Anxiety Disorders are very common in America. Dr. Chloe sees many people who have a variety of different types of anxiety including generalized anxiety disorders, social anxiety, panic disorders, phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorders. The symptoms for each type of anxiety disorder are different but they may include overwhelming fears and debilitating dread. Anxiety disorders affect all aspects of a person’s life. Dr. Chloe sees many people who have a variety of different types of anxiety including generalized anxiety disorders, social anxiety, panic disorders, phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorders.orders. Dr. Chloe offers therapy for anxiety by Skype or in her office in Manhattan. You may also be interested in the Anxiety Tools or the Yoga Emotion workshop!
Types of Anxiety
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
People suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) can’t stop worrying even though they often understand their concerns are way more intense than the situation they are in demands. Often there are physical symptoms that accompany their worry such as headaches, irritability and trembling. They tend to have difficulty concentrating, and often have issues with sleeping.
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Social Anxiety
Of the various anxiety disorders, social anxiety is the most frequently encountered. Those with social anxiety have problems with severe anxiety in everyday social situations. In many cases, interacting socially becomes very stressful and even emotionally painful. Some people have the feeling that they are constantly being judged by others. Sometimes feelings like this become so problematic that someone may completely avoid almost all social interactions with others. Social anxiety can interfere with enjoyment of school, work or other activities that involve other people. Sufferers typically say they are really worried about being embarrassed or humiliated.
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Panic Disorder
People with panic disorder have sudden and repeated attacks of fear that last for several minutes or even longer. These episodes are called panic attacks. Panic attacks typically include a fear of disaster or of losing control even when there is no real danger. Panic attacks may include sweating, shaking, heart palpitations and shortness of breath.
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
One of the most well-known varieties of anxiety disorder is called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. People with this condition will find themselves with upsetting compulsive thoughts and repetitive rituals to ease their anxiety. Common examples include frequent hand washing, a fixation with a certain person or situation, or in terms of personality styles, a person who gets something in their head and can’t “let it go”. These obsessions and compulsions can be very time consuming and leave little time for normal day-to-day activities.
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Phobias
One of the more well-known of the psychological disorders is phobias. There are all kinds of phobias and some of them are more common than others. Generally speaking, phobias are irrational and unrealistic fears that can interfere with your daily life. Common phobias include fear of blood, insects or flying. Modern research has led to therapies that will reduce the anxiety caused by phobias and take away the fear. To learn more, view Dr. Chloe’s page on phobias.
​Treatment for Anxiety
When it comes to treating anxiety, there are many tools and options at our disposal. Dr. Chloe uses a variety of methods including psychotherapy, stress management training and relaxation training to help alleviate the pain and suffering caused by this family of disorders. Often the people she treats for anxiety also have other areas of their life that they would like to improve as well, so there are many factors that influence which methods are used.
Generally speaking, Dr. Chloe starts with sessions that facilitate an exploration of your particular experience of anxiety. This permits her to either recognize that you are someone who benefits greatly just by considering the anxiety in a supportive and therapeutic environment, or recognize that you are some who would benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy. If appropriate, Dr. Chloe develop a cognitive-behavioral program that is tailored to your needs. As you work with the program you may want to revisit the sessions that are structured as more of an open space for you to explore your feelings and build awareness, or you may decide that once you have learned the cognitive-behavioral program you feel your therapy is complete.
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Dr. Chloe works with clients who are seeking both short-term therapy as well as clients who prefer to coming for a standing weekly visit. Dr. Chloe respects your right to choose short-term or ongoing therapy, and if you are unsure which you need she will help you to explore the options available to relieve anxiety.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that has been shown to be extremely effective in helping my clients deal with anxiety. CBT is normally considered a short term therapy, which typically involves coming to therapy once per week. It focuses on behavior and thinking patterns and helps clients make sense of by thinking rationally about the stressors that cause their anxiety.
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CBT breaks down the problematic thoughts and behaviors into smaller parts in order to find better ways of dealing with them. Research has shown CBT to be very effective in quickly dealing with anxiety and preventing future anxiety problems. CBT is a habit changing therapy that helps to challenge negative, anxious thoughts. Problem feelings and trends are identified so that they can be dealt with in more effective ways.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation is a practice that helps you to observe your life and successfully engage at a deep emotional level. Through this practice you identify destructive emotions and feelings and then work through them. With the skills you learn in mindfulness training we will examine what’s happening in your life and your relationships. We also examine how effective your current anxiety coping mechanisms are and determine if there might be better ways of dealing with them. Dr. Chloe also works with other forms of meditation in addition to mindfulness meditation, and she has found medication to be a very helpful adjunct to traditional psychotherapy.