POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS ARE AN EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE FOR THE TREATMENT OF ANXIETY

         Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues in society today. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders affect around 40 million adults in the United States. The patients that suffer from this disorder range from children to mature adults. There are many treatments for anxiety disorders, including prescription medications. However, it is exciting to note that non-medical treatments such as using positive affirmations can also be effective.

         Positive affirmation is the process that allows a person to‘reprogram’ their mind by repeating encouraging self-talk throughout the day. These statements said several times a day, help to train the subconscious mind to become more positive. These self or positive affirmations are known in the professional industry to have effective results on anxiety. For example, according to a journal article from the Association of Psychological Research, “Self-affirmation has been shown to have powerful effects – research suggests that it can minimize the anxiety, stress, and defensiveness associated with threats to our sense of self while keeping us open to the idea that there is room for improvement.” In addition, According to research from the Carnegie Mellon University they found that self-affirmation can reduce stress.

          There are different ways therapy can use positive affirmations to treat anxiety. For example, one treatment approach is to use the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy technique. Cognitive Therapy is a form of Psychotherapy which looks to change negative thought patterns in a person’s life.  Negative thoughts are viewed as the root cause of anxiety disorders. In CBT, positive affirmations are actively repeated consciously throughout the day in hopes to have an effect on a person’s sub-conscious mind.

          Another form of treatment that uses positive affirmations is Hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy is an alternative treatment that sometimes uses positive affirmations in the treatment of anxiety. Hypnotherapy, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, attempts to change a person’s negative thinking on the sub-conscious level. However, hypnotherapy works passively while the mind is in a ‘daydreaming’ mode. The Hypnotherapist infuses positive affirmations into the client’s mind by using a process called positive suggestions.

         Lastly, in addition to the treatment of anxiety, positive affirmations have a proven effect on performance in life in general. For example,  according to a study in the journal of sports sciences, golfers were analyzed and divided into two groups. One group used positive affirmations and the other group, thought negatively. The results of this research showed the group that used positive affirmations excelled in their performance.

Whether utilizing positive affirmations for the treatment for anxiety or other objectives, this technique has proven and effective results.

                                                                 References

Anxiety and Depression Association of American (2015). Facts and Statistics

Retrieved from: http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics

Association of Psychological Sciences (2012). Self Affirmations Enhances Performance Makes us Receptive to our Mistakes

Retrieved from:

http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/self-affirmation-enhances-performance-makes-us-receptive-to-our-mistakes.html

Creswell. J (2013). Self Affirmation Proves Problem Solving Under Stress

Retrieved from: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0062593

Sioux City Journal (2015). Self Talk and Affirmations; Talking to Yourself Can Help

Retrieved from http://siouxcityjournal.com/lifestyles/columnists/platkin/self-talk-and-affirmations-talking-to-yourself-can-help/article_ce25af3b-bfca-5c20-973b-4dfdbc85db0c.html