Specialized Anxiety Treatment in Edmonton

Do worries and fears control much of your day-to-day life? Please turn to the registered psychologists at Gary J. Meiers, Ph.D., Jo Ann Hammond-Meiers, Ph.D. and Associates Ltd. for anxiety treatment in Edmonton. We are experienced in EMDR therapy for disorders concerning phobias and anxiety for individuals and families. We offer treatment for:

EMDR is the main treatment therapy that we use. It is an effective treatment for trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Treating individuals undergoing trauma and triggers is our primary focus, but we also focus on performing addiction therapy using EMDR and psychotherapy. If an unknown event, medical factor, or stress has left you feeling vulnerable or concerned, seeking professional help is the first step. Reach out to us if you need us!

What Is an Anxiety Disorder?

Anxiety disorders are different from your normal feelings of nervousness or anxiousness. It involves excessive fear or anxiety. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders among individuals. However, you can be relieved to know that anxiety disorders are treatable, and several effective treatments are available. Anxiety disorder treatments are specifically designed to assist people in resuming normal and productive lives.

Do you have a strong but irrational fear of something that doesn’t pose a grave or real danger? Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder that occupies your thoughts, has many anxiety symptoms, and limits your activities. Though a phobia might arise from an understandable source, such as feeling nervous about going to the dentist; phobic anxiety prevents you from participating in experiences you want to try, or goals you want to accomplish. You may be aware that your fear is unreasonable with a true phobia, but you are unable to control your reaction.

What Are the Symptoms of Anxiety?

It is natural to feel anxious from time to time. Anxiety can protect us from engaging in harmful situations, but at the same time; can get us spiraling over deadlines or other areas in our lives. Anxiety becomes problematic when you feel anxious daily or even in non-threatening situations.

Anxiety disorders can be understood as both emotional and physical sensations, and can affect anyone of any age.

Our expert psychologists have curated a list of symptoms that you may experience during your anxiety attacks:

Feeling overwhelmed by fear or sense of danger
Feeling like you need to escape
An overwhelming sense of doom or helplessness
Heart palpitations and chest pressure
Inability to calm down
Numbness and tingling sensations

Is Nervousness a Sign of Anxiety?

The feeling of nervousness is common and can be felt often. Anything that causes apprehension or fear can lead to feelings of nervousness. For instance, you can be nervous because of your first job interview, a test, or attending an event, among other possible situations.

Nervousness is a natural response to a stressful event. It is temporary and resolves once the stress has passed. It can be controlled, even if you’re more prone to experiencing nervous feelings.

Although it is one of the most common symptoms of anxiety disorders, nervousness and anxiety disorders are not the same.

Types of Anxiety Disorders & Phobias

There are numerous anxiety disorders that an individual can experience. Anxiety disorders can be broadly categorized into the following types:

An intense fear around a specific object, animal or situation. However, these feelings do not interrupt our day-to-day lives. Some of the most common phobias that affect people’s social and personal lives are:

A panic disorder is when one experiences repeated and unexpected panic attacks. A panic attack is a feeling of sudden and intense fear that lasts for a short period. These can be a normal reaction to a stressful situation or a part of other anxiety disorders. You may experience the following while going through one:

This is an intense fear of being embarrassed or evaluated negatively by others in society. This fear results in avoiding social situations. It can negatively impact your school or work performance.

This disorder is an excessive worry over several everyday problems for more than six months. You may even experience intense anxiety over minor concerns.

Avoiding situations that make you panic takes a lot of hard work, but you can learn how to understand and manage your fears. EMDR Therapy for phobias and anxiety disorders can help you face your fears and break their power over your life.

Who Does It Affect?

You can experience an anxiety disorder or an anxiety attack at any age, as there is no specific benchmark age. Sometimes, anxiety disorders are triggered by a specific event or stressful life experiences.

Having an anxiety disorder is more likely to occur when we have certain ways of looking at things. For instance, believing that everything must be perfect. It can also be triggered by adopting unhelpful coping strategies from others.

Sometimes there is seemingly no reason for anxiety attacks to occur. Each anxiety disorder has specific treatments and goals, but we most often utilize EMDR Therapy as an effective anxiety treatment at our office in Edmonton.

Skilled Psychologists for Anxiety Disorders in Edmonton

Skilled in treating patients of all ages with phobias and anxiety in Edmonton, we frequently work with adults and children, adolescents, and their parents, since many anxiety disorders and phobias begin at a young age.

Gary J. Meiers and Jo Ann Hammond-Meiers have practiced counselling psychology for over 40 years. They are skilled in various treatments, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Gestalt therapy, and expressive art techniques. Desensitization (exposure therapy) and cognitive behaviour therapy (alternative views and actions) are also effective strategies for coping with phobias and anxiety. We begin with a confidential and comprehensive assessment to determine the best individual approach to help you move forward.

How Does EMDR Therapy Help?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a treatment that involves the accessing and processing of traumatic memories and other unpleasant life experiences. It is predominantly used for treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but it is also an effective treatment for trauma, anxiety, depression, and addiction.

EMDR targets past experiences, current triggers, and potential challenges in the future to address various issues. The results are measured by decreasing distress caused by disturbing memories, enhanced self-belief and confidence, and recognizing and controlling thought processes associated with the trigger events.

As a part of the treatment, we might ask you to invoke memories of stimuli that cause you anxiety. While you do so, we request you to track focus on back-and-forth movements with your eye. We ask you to take note of the sensations, images, thoughts and emotions you experience as we gradually assist you in shifting your mind towards more positive stimuli. You will then experience more control over your emotional state.

One of the advantages of EMDR therapy for anxiety is that you don't necessarily have to voice painful memories. This feature is useful if you find it challenging to verbalize your emotions and thoughts. Eventually, the intensity of these emotionally distressing memories will diminish.

If you would like to discuss EMDR therapy for anxiety treatment in Edmonton, we would love to help you set up an appointment. Apart from anxiety, we can also help with a number of other conditions such as addictions and eating disorders.

Contact Us

Our team is specialized in helping you with traumatic stress disorder, depression, panic attacks and more, with the help of EMDR. Learn more about who we are and how we can benefit you. If you need to consult a psychiatrist for anxiety counselling in Edmonton, reach out to our specialists. Gary J. Meiers, Ph.D., Jo Ann Hammond-Meiers, Ph.D. and Associates Ltd. is pleased to offer day, evening, and weekend appointments. Schedule your consultation with us today.

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