EMDR
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and it sounds like the biggest bunch of voodoo magic ever. But keep an open mind because multiple studies have shown that it works and that its effects last. It is currently the recommended treatment for soldiers returning from the Middle East and the American Psychological Association considers it the best treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But because trauma doesn't have to be anything as dramatic as war (if you get teased on the playground, you experience trauma too), EMDR has benefits for any kind of anxiety issue as well as many other problems.
Basically, the client (that would be you) thinks about a traumatic experience while the therapist (aka, me) moves her fingers back and forth across the midline of the face. I know, I know, sounds ridiculous. It's not hypnosis and I can't make you cluck like a chicken. What the process does is stimulate both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously. It also stimulates the front brain (rational, present-focused part) and the back brain (primitive, fight-or-flight response part) at the same time. This seems to allow accelerated processing of traumatic experiences. We don't know exactly why but the truth is we don't know why any therapy really works (Shhh! Don't tell!). But recent studies have shown that EMDR's effects last long after treatment as ended, compared to treatment with medication, in which the benefits often end after medication is stopped.
If you would like to learn more about EMDR, of course feel free to ask me, but you can also visit the EMDR Institute's website at http://www.emdr.com.
