In generalized anxiety disorder treatment (GAD treatment), people feel constant anxiety that something will go wrong and they won’t be able to attain the life goals they have for themselves. They imagine what could go wrong in any situation, and this leads to worry. The internalized goal of the worry is to think about these potential negative outcomes in order to prepare or prevent them – the search is for reassurance and a feeling of safety. Unfortunately, there are many things that could happen that are outside a person’s control. People with GAD can sometimes go in circles, imagining bad outcomes and worrying, getting more and more anxious. At some point, the worry itself can become something to worry about – “I’m worrying too much, what if this means I’m losing control?” This, of course, makes the anxiety even stronger.

GAD Treatment at the Anxiety Treatment Center of Austin

In GAD treatment, the goal is not to find solutions to every concern in order to relieve anxiety. Instead, the goal is to change the way patients deal with concerns and uncertainties in life, put the fears in perspective, reduce the biases that lead to expectations of catastrophic outcomes, stop worrying, and deal with problems directly. This is done by helping patients understand the processes that escalate and maintain anxiety and change the way they think about problems. The result is the ability to pursue their goals and immerse themselves in life with much less stress and anxiety.