professional help

The Interplay of Trauma and Anxiety: Brain Mechanisms, Healing Pathways, and Professional Guidance

by John Nolan
16th January 2025

Trauma significantly affects anxiety, altering brain function and leading to avoidant behaviours and heightened emotional reactivity. Addressing past traumas can lead to reduced anxiety and a richer more meaningful life. Self-help techniques like mindfulness, acceptance and conscious breathing can help, and there are several effective approaches that can be used by a professional. Choosing the right approach is a very personal journey that is best explored with the support of a qualified professional, and it is important to pay attention to key indicators when it’s time to seek that support. The aim is not to erase difficult feelings or thoughts but to transform one’s relationship to them.

The Interplay of Trauma and Anxiety: Brain Mechanisms, Healing Pathways, and Professional Guidance16th January 2025
Trauma significantly affects anxiety, altering brain function and leading to avoidant behaviours and heightened emotional reactivity. Addressing past traumas can lead to reduced anxiety and a richer more meaningful life. Self-help techniques like mindfulness, acceptance and conscious breathing can help, and there are several effective approaches that can be used by a professional. Choosing the right approach is a very personal journey that is best explored with the support of a qualified professional, and it is important to pay attention to key indicators when it's time to seek that support. The aim is not to erase difficult feelings or thoughts but to transform one's relationship to them.
Exploring the Meaning of Acceptance: Metaphors and Insights for Understanding16th January 2025
Acceptance is a way of relating to your thoughts, feelings, and sensations with openness and willingness, without fighting against them or trying to change them. It means acknowledging these experiences without judgment. Metaphors like a wave, a slider, a bus driver, and sitting with coffee can help illustrate the concept. Acceptance is a vital part of living a full and meaningful life, and it involves using practices such as mindfulness, self-compassion and defusion. The goal is to be fully present with whatever you are experiencing, and to move forward with your life without needing to control or eliminate your discomfort.
Strategies to Prevent Uncertainty From Escalating Into Anxiety: A Guide to Managing Uncomfortable Feelings16th January 2025
When uncertainty starts to feel overwhelming, it's important to act before it develops into anxiety. By using techniques such as focusing on your breath, being mindful of the present, accepting your feelings, taking action towards your values, evaluating your thoughts, and diverting your attention to positive things you can reduce the likelihood of that uncomfortable feeling turning into something more difficult to manage.
Traditional Approaches and Exploring Newer Methods for Anxiety16th January 2025
Traditional counselling for anxiety tends to focus on past problems and reducing negative emotions, often viewing the client as a patient in need of fixing. Newer approaches like solution-focused therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and coaching offer a different path. They emphasize client empowerment, personal strengths, a positive outlook and a focus on building a valued life rather than simply reducing symptoms. These methods encourage a client-led approach, emphasising action and psychological flexibility. These approaches are more future-oriented and encourage clients to create their own solutions, with an emphasis on what is working and what they would like to achieve, rather than dwelling on difficulties.
A Solution Focused Approach to Anxiety: What a life coach can do for you16th January 2025
A life coach assists clients to manage anxiety by helping them to focus on future solutions, enabling them to identify and achieve goals aligned with their personal values. A coach takes a client-led approach focusing on the client's own resources and strengths. Coaching is an action-orientated process which encourages the client to create positive change by moving towards the life they want. This approach focuses on what clients want to have instead of their problems, and works to create a more lighthearted process.