Hannah Smith – Rewire the Anxious Brain – Neuroscience-Be informed Treatment of Anxiety, Panic and Worry

Outline

Use Neuroscience in the Treatment of Anxiety

Positives:

• We know more about anxiety-More severe based disorders than other disorders
• Science gives explanations, evidence, authority, destigmatizes difficulties

Concerns:

• Answer questions, as it can be hard to explain.
• Clients might feel a sense of insecurity. of Responsibility
• Simplicity is the only way to go

Enhancing Engagement in Treatment

• Don’t neglect the Therapeutic relationship
• Address the challenges of Clients anxious
• Strategies are not easy to implement.
• Guide the process using client’s goals
• Stay motivated

Neuroplasticity

• Neuroplasticity is defined in everyday language
• Therapy is about creating new self
• ”Rewiring” as an accessible concept for change
• Re-consolidation: the Modification of Memories that are emotional

Identify two neural pathways that can cause anxiety

• Amygdala – bottom-Up triggering of emotion, physicality of Anxiety
• Cortex – top-Mindfulness-based down emotion generation
• Please explain the Two routes to clients
• How each pathway causes anxiety and How pathways interact with each other

Client-Friendly Explanations

• To create concrete understanding, use illustrations
• Fight/flight/freeze the responses
• The “language of the amygdala”
• Anxiety and the cortex
• Help clients recognize the There are two routes to anxiety

Neuroplasticity the Amygdala (Essential to all Anxiety Disorders: PTSD, OCD & Depression)

• Sleep and the Amygdala
• The influence of exercise
• Breathing techniques that reduce activation
• Relaxation, meditation, and Yoga to Modify Responses
• Exposure is a way to make money the Learn more about the amygdala
• Anti-evasion
• Anxiety can be a sign of anxiety the Amygdala can learn to respond in new ways
• Change is possible by overcoming anxiety the Amygdala

Neuroplasticity the Cortex (Essential to GAD, SAD and OCD, PTSD, and Depression)

• ”Survival of the busiest” principle – strengthen or weaken specific circuitry
• The healthy (adaptive use) of Be careful the cortex
• ”You can’t erase: You must replace”
• Recognize and Modify the Impact of Uncertainty
• Correct training of Distraction
• Left hemisphere techniques – cognitive defusion, coping thoughts, fighting anticipation
• Right hemisphere techniques – imagery, music
• Mindfulness and Anti-anxiety Strategies

Neuroplasticity and OCD, PTSD and Depression: Medications

• Medication’s effects in the rewiring process
• The myth of the Chemical imbalance
• The danger of Sedation the Brain stimulation with benzodiazepines
• Promoting neuroplasticity through SSRIs, SNRIs
• The effectiveness of CBT and Mediga

Moving beyond diagnostic categories to focus on anxiety pathways

• Anxiety is a component of Many diagnoses are possible (depression, substance abuse, etc.).
• Amygdala – and cortex-Other disorders can be treated with based techniques
• Targeting the brain-Based on symptoms and not disorders
• WorrySimilar cortex is involved in obsessions, rumination and other behaviors.-Techniques based
• PanicPhobias are unable to express their feelings. and Amygdala is the trigger for compulsions-Techniques based

Research and Risk and Limitations

• Clinical versus empirical and Anecdotal evidence
• Considerations for clinical considerations with specific clients and Setting
• Efficacy of Different interventions might be required