No Longer Held Back: Conquering Social Phobias Through Supportive Counseling
Social anxiety may not only presents emotionally, but also physically. It can be difficult for someone with social anxiety to maintain eye contact with others or to talk with a stranger. Trembling, muscle tension, uncontrollable blushing, and gastric issues are also common when experiencing social phobia. Understandably, these symptoms often make the sufferer want to isolate and avoid contact with people. Social phobia counselling with a good therapist is the first step to handling these things.
What Causes Social Phobias?
Why do certain people develop social phobia? The exact cause is unknown, but there are hypotheses that the anxiety is grounded in either genetics, environment, or traumatic occurrences in the life of the sufferer. Whatever the cause, and as with other anxiety disorders, the most maddening feature is the individual experiencing the distress understands that their reaction to certain social situations is unfounded and irrational, yet it persists.
Effects of Social Phobia
Social phobia has a dramatic effect on an individual’s life. Party invitations may be received with dread. Sufferers, at times, may miss out on work events, friends’ weddings, and romance because of discomforting fears. People with social phobia experience the world quite differently than an introvert or even an extremely shy person; a shy or introverted person doesn’t generally hyperventilate, have heart palpitations, sweat profusely, or experience nausea when walking into a casual cocktail party.
Treatment for Social Phobia
Social phobia is a most common affliction, and there is effective treatment. Most important to recovery is to select a therapist such as Piper Walsh who specializes in anxiety disorders. Dr. Walsh works to develop strategies to assist those suffering from social phobia and help them move back to the social world.
Dr. Walsh on Social Phobia
Dr. Piper Walsh describes social phobia, a form of anxiety in which individuals feel fear and distress when it comes to communicating with or, sometimes, even just being around people or certain groups of people. This fear can be based in the concern that one is being judged, which may lead to debilitating feelings of anxiety, stress, and sometimes panic. People with social phobia can also suffer from a paralyzing fear of being embarrassed or humiliated.