Using Art Therapy and Yoga in the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder

Art therapy and yoga can help with social anxiety. Melissa R. Giuttari, a licensed mental health counselor and certified yoga instructor, treats people withsocial anxiety disorder.

"People with social anxiety disorder essentially view their environment and relationships as threatening and stressful," explained Giuttari. "They experience symptoms of panic, fear, and even shame because of this. The ability to shift one’s perspective and to remain calm instressful situations是减少社交焦虑的主要因素，至少在我的方法中是这样。艺术疗法yogaare two approaches I use to treat social anxiety disorder with great success."

The Uniqueness of Art Therapy

“艺术疗法是一种psychotherapy吉塔里说：“这项技术利用艺术和创作过程来解决情感冲突，从而提高情感、社会和身体的幸福感。”艺术治疗的一个基本前提是，当你从事创作过程，例如绘画、写作、音乐制作、舞蹈时，你激活了你大脑中产生想法、灵感和洞察力的部分。

"This flow state of creativity brings us to that “aha!” moment, helping us to discover new perspectives on stagnant problems. In the case of social anxiety, this can translate into shifting the perception of our environment from threatening to non-threatening. On top of this, artwork that is produced in art therapy sessions typically reveals subconscious thoughts and serves as a visual metaphor for emotional issues and conflicts."

用艺术疗法帮助那些悲伤的人

"Art therapy," explained Giuttari, "can be a very effective, efficient and non-threatening treatment approach for people struggling with social anxiety disorder for other reasons as well. Since one of the biggest obstacles for someone with social anxiety disorder is difficulty verbalizing emotions and concerns, art therapy is a natural portal of communication when words are not available. This then enables the therapist to identify the problem and direct an effective course of treatment.

"Another curative factor ofart therapy in treating social anxiety disorder涉及艺术制作的感官和动觉方面。焦虑是由杏仁核介导的，杏仁核处理来自我们环境的情绪和感觉输入。艺术治疗的创造性过程可以在认知经验的水平上“说”出焦虑的语言，而语言有时是无法做到的。”

Giuttari治疗社交焦虑症的方法是“加强你留在当下的能力，在这里和现在，而不是'飞走'你的担心。我使用的艺术治疗过程需要关注当下，比如绘画、日记和引导意象。

"One of my favorite techniques is to create a self-portrait using a mirror," she continued. "This not only draws your awareness to the present moment but also opens the door to explore issues of identity and self-acceptance. The ability to engage in this type of self-reflection and mindfulness of the present moment ultimately leads to a significant decrease if not complete elimination of anxiety."

用瑜伽来减少社交焦虑

瑜伽是“身体和心灵的交流，”朱塔里解释道从生理学的角度来看，某些瑜伽姿势会引起神经系统的变化，从而减少焦虑。

“瑜伽可以教会你很多关于如何从不同的角度改变的方法reactingto a stressful or uncomfortable situation tomindfully choosing a responseto the situation.

"Breathwork, or pranayama, is an integral part of yoga that is of equal value in working with social phobia. It sounds a bit funny, but this part of my job actually entails helping people learn how to breathe properly!

“当你焦虑的时候，你会做很浅的呼吸，给你的身体带来很少的氧气，”朱塔里说一旦你加深呼吸，用横膈膜呼吸，你就会降低心率和血压，消除快速呼吸，从根本上消除恐慌和焦虑的感觉。

"In summary, social anxiety is rooted in a combination of thoughts, emotions, habits, and bodily sensations. I like to use an integrated approach and tailor my treatment in a way that targets each person’s unique balance of these factors."

梅丽莎R。Giuttari，LMHC，拥有超过16年的儿童、青少年和成人工作经验。她专门研究抑郁症和焦虑症的治疗，对每个人都采用量身定制的循证方法。可以通过电话联系到她www.melissagiuttari.com，或直接通过电话718.213.8664或电子邮件联系她artsintherapy@gmail.com.