Rewiring the Anxious Brain

In mid-May 2024, visitors to barnabashealthcare.com   were invited to share their thoughts on a potential anxiety support group we   were considering. We asked participants what they hoped to achieve through   the group, and their anonymous feedback provided valuable insights into the   needs and goals of those seeking support for anxiety.

The group, led and designed by Laura Miller, LISW-CP,MAC,CCATP, had patients complete the GAD-7 anxiety screener at the   beginning, middle, and end of the 5-week program to track progress. While the   data showed an overall decrease in anxiety scores by the program’s end, many   participants experienced increased anxiety in the early stages as they   learned and practiced new coping strategies. This temporary rise was a   natural response as they engaged with their anxiety and adapted to new   skills.

At the start, the average GAD-7 score was 13,   indicating moderate anxiety. By the middle, the score dropped to 12, still in   the moderate range. By the end of the 5 weeks, the average score had fallen   to 8, reflecting mild anxiety. The GAD-7 scale categorizes scores as follows:   0-4 (minimal anxiety), 5-9 (mild anxiety), 10-14 (moderate anxiety), and 15+   (severe anxiety). This data underscores a meaningful reduction in anxiety   levels over time.

As this group is just getting started, we hope to continue this positive trend in the future. New patients are encouraged to apply through our website to join upcoming sessions and benefit from the support and coping strategies offered in the program. 

· To   decrease my anxiety response 

· I   would hope to learn more about how anxiety works and what tools I can use to   make life easier for me 

· Reduce   anxiety 

· Manage   my anxiety better 

· Better   understanding

· I   am hoping to rewire my freeze response and learn to move forward through   anxiety 

· I   would like to understand, neural plasticity, and how to use it to control my   anxiety and help rewire the brain 

· To   be present. Stop overthinking everything. Learn stress triggers and behaviors   to address stress and anxiety

· Rewire   my brain so that anxiety does not rule my life 

· Help   to get my anxiety under control and my constant anxious thoughts 

· Learn   triggers and tools to manage

· To   be able to re direct myself 

· How   to identify triggers 

· Finally   overcome my anxiety and panic disorder that is taking over my life

· To   be able to lower overwhelm and anxiety and experience joy 

· Gaining   control over my anxiety

· Get   tools or ways to cope with my anxiety

· Learn   tools or ways to handle my anxiety 

· Control   and work through my anxiety better

Overcome anxiety without medication  

· Just   learning tools to practice is worth the group alone. Learning to understand   and figure out the reason why

· Time   and travel were hard for us with kids schedules so we appreciate the   flexibility that developed so we could come when we could because we needed   it! Thank you so much of your passion and teaching lifesaving material in   mental overloaded world,

· My   GAD score has gone down from a 15 to an 11 since beginning this group. I have   many tools at my disposal, and I've been using them, AND they are working!   Thank you!!

· This   group was great!!! It has helped me a lot. 

· Tools   and experiences from other people helped me to be more open minded and see   the options I can use to deal with anxiety and other things. 

· Anxiety   is always a struggle because it can consume me so quickly. I will think I'm   doing great, and it creeps up and snatches me away. From this group I am able   to pull myself back faster strategies to move forward.