Hello and welcome to my podcast, The Wellness Project with Des. On today’s podcast episode, I speak with Noelle McWard about anxiety.
I’m Desiree, a Mental Health Therapist that is passionate about helping people improve their mental health and live a healthy and fulfilled life. One way I do this is by interviewing experts in the field of mental health and wellness as well as those that have struggled with their mental health but have gained control over it and now live fulfilling lives. In this podcast episode, we will hear from Noelle about the 3 root causes of anxiety, how to identify them and how to treat them.
Noelle McWard is a therapist and group practice owner in Chicago. She has been practicing for 30 years. In addition to her clinical work, she has taught at the graduate school level. She is currently in the process of writing a book, “Anxiety Unpacked”. This book is being written for people who suffer from anxiety and is based on a model for understanding and treating anxiety that she developed and teaches to therapists in the Chicago area. Clients who have worked with the model report making more progress than with other therapeutic approaches, and clinicians who have attended the training have reported feeling more empowered and effective in their work treating anxiety.
Noelle’s entire career has been spent searching for better ways to treat anxiety. At first this began as a professional interest, but then years later her son, who is now 22 years old was diagnosed with Gerneralized Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He has struggled with these anxiety disorders most of his life and she now has a strong personal interest in impacting the treatment of anxiety.
Because the things Noelle learned about anxiety throughout her education didnt feel sufficient enough to help people sufficiently with their anxiety, she developed her own way of thinking about and treating anxiety.
The model Noelle developed presents three root causes to which all anxiety can be traced. Each root cause has unique characteristics, a unique objection or way in which the anxiety fights to preserve itself when challenged, and unique and targeted solutions.
The 3 root causes of anxiety:
- Catastrophizing (or future catastrophizing)
- Control
- Distorted belief
During our conversation, Noelle dives deep into these 3 root causes. She dicusses what they are, how each of the root causes may be impacting you, and how you can more effectively treat them.
Symptoms of Anxiety
- Stomach upset
- Increased heart rate
- Shallow breathing
- Overwhelm
- Distress
- Racing thoughts
- Feeling restless
- Nausea
- Sleep problems
- Bathroom problems
Anxiety is the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorder in America. We all have some level of anxiety. Some of us just struggle with it more so than others. If you are someone that struggles with anxiety, listen to this episode to identify which of the 3 root causes you are struggling with and learn how to more effectively treat or manage it.
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