204 Don’t Let A nxiety Run Your Life
scientifically tested type of psychotherapy that has proved
effective for a number of anxiety and depressive disorders.
Individuals who participate in CBT usually spend time
focusing on present- moment concerns by using an active
problem- solving approach. They learn to identify problem-
atic ways of thinking; the relationship among thoughts,
emotions, behaviors, and bodily sensations; and how to set
goals to meaningfully reduce their anxiety symptoms. CBT
is brief and time- limited, meaning it typically takes from
eight to twenty- four sessions to complete, but the exact
number of sessions will vary from individual to individual.
The expectation for CBT is that you will use the skills you
learn for as long as necessary to manage your anxiety, if not
for life. Many of the ideas and skills presented in this book fit
well with CBT and can be a useful starting point for discus-
sion with a clinician.
“Mindfulness” encompasses several structured training
programs, such as mindfulness- based stress reduction and
mindfulness- based cognitive therapy, which have both
shown promising results in terms of helping individuals
decrease stress and increase well- being. Like emotion regu-
lation, mindfulness is usually incorporated into various
other therapies, such as CBT, dialectical behavior therapy,
and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT; Hayes,
Strosahl, and Wilson 2011). It’s beyond the scope of this
book to review each of these forms of therapy, but know that
mindfulness has been incorporated into many scientifically
tested therapies that have shown strong potential for increas-
ing your ability to manage and reduce your symptoms of
anxiety. We encourage you to research these therapies to
learn more about these various programs.