If you have struggled with social fear, anxiety, or phobia for years, and your current method of coping is not working, you may be looking for an alternative.
The problem is there are so many different kinds of treatments available it is hard to know where to begin.
Perhaps you have been in counseling for an extended period and have hit a wall in terms of your progress.
Perhaps you are on one or multiple medications that only masks the problem and does not offer any real relief, but in fact creates more side effects and leaves your body feeling less healthy overall.
Here are three things to look for when considering an alternative treatment for social anxiety or phobias.
First of all, has this method treated people with the same condition as mine? Any program you consider should be able to point you to real people who have solved the same problem as yours.
Ask to see examples or be in touch with people who have overcome your situation using the proposed treatment.
Second, is the person who is offering the treatment someone who has had your problem? You can benefit greatly by the advice of someone who has suffered from the same problems you may be facing and has learned how to effectively overcome them.
Third, is this a good fit for my lifestyle and value system? You have to make sure that the modality being offered is a good fit for you.
If the proposed solution is for example " group therapy" and you are not comfortable in groups then it could actually make your situation worse.
Even though it may be effective for some people, if the proposed method creates more conflict it will not work for you.