Forward Therapy A Conversation About Anxiety Using Narrative Therapy.

Forward Therapy A Conversation about Anxiety using Narrative Therapy.
Posted on April 27, 2010 by forwardtherapy
[pic][pic]

Anxiety is one of the most pervasive problems that people present withfor therapy and counselling. If you have a problem with Anxiety, you are certainly not alone!

Research has shown that anti-anxiety medication should not be used long term for anxiety due topotential side effects and risk of addiction.

Talking therapies, such as Narrative Therapy, provide an alternative treatment for managing or overcoming anxiety, depression and other mental healthdifficulties.

Anxiety often has people identifying strongly with it. A person may turn up to therapy and say, “I am an anxious person”.  They may even go so far as to say “I am Anxious”. It is as thoughthe person and the problem have actually become one! With this comes an expectation that a person needs to be ‘fixed’ or ‘corrected’ in some way.

Narrative Therapists know that people are notproblems. While a problem can become highly influential in someone’s life, there is always more to a person than the problems he or she is experiencing. One of the first things we can do to make thisdifference more obvious is to try to externalise anxiety. For example, we can start to explore descriptions of the anxiety. The richer and more vivid these descriptions, the better.

Person: It’s strong.It’s tough. It has a hold over my life.

Therapist: A hold over your life? Like it has you trapped?

Person: Yes, it’s keeping me prisoner. It keeps me trapped in a very dark place.

Thesequestions and answers serve to raise the curiosity of both the therapist and the person attending therapy. There are many directions in which a therapeutic conversation can go and this is just one example…Therapist: What is Anxiety keeping you prisoner from?

Person: Well I used to love going shopping, but the anxiety makes me dread going out where there might be lots of people. Parties as...