By Lucinda Bassett
Hello Everyone,It has come to my attention recently that much is being said and written about the effects that changing the way we react and think can have on our brain. In recent clinical studies, doctors, scientists, and therapists are proving that in many cases, changing the way we think can be even more effective and long-lasting than medication in treating depression and anxiety.
Self-Empowered Recovery with the Attacking Anxiety and Depression Program
This is very exciting and affirming information for us here at the Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety because this is exactly what we have been helping people to do for years with the ATTACKING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION program. It is suggested by recent studies that when a person uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat mood disorders like anxiety and or depression, it focuses on the sufferer’s ability to manage symptoms and understand the cause, thereby reducing the likelihood of relapse. When a person takes medication to treat mood disorders like depression and anxiety, however, he or she might relapse once the medication is discontinued. CBT therefore offers a long-term solution to anxiety and depression that antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication cannot provide.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a Self-Empowering Treatment Option
How this process works in the brain is quite intriguing. It is believed that most people who suffer with anxiety also suffer with depression, at least 70%. In fact it is believed that obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and social phobias are particularly associated with depression. In many cases, anxiety and depression are really two faces of one disorder causing varying symptoms. The good news is that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which, simply put, means learning how to think and react differently, works very well for both by teaching people strategies that affect how they think and live.This approach to recovering from depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders seems to target the upper brain region involving emotion, memory, and attention. In brain scans from people who receive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy there is a distinct change in brain function, and interestingly, it appears to be just the opposite of the change created by medications.
Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Empower Yourself for Change
Experts are finding that when people who suffer with anxiety and depression choose Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as their method of treatment, they feel responsible for their own recovery and that provides a sense of empowerment that is very positive. It also appears to have more of a permanent effect on the sufferer’s ability to manage the problem because he or she has skills and insight along with the sense of personal empowerment.This is exciting for us for many reasons. It confirms why this program has been around for so long, helping so many people with depression and anxiety… it works. It also confirms that for many people this method of recovery is not only healthier, but more effective and more long-lasting than medication. No wonder people keep sending in those great letters!
The Midwest Center Assists with Self-Empowered Recovery
I am once again humbled by how lucky I am, how lucky we at The Midwest Center all are, to do what we do, help people who suffer from depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. People get better and they get their lives back. And not just in the United States, but all around the world. Recently I received a letter from a man in Japan telling me that if it weren’t for these skills, he wouldn’t be “here” today.Thank you all for your letters, your phone calls, and most importantly your belief in the Attacking Anxiety and Depression program and your belief in yourself. We will keep doing our best to help people help themselves in a healthy, long lasting, self-empowering way.
Wishing you all a wonderful, happy day.
Lucinda
