourage you to not buy into these notions. They aren’t true. Our personal and professional experiences have proven these theories false.

What we have witnessed is that anxiety is something we cause. We cause anxiety by the unhealthy thoughts, actions, and behaviors we have learned. While anxiety does cause physical sensations and symptoms, the root of anxiety is behavioral.

For more information about the behavioral aspects, members can read the article, “Anxiety is Behavioral” in the “Reassurance” section in the members area, and the information in Chapter Five in the members area.

Next time we’re going to begin addressing each treatment option.

NOTE: Because there are many medical conditions that can cause anxiety-like symptoms, you want to be sure to discuss your symptoms with your doctor.

If your doctor concludes that your symptoms are being caused by stress or anxiety, you can feel confident that there isn’t any other medical cause for your symptoms. If you aren’t confident in your doctor’s diagnosis, seek a second and even third opinion.

Our comments regarding anxiety solely relate to those who have been diagnosed with stress or anxiety related symptoms, and not to those who have other medical causes for their symptoms. While the concepts of anxiety recovery can apply here as well, addressing the underlying medical causes should be your first priority.

 Have a great week.