At Temecula Neurofeedback, we provide mental health support to our community and beyond. One of the most common reasons adults and children come to us for neurofeedback is for anxiety disorder treatment.
In the U.S., adolescents are more likely to experience depression or anxiety than adults. A 2020 study found that 5.6 million children, or 9.2% of people aged 3-17, had problems with anxiety. In 2022, the National Institute of Mental Health reported that anxiety disorders affected about 19.1% of the U.S. adult population with rates in children and adolescents even higher, at about 50%. The World Health Organization also calculated that in 2022 approximately 301 million people worldwide, including 58 million children, suffered from anxiety, making anxiety the most common and disabling mental health illness in the world.
So, how do parents support their children during this mental health crisis?
First, parents need to identify anxiety, which can be tricky. Children often don’t know they’re experiencing anxiety, they can’t clearly articulate their feelings, and their behavior doesn’t always seem like anxiety. In children, anxiety can manifest like anger, crying, stubbornness, defiance, and avoidance. Ask them if they are worried or scared. Parents need to be detectives and try to understand why their children behave in these difficult ways instead of attributing it to bad behavior.
Once anxiety is identified, parents can help their children cope. Traditional psychotherapy techniques can help manage anxiety symptoms, but they don't address the root of physiological issues, such as neurological impairment and insufficient serotonin. Plus, most children don’t want to or can't talk about their feelings in therapy. Although medication is often seen as a solution, it doesn’t help the psychological issues associated with anxiety, and it doesn’t improve symptoms for 50% of people! Moreover, most parents don’t want their children on meditation anyway. So, what’s the answer?
You can try what I term the C.A.L.M. method for addressing anxiety.
C- communicate with your child to identify their feelings.
A- allow and affirm their feelings, even if they’re irrational.
L- listen as they speak, and don’t correct them; just let them vent.
M-manage their environment or the situation that’s causing anxiety.
Don’t force anything that may exacerbate their fears. Empathy is key!
Also, consider neurofeedback with us. With over 8 years of experience, we've helped hundreds of people by addressing both the physiological and psychological aspects of anxiety. Our scientifically proven system raises serotonin, calms the mind's and brain's fear messages, and relaxes the central nervous system. We typically eliminate anxiety in about 12, 8-minute sessions by teaching the brain and body to function calmly and rationally. Plus, kids feel great afterwards and call our office their "happy place." We have such great results that even the most skeptical people are amazed at the significant improvements they experience.
We typically eliminate anxiety in about 12, 8-minute sessions by teaching the brain and body to function calmly and rationally. Plus kids feel great afterwards and call our office their "happy place."