Dallas CBT’s specialized treatment for GAD involves cognitive behavioral therapy that includes acceptance and mindfulness-based components. This approach is considered the most effective therapy for generalized anxiety. Our treatment teaches how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact to cause anxiety, and helps you to change problematic worry and thought patterns and re-engage with meaningful and helpful behaviors.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) involves persistent anxiety and worry about a broad range of situations, from everyday issues to global disasters. These worries can take up a lot of time and can be very difficult to control or disconnect from. Though the subject of worry is often related to “everyday” concerns (e.g., finances, tardiness, grades, safety) that we all worry about at times, GAD worries are often excessive (e.g., worrying your loved one has been in a horrible accident if they are 10 minutes late) and can make it difficult to get work done or be present at school, work, or home. Further, those struggling with GAD often experience persistent physical symptoms of anxiety, including: muscle tension, restlessness, fatigue, concentration difficulties, irritability, and sleep disturbance.

Potential Signs of GAD

  • Near-constant worry or anxiety about a variety of things
  • Others describe you as “a worrier”
  • Frequently thinking or worrying about the “worst case scenario”
  • Often feeling tense or on edge
  • Finding it difficult to story or control your worrying
  • Difficulty concentrating or relaxing
  • Physical symptoms such as neck pain and tension, stomach aches, and headaches
  • Irritability

Treatment

Dallas CBT provides cognitive behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety that involves retraining your brain to engage in different thinking and behavior patterns. Our treatment involves CBT and aspects of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), which are the most scientifically-supported therapies for generalized anxiety. The length of treatment for GAD ranges depending on the individual’s concerns, but significant progress is often seen across several months.  In therapy, you will learn to: identify unhelpful patterns of thinking, learn to respond to thoughts differently and to disengage from anxious thinking (e.g., “looping” or catastrophizing), increase behaviors in line with your values and goals, an increase your ability to relax and cope day-to-day.

In therapy, you will learn to:
  • Identify unhelpful patterns of thinking
  • Learn to respond to thoughts differently and to disengage from anxious thinking (e.g., “looping” or catastrophizing)
  • Increase behaviors in line with your values and goals
  • Increase your ability to relax and cope day-to-day