20 May When Digging Deeper Isn’t The Answer
At Monarch Psychology, our approach focuses on digging deeper. To quote from our website:
“We treat people, not symptoms. We focus on finding and healing the cause of your symptoms, rather than focusing only on downstream symptoms, to support long-term change.”
We believe that many mental health disorders and diagnoses are reactions to underlying issues such as trauma, grief, or systematic oppression, rather than innate. While some mental health disorders are biological in nature and innate, for many people, symptoms develop as coping strategies in response to difficulty. If we address the underlying issue, we can address the need for those coping mechanisms.
So, you might be surprised to hear from us that digging for a root cause may not always be the answer. There is one case in particular where this approach may not be the answer, and that is anxiety.
While some cases of anxiety result from the factors mentioned above, in other cases, people are simply born with an anxious temperament or have innate anxiety for other reasons. In these cases, obsessively seeking for the root cause to address the anxiety may actually serve to reinforce the patterns of anxiety. And for those with panic disorder, it can increase fear of and hyper vigilance related to panic attacks.
When we work with anxiety, we look for root causes. But, for some, the root cause may simply be the way you are wired. If this describes you, a better approach may be working to finding acceptance of anxiety and to co-exist with it, rather than trying to finding a solution to eliminate it entirely. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy may be particularly helpful for these folks.
Contact us for more details on therapy for anxiety.
AI Transparency & Clinical Review
Some of the content on this blog is created with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) as a writing and editing tool. Every article is carefully reviewed, edited, and approved by a qualified mental health professional to ensure it is accurate, evidence-informed, and consistent with our clinical values and standards of care.
While we use AI to support some aspects of content creation, all therapy services, clinical decision-making, and interactions with our administrative team are provided entirely by people. We believe that compassionate, ethical mental health care depends on genuine human connection. We will never use AI as part of your clinical care or therapeutic interactions without your knowledge and explicit consent.
The information provided on this blog is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individualized mental health care, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have concerns about your mental health or well-being, we encourage you to consult a qualified healthcare professional.