If you or a loved one suffers from any phobias or anxiety disorders and have been searching for a behavioral specialist, Dr. Taji Huang, PhD in Glendale, CA can help with prolonged exposure therapy (PET). Exposure therapy is a highly effective psychological treatment for a range of social and behavioral mental disorders.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Social Anxiety
- General Phobias
- Panic Disorder
- Depression
- Unhealthy Anger
- Emotional Numbing
Take Control Over Your Nervousness In Stressful Situations
As we experience negative or embarrassing situations, we can sometimes begin to develop a fear of that environment, thus avoiding it, even if it means losing out on life-advancement opportunities. Avoiding the objects and situations that cause fear can become debilitating over time and can ruin social, professional, and personal life relationships.
Exposure therapy is a professional and effective common-sense approach to naturally and gradually break harmful and debilitating habits of certain situations, environments, or stimuli that cause traumatic emotions that occur throughout our lives.
What is a PET Session Like?
A prolonged exposure therapist uses a combination of techniques during sessions. One, known as imaginal exposure, involves repeated retellings of the traumatic event. You may even be asked to write them down or record yourself so you can read/listen to them between sessions. During these retellings, you and the therapist will explore your thoughts and feelings, formally called emotional procession.
Another technique is in vivo exposure. You and your therapist will identify your triggers — the sights, sounds, smells, etc. that remind you of the traumatic event. Then the therapist will gradually present you with these triggers in a safe environment. The goal is to break the negative associations between these everyday sensations and the trauma.
Gradual Exposure Helps Eliminate The Need To Retreat
The emotional process that occurs during exposure therapy alleviates the initial anxious feelings and helps the client feel confident when confronting the fear outside therapy sessions in the real world.
Exposure therapy is a slow and gentle process that helps to break the pattern of fear so that if the stressful situation should arise, the fear is negated by the techniques gained during the transition of increased exposure during scheduled treatments.
Learn Coping Mechanisms To Regain Emotional Independence
Dr. Taji Huang Ph.D. can teach you relaxation exercises to boost your confidence and overcome your phobia and panicky emotions so that you can begin to associate the negative task with something positive and happy. Let Dr. Taji Huang Ph.D. walk you through any fears you may be experiencing and teach you the mindfulness meditations necessary to reclaim a healthy and self-affirming attitude and outlook on life.
Re-Engage With Life
The symptoms of PTSD often makes day-to-day living difficult. Decreasing these symptoms through therapy can improve your ability to function normally. Functioning normally will help you feel more normal and enable you to re-engage with life, your interests and passions, and the people around you.
Find Out If Exposure Therapy Is Right For You
There’s no reason to suffer or to constantly feel the need to run away from the situations in life that make us panic, feel frightened, or make us think about traumatic events. Serving Glendale, California and the surrounding areas, Dr. Taji Huang Ph.D. has the experience to walk you through your anxieties so that you can start being a brave and self-confident individual. Ask us more about how exposure therapy can bring peace of mind back into your life the natural way.