In my previous post, I covered cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for treating social anxiety disorder. In this post, I’ll discuss another form of treatment—mindfulness-based treatment.
I interviewed psychotherapist Karen J. Helfrich, LCSW-C, on using a mindfulness-based treatment program. She focuses her practices on empowering women through her work as a therapist.
What is social anxiety disorder?
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is an extreme fear of being judged, criticized, or rejected in social situations. Fear of social criticism and rejection is a developmentally normal aspect of adolescence. However, when it interferes with the young person’s ability to engage in normal activities like school or personal interests, then professional help may be indicated. In adults, this fear may not become resolved. Over time, social anxiety can severely restrict a person’s living experience, limiting their ability to remain employed or form healthy relationships.
Is there a typical onset for SAD? Are there known causes?
SAD typically begins around age 13, but those afflicted can go a decade or more before seeking help. Possible causes include temperament, as well as an experience of public criticism or rejection that was experienced as a trauma.
What is mindfulness and how does it help treat SAD?
My preferred modality is a body-centered and mindfulness-based approach that recognizes the significant role of the nervous system in this type of phobic response. Mindfulness is simply paying attention to one’s present-moment experience.
Mindfulness is shown in research to use neural pathways in the brain that cause the nervous system to calm. The more these neural pathways are used, the stronger they become. Using mindfulness, we can begin to notice what happens in the body when anxiety is present and develop strategies to empower clients to “signal safety” to their nervous system.
Over time, clients feel empowered to slow down their response to triggers, manage their body’s fear response (fight-or-flight), and increase their ability to tolerate discomfort. The client experiences this as feeling like they have a choice about how they will respond to a trigger.
Can you give an example of how mindfulness works to ease SAD?
A way to understand how the body and nervous system works is to think of a movie scene where a group of people are together, perhaps at a small party on a sunny day, enjoying conversation, smiling, etc. In one version of this scene, happy music is playing, perhaps to suggest a romantic comedy. As viewers, we might anticipate that two of these party-goers are going to start a romance.
Now imagine the same scene. Only, this time, the soundtrack is dark and ominous. Now, as viewers, we are now anticipating that one of the party-goers is about to go on a violent rampage.
Our nervous system is like the soundtrack for every scene in life that we encounter. It is all but impossible to experience a scene as safe and happy when the music tells us otherwise. With a mindful, body-based approach, clients can learn to change their music.
This article previously appeared on Forbes.