Anxiety falls under the category of a mental health disorder and branches out into six separate distinctive types. Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD, Specific Phobias, Social Anxiety Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

It’s categorised by feelings of fear, anxiety and worry which is strong enough to overwhelm one’s day to day life. Certain parts of the brain are key factors that influence fear and anxiety. The almond size Amygdala found deep within the brain acts as a communication hub. This looks at the communication between the parts that interpret incoming sensory signals and the parts that process them. It can detect a present threat and then detect an anxious fear based response. Emotional memories stored in the central part of the Amygdala may play a role specifically in phobia disorders along with other forms of anxiety stored elsewhere in the Amygdala.

There will be certain profile characteristics that can be found in almost any form of anxiety. These symptoms include:

-Fear, panic and dis-ease

-Sleep problems

-Not being able to stay calm or still

-Cold, sweaty, numb or tingling hands or feet

-Shortness of breath or rapid breathing (hyperventilation)

-Heart palpitations

-Dry mouth

-Nausea

-Diarrhoea

-Muscle tension

-Headaches

-Dizziness

 

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Generalised Anxiety Disorder is an exaggerated unrealistic worry and anxious tension quite unnecessarily when there’s little or no obvious reason to worry. It’s an obsessive worry where people with this condition seem to always be prepared for an expectation of disaster. Before I began my training with my Kinesiologist I’d had this type of anxiety for a long period of time. I used to worry about everything which is a normal stage of moving between Third and Fourth Dimension. As we let go of our trauma it comes to the surface which can cause us to be anxious as we enter the new timeline. Especially during the interim period where the new is still being woven.

People with GAD are unable to relax and can’t seem to shake their concerns. They’re constantly consumed by worry about work, money, home, family and health even when there’s no signs of trouble. I don’t label this a disorder as I call this condition a survival pattern which is part of transitioning out of trauma.

Ironically someone in survival can usually realise when their anxiety is more intense than what the situation warrants. Their worries manifest into physical symptoms such as muscle tension, twitching and trembling. They can also suffer from sweating, irritability, headaches and breathing difficulties. GAD sufferers can often be jittery due to being on edge and startle easily. They tend to feel tired with fatigue and have trouble concentrating, falling or staying asleep and can sometimes suffer from depression. 

GAD comes on gradually most often in childhood or adolescence. It’s more common in women than in men and often occurs in relatives of affected persons. It’s quite a complex condition formed by a combination of genetics and learnt behaviour patterns. When we repair and heal layer by layer the survival patterns fall away.

 

Panic Disorder

This disorder is characterised by unexpected and repeated panic attacks that bring the feeling of terror and strikes randomly. Besides the feeling of intense fear it’s accompanied by physical symptoms such as dizziness, sweatiness, abdominal stress, shortness of breath or choking, chest pain or palpitations (strong or irregular heartbeats). Sometimes you may even feel like you’re having a heart attack.

After a while these unexpected and repeated panic attacks no longer become unexpected and the sufferer is in constant fear of experiencing another episode. Intense anxiety develops between these episodes. It’s a catch 22 because the post-traumatic stress of previous episodes creates secondary fears about situations or places where panic attacks previously occurred. As the frequency of panic attacks increase Angora phobia may then develop as the fear becomes so great of visiting a place where help or treatment may not be available. Four panic attacks within a month would be considered a formal diagnosis. Women are twice more likely than men to develop panic disorder and typically strike in young adulthood. Maybe we have way more responsibilities on our shoulders perhaps. 50% of sufferers will develop the condition before age 25.

 

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

More common than bipolar, schizophrenia and panic disorder yet relatively undeclared, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, often known as OCD does not discriminate in ethnicity. Unlike the other anxiety disorders OCD affects males and females equally. Back in the day it was believed to be a fairly rare condition however this was simply due to the fact that it’s often unreported. It can be quite an embarrassing form of anxiety and some go to great lengths to keep their obsessive and repetitive thoughts and behaviours to themselves. OCD occurs in a spectrum from mild to severe. Mild can be managed within a normal lifestyle however if left untreated severe can be extremely damaging to one’s lifestyle. 

It’s always been said OCD symptoms develop during teenage years and that’s when it first became evident for myself however more current studies show data with the illness beginning as early as preschool years. Studies show at least 33% of adults with OCD developed the condition in childhood. Suffering from OCD during early developmental years can cause a lifetime of problems.

The obsessive behaviour and thought patterns that bring about an OCD diagnosis are often extreme. From anything like “Did I leave the iron on?” to checking things repetitively when you know you’ve checked four times before and probably will twice more. That was me constantly. This occurs when we’re not present in the moment so we have no memory that can be relied upon. It’s imagining your hands to be contaminated and needing them washed over and over before you can relax your mind. Compulsions are a large part of the problem. Rearranging to make everything straight and perfect, obsessing with perfection, along with regimented rituals are just two examples of activities that waste the time for those with OCD. 

The irony of OCD is that a person suffering from this condition can most of the time recognise the problem and is well aware of the senselessness of their obsessions. The secret to treating OCD and most anxiety conditions is to simply relax the mind out of the trauma program. To do this we work on pressure points to relax the brain helping you to be more present and think more rationally.

 

Specific Phobias

As there are many different types of phobias specific phobias are endless. A person could fear any one particular object such as sharks in the ocean, snakes in the bushes or spiders on the walls. For me it’s cockroaches. Like every other form of anxiety it’s based on fear and usually in relation to concerns about safety. In most instances it’s automatic. Even though sufferers know that their fears are irrational and at times unrealistic a phobia triggers an automatic response where fear feeds through before rational thought can. Specific phobias are often extreme and the likelihood of that threat emerging is out of proportion or in no way relative to the anxiousness they may endure.Just the thought of the phobia can at times push someone over the edge.

Examples of common phobias are usually categorised. A medical type could include injections, operations or catching an illness. An animal phobia is quite easy to understand, especially with vicious or savage animals. Transport phobias could include car accidents, falling off a skateboard or being stuck in an elevator. People can often fear the natural environment and could have a fear of lightning, thunder or fires. Then there’s a miscellaneous category where we could list all the extreme, irrational type thoughts such as fear of choking, swallowing bubble gum, losing or breaking something, hurting someone or losing your mind.

Specific phobias can be persistent throughout our entire life span and usually develop in childhood or early adolescence like most other anxiety disorders. Some phobias may be due to a genetic predisposition or if you’ve witnessed something at an earlier stage then that specific experience may be the foundation to developing a specific phobia based around that trauma. 

 

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder will often be referred to as Social Phobia and can bring with it a fear so intense that it interferes with lifestyle and work commitments. The feeling is an overwhelming worry and self-consciousness around every day social situations. You fixate around humiliation and being judged or embarrassed by others. Social Anxiety can be extremely broad. Any time they’re around other people they may experience symptoms yet on the flipside it can be restricted to just certain types of situations such as public speaking. It can be debilitating and a challenge for those suffering to make and keep friendships. Along with the mental and emotional anguish of social phobia is the physical symptoms. These can include nausea and stomach upset, sweating, blushing and trembling. Just the thought of these symptoms can create an anxious cycle developing. Social phobia is twice as prevalent in females than males and usually develops by the age of 25.

 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can arise from any incident that has caused previous fear. It could stem from a sexual assault years ago in childhood to a more recent car accident. It could be a memory of flood devastation or domestic violence and physical abuse. It doesn’t take much in today’s world to remind us of trauma. Basically it’s anxiety, flashbacks and nightmares triggered by a traumatic event causing chronic anxiety. It may stem from your own experience but doesn’t necessarily have to. Simply witnessing other people’s trauma like fighting in a war can be just as detrimental and carry the same degree of trauma. All these instances can still bring the same disturbing feelings, thoughts or dreams related to the event. 

Approximately 25% of people exposed to traumatic events will develop PTSD. Although trauma triggers the anxiety disorder it’s genetic factors which may explain why only certain individuals exposed to similar traumatic events will develop full blown PTSD. I personally don’t like to use the term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Everyone has stress and as a result trauma is a part of life. Should we really be calling it a disorder? There are several symptoms which hint that someone may be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress. 

Being overly alert, jumpy or wound up

Someone easily startled and expectant of approaching danger could have an issue with Post Traumatic Stress. They may lack concentration and suffer irritability through sleeping difficulties or lack of.

Reliving the traumatic event

Uncontrollable recurring memories can cause a person to relive the event. By reliving the event they’re again placed in a state of fear which can bring panic, sweating and heart palpitations. Sleep is often disturbed by nightmares as the subconscious mind continues to play out the experience. It can take the subconscious mind a long period of time to catch up to a conscious thought pattern and finally release fears. 

Emotionally Disconnected

A person with Post-Traumatic Stress struggles with the experience, they may make major changes to their lifestyle and as a result begin to feel detached and alienated from family and friends. They may begin to avoid the types of places similar to where the trauma originally occurred out of fear of another incident. They may also avoid people associated with the event as they could trigger tormenting memories. As a result this may cause the person to begin to lose interest in life and sink further into a depression. PTSD is a vicious cycle. It can be persistent and long term until your body releases the trauma. Those affected can often fall into the traps of dealing with their trauma through substance abuse as for short periods of time the fear can be forgotten. Energy Healing is so effective for dealing with the layers around PTSD.

 

TREATMENT of Anxiety

Having treated anxiety myself I know of several different options depending on a person’s needs. Depending on what we spoke about briefly at the beginning of the session I’ll work with that information to determine where the fears live and work with the body, specifically the Kidneys to release unnecessary fears and worry. It’s difficult to break the pattern of PTSD however with the right guidance, commitment and by listening to what our body needs there are many successful ways.