How to Conquer Social Anxiety

There are a number of treatment options available for people suffering from social anxiety, an often debilitating condition that is characterized by the fear of being negatively evaluated by others in social situations. Because social anxiety disorder has both mental and emotional symptoms, as well as physical signs of distress, most treatment regimens focus on the combined use of medications and various behavioral therapies. While medications have proven to be successful in alleviating many of the physical aspects of the condition, in order to permanently affect changes in the underlying thought processes of the patient usually involve such therapies as exposure and response prevention.

Exposure and response prevention therapy is a social anxiety disorder treatment that focuses on encouraging the patient to face their fears of social interaction by placing themselves into exactly the kind of social situations that are most likely to trigger their anxiety. The pace at which this is attempted varies from individual to individual, with many patients beginning this treatment in highly controlled situations pre-designed to minimize trauma. Similar in some ways to behavioral therapy, the goal is to eventually have the patient come to realize that their fears are irrational.

It is easy to see how effective this technique can be as a means of a social anxiety disorder treatment. Repeated exposure to the environments that stimulate their negative reactions helps patients understand that nothing terrible can happen, even in the worst case scenario outcome of a particular social situation. So over time they can develop a sense of comfort in those situations. Repeatedly facing the negative responses that these situations trigger helps patients to learn to recognize their own reactions and thus work toward preventing them. Exposure and response prevention therapy can be extremely difficult for many patients, particularly at the onset of their treatment. However, because it forces individuals to directly address the root causes of their anxiety, it is one of the most commonly used treatments for social anxiety.

Dealing with social anxiety is never easy, and finding the right social anxiety disorder treatment regimen can be a difficult proposition in the best of circumstances. For patients with the courage to attempt it, exposure and response prevention therapy can be an extremely effective method for assisting patients in overcoming their fears. This element of the treatment process is vital for a full recovery. While medications, yoga, and breathing techniques can assist patients in suppressing the physical manifestations of social anxiety, treatment like exposure and response prevention therapy is necessary to “reprogram” the way their brain to think differently in specific social situations.