Therapy for Social Anxiety
Social anxiety disorders are a significant concern for New Yorkers due to their prevalence (especially since COVID), impact on day-to-day lives, and impact on having a successful career. Various supported methods of psychodynamic therapy for treating anxiety disorders are available.
If you were diagnosed with or experienced both a social anxiety disorder and panic disorder in the past, you know how finding a solution that will work long-term is ideal.
Psychodynamic therapy has proven effective in treating various anxiety disorders (Keefe et al., 2014; Leichsenring, Klein & Salzer, 2014). In addition, there are emerging unified psychodynamic "processes" (not to be confused with techniques) for anxiety disorders (UPP-ANXIETY) that integrate the treatment principles of those methods of psychodynamic therapy that have proven to be most efficacious in anxiety disorders. Some of the objectives of these new processes include:
Are you feeling motivated and setting goals - Here, you would seek to establish with your therapist what therapy should look like and what plans it seeks to achieve for you.
Establishing a secure helping therapeutic alliance - simply put, do you feel supported, safe, and challenged by your therapist? Are they a team partner and in your corner?
Identifying the core conflict underlying your anxiety. Most people identify strongly with one of these three; pointing it out whenever it rears its ugly head can be very helpful.
Fear of rejection
I'm not good enough
I don't feel safe
Focusing on the "corrective experience." You can feel the corrective emotional experience when you expect specific responses from people but are surprised by your therapist's disconfirmation of the anticipated response. An example could be being called "lazy" by a coworker. Yet, you think it was a deserved response. Then, during a session in therapy, your therapist shares with you all the reasons why this accusation is not, in fact, true.
Modifying underlying internalized object relations. This process aims to help you uncover early mental images that may contribute to any present difficulties. (i.e., my Mom always responded to my successes with jealousy).
Changing underlying defenses and avoidance. These defenses are learned strategies that worked at one stage in your life but no longer did. An example of this is Denial. Denial is the refusal to accept reality or fact, acting as if a painful event, thought, or feeling did not exist. It is considered one of the most primitive defense mechanisms because it is characteristic of early childhood development. However, many people use the term Denial in their everyday lives to avoid dealing with painful feelings or areas of their life they don't wish to admit. For instance, a person who is a functioning alcoholic will often deny they have a drinking problem, pointing to how well they function in their job and relationships.
Anxiety Can Be Reduced Using Self-Awareness as Part of Psychodynamic Therapy
While there are many routes to address anxiety disorders (various types of therapy, medications, etc.), research suggests psychodynamic processes are effective. As with any therapeutic modality, be sure to discuss with your therapist how these might play a role in improving your specific symptoms. Then, take control of your symptoms and a bit of psychoeducational awareness.