Our Effective Alternative Treatment For Anxiety

Anxiety is a general feeling of worry or fear, and while some amount of anxiety is normal, it can become a disorder if anxious feelings persist for extended periods of time.

Most people experience anxiety, especially during challenging moments or major life events, as it is a natural response to stressors. However, for some people, anxiety can become so constant and debilitating that it interferes with daily life. If you or a loved one are experiencing chronic or severe anxiety, we suggest seeking professional treatment.

At the Drake Institute of Neurophysical Medicine, we provide a safe and effective drug-free alternative treatment for anxiety, as well as anxiety-related symptoms like insomnia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Panic Disorder or panic attacks, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

For over 40 years, our pioneering clinical biofeedback and neurofeedback treatments have helped patients reduce symptoms of anxiety and improve their lives without drugs. To get help with treating anxiety symptoms, call us at 1-800-700-4233 or fill out our free consultation form.

When to Treat Anxiety

Anxiety can manifest in many ways, ranging from general feelings of worry and tension to physical symptoms like one’s heart racing, chest or abdominal discomfort, difficulty falling asleep, muscle tension headaches, or difficulty breathing. Some people experience debilitating anxiety that may lead to a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder.

For example, in addition to generalized anxiety, the DSM-V classifies the following conditions as anxiety disorders:

• Agoraphobia
• Panic Attacks
• Panic Disorder
• Selective Mutism
• Separation Anxiety Disorder
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Specific Phobias
• Substance/Medication-Induced Anxiety Disorder

According to the DSM-V, anxiety becomes a disorder when the general symptoms of worry or fear persist for at least six months, and they are accompanied by at least three of the following symptoms:

• Sleep disturbances
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Muscle tension
• Difficulty concentrating
• Restlessness

The symptoms, level of severity and physiologic effects  of anxiety will vary from person to person.

Fatigue is especially common with anxiety because your body is locked in a hypervigilant state expending extra energy. When this “fight or flight” response in your body is triggered, adrenaline is released, causing physical changes like elevated blood pressure, rapid heart rate, digestive issues, and increased muscle tension.

Persistent anxiety can also have negative impacts on your overall health by weakening your immune system, exacerbating other physical illnesses or ailments, and even leading to cardiovascular disease or increased risk for heart attacks, substance abuse, cognitive and memory problems.

Other symptoms often associated with anxiety include:

• Headaches or migraines
• Palpitations or tachycardia
• Dizziness or light-headedness
• Emotional over-reactivity
• Feelings of overwhelm
• Dyspnea or troubled breathing
• Low self-esteem
• Social avoidance
• Racing thoughts
• Sweating
• Depression
• Insomnia

If you or a loved one are experiencing these or other anxiety-related symptoms, it is important to seek professional help.

Alternative Treatments for Anxiety

Treatment options for anxiety can vary depending on your unique symptoms. While medication is the most common treatment for anxiety, drugs are only a temporary fix. Medication will mask or alleviate the symptoms, but when the medication wears off, the symptoms may  return.

Medication also has a major limitation for long-term improvement because it does not teach you psychophysiologic self-regulation. By learning self-regulation, you can heal your own anxiety disorder. If anxiety symptoms are retriggered in the future, you now have the inner ability and skills to shift out of the anxious state which can then give you an advantage for dealing with stressors.

Drug-based treatments often also come with unwanted side effects that can cause their own physical or mental symptoms and can even lead to drug dependency in some cases. Some research has suggested that certain anxiety reducing medications may actually increase the risk for developing dementia later in life.

There are many natural and over-the-counter drug-free anxiety treatment options that claim to cure or reduce symptoms, but they are typically ineffective for resolving an anxiety disorder, leaving patients frustrated as they continue to experience debilitating symptoms of anxiety.

At the Drake Institute, we have developed a unique and highly effective non-drug alternative treatment for anxiety that is capable of providing lasting relief. In fact, we regularly treat patients who have attempted everything from counseling or psychotherapy, prescription medications, meditation and mindfulness practices, but who still suffer from debilitating anxiety. These just mentioned practices may give some limited relief, but the patients may still feel like they are in the grips of an anxiety disorder.

Drake’s Innovative Alternative Approach to Treating Anxiety

The Drake Institute’s innovative anxiety treatment uses biofeedback and brain map-guided neurofeedback and sometimes neurostimulation to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and other neurophysical disorders. Our alternative anxiety treatment is safe, non-invasive, drug-free, and effective. In fact, we feel that our treatment should be the primary treatment, not an alternative treatment when other treatments have failed.

Each patient receives an individualized treatment plan to address their unique symptoms. The treatment plan is designed to reduce tension levels to normal and return the autonomic nervous system to a healthy state of homeostasis. With our treatment, patients use visual and/or auditory feedback to learn self-regulation, allowing them to restore a healthy physiological balance and achieve a true state of psychophysical relaxation where maximum healing can occur.

By learning to reduce their own tension levels, patients are now empowered with the ability to cope with common stressors and prevent the overreactive anxiety response from taking them over. One no longer has to fear developing secondary headaches, palpitations, muscle tension, fatigue, and insomnia.

The ability to self-regulate is a skill that patients can continue to use throughout their life, leading to lasting relief from anxiety.

Contact The Drake Institute Today!

Our comprehensive non-drug treatment addresses the neuro-psychophysical causes of anxiety, helping you to reduce or resolve symptoms.

If you or a loved one are experiencing anxiety, we can help you achieve a better quality of life. Call us at 1-800-700-4233 or fill out our free consultation form to get started.