How Trauma Can Be The Root Cause of Anxiety and How Anxiety Therapy in Denver Can Help
By an anxiety therapist in denver
Anxiety - a Symptom of Trauma That Often Goes Unrecognized or Misunderstood.
In the hidden recesses of our minds, a delicate dance unfolds where past traumas intertwine with our present experiences. Thus, creating a profound impact on our mental and emotional well-being. These traumatic events, whether they are emotional, mental, or physical, have the potential to overwhelm us. As well as give rise to various mental health issues, including anxiety.
The effects of this trauma can be deeply ingrained. Causing anxiety to permeate many aspects of our lives. If you resonate with this, trauma-centered anxiety therapy may provide a roadmap for healing.
In today's post, we'll embark on an exploration of the link between past trauma and anxiety. As well as dive deep into the power of therapy for healing from anxiety.
The Connection: Past Trauma and Anxiety
The first thing that I would like to share if you're reading this to find respite from anxiety is that you are not alone! In fact, according to the World Health Organization, 3.6 percent—or about 264 million individuals worldwide—have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety can manifest in a variety of ways. Physical symptoms like a racing heart, GI upset, and chest pain. To mental effects like excessive worry, self-doubt, and uncontrollable intrusive or ruminating thoughts.
Generally speaking, at its core, anxiety is the reaction that our bodies have produced as an adaptation to trauma. When an individual experiences a traumatic experience—whether it's extreme or subtle—our brain shifts into “fight, flight, or freeze” mode to protect us. In the short term, this is a natural and healthy response. However, when trauma is not processed effectively and integrated into our understanding of ourselves and our environment, it can lead to persistent feelings of anxiety.
Here is a direct quote from "The Body Keeps the Score" to share more insight.
"Psychologists usually try to help people use insight and understanding to manage their behavior. However, neuroscience research shows that very few psychological problems are the result of defects in understanding; most originate in pressures from deeper regions in the brain that drive our perception and attention. When the alarm bell of the emotional brain keeps signaling that you are in danger, no amount of insight will silence it."
For more in-depth information about this, consider reading The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk.
The Role of Anxiety Therapy: 6 Ways Anxiety Therapy in Denver, CO Can Help You Heal
As you begin to explore the potential links between anxiety and past traumatic experiences you’ve been through, it’s important to highlight the role trauma-centered anxiety therapy often plays in supporting healing. We aren’t meant to heal alone. Therapy can give us the space and safety needed to unpack our traumas and find the healing we deserve.
Here are six ways that anxiety therapy helps us heal anxiety:
1. Holding Space for Trauma:
When working with a therapist that’s safe, affirming, and trauma-focused, we can make room for past traumas, understand their context, and uncover the impact the traumas have had on us, both in the past and in the present.
2. Understanding Ourselves Through a Compassionate Lens:
Therapy can help us understand how our past experiences and traumas shape our present behavior, thoughts, and feelings. With trauma-focused anxiety therapy, we can learn to see ourselves with compassion. As well as recognize our patterns of anxiety, and develop healthier ways to move through our anxiety, which can lead to lasting changes in our lives.
3. Feeling Our Emotions Fully:
Therapy helps us notice and feel our emotions fully. Making it possible for us to access the roots of past trauma and get the trauma’s stored emotions, thoughts, and body sensations ‘unstuck’ from our nervous system.
4. Reframing Perceptions:
Therapy can assist in changing our perspective, allowing us to utilize our strengths and inner wisdom to move through anxiety. A powerful therapy for trauma and anxiety is EMDR, which is something our team at CZTG specializes in.
5. Healing Self-Image:
Therapy can help us investigate how our past traumas have affected our self-perception, discover methods to recover from them, and fully see ourselves without the lens of negative self-talk and judgment.
6. Building Healthy Ways to Move Through Anxiety, Shame, and Guilt:
Through therapy, we can create new neural pathways in the brain that allow us to move past anxiety, shame, and guilt. In a way that does not shut those emotions down, and instead helps us access the root cause of them so we can heal holistically. Such skills not only grant solace but also pave the way for the rediscovery of comfort within oneself, facilitating the re-establishment of a harmonious mind-body connection.
Interested in Exploring Anxiety Therapy in Denver?
There is no one way to heal from anxiety. The process looks a little different for everyone, but with these tips, we hope to support you on your journey, give you the toolkit you need to build your resilience to anxiety, and encourage you to not be afraid to seek the professional support you deserve. Therapy empowers individuals to confront their past traumas, move beyond the anxiety that’s keeping them stuck, and foster healing and transformation.
At CZ Therapy Group, we're dedicated to supporting individuals in their quest for healing and liberation from the grip of anxiety. If you are seeking assistance, don't hesitate to reach out to our compassionate team of anxiety therapists in Denver for a free consult call.
Ready to Start Anxiety Therapy in Denver, CO?
Take the first step towards healing and reclaiming your life at CZ Therapy Group. Reach out to one of our qualified anxiety therapists and embark on a transformative journey of healing, growth, and resilience in anxiety therapy. Follow these three simple steps to get started:
Reach out to schedule a free 20-minute consult call
Connect with a CZTG Anxiety Therapist in Denver, CO
Find support and begin healing from your anxiety symptoms associated traumas.