Why Are We Here?
Our Vision
Covid-19 update: Anxiety Ireland remain open to providing all our clients with therapy and psychological services throughout the current public health emergency. All our counselling sessions are online video sessions and phone sessions.
For individuals who would like to self fund for online or phone support during this time please feel free to get in touch today.
Anxiety Ireland provides information, encouragement and expert psychotherapy to those suffering with anxiety in Ireland. Our founder Michael Ledden MIACP, MIAHIP, 087 06 0948, set up Anxiety Ireland with the goal to reach out to people with anxiety and to inform and empower them to change. We provide online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and connect clients to our network of accredited therapists to manage, transform and overcome their anxiety.
We set up Anxiety Ireland because in our consulting rooms we meet and encounter a silent anxious epidemic happening every day in Ireland. We want an Ireland where in this epidemic people no longer must suffer in silence. Our vision is of a time where anxiety is talked about openly, accepted, and understood and where treatment is easily obtained.
We continue to practice helping those who suffer with General Anxiety, OCD, Panic Attacks, Social Anxiety Disorder, Phobias and PTSD. Call or email us today to explore how we or one of our experts could help you overcome what troubles you! 087 063 0938/ info@anxietyireland.ie. Get Anxiety help here!
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety Comes in Many Shapes and Forms
Anxiety has a function for humans, it is our natural stress and nervous symptom response to danger. This has been critical in terms of our survival as a species. Imagine stepping in front of a bus, or being chased by a tiger. These events trigger the central nervous system, particularly the sympathetic nervous system, into a response that floods the body with hormones that induce anxiety.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety Comes in Many Shapes and Forms
Anxiety has a function for humans, it is our natural stress and nervous symptom response to danger. This has been critical in terms of our survival as a species. Imagine stepping in front of a bus, or being chased by a tiger. These events trigger the central nervous system, particularly the sympathetic nervous system, into a response that floods the body with hormones that induce anxiety.
How Does it Make You Feel?
You Will Feel a Sense of Danger
Normally when a fear response is evoked, it goes away when the physical or imagined danger passes. This is when the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in and releases hormones that level us out from this heightened state. However, what if we are triggered by something constant in our environment or even if we don’t know what is triggering us? If the thing that triggers us is so everyday that we can’t help but be faced with it?
What if what makes us anxious is our emotions, our bodies, our living situation, our fears in our relationships? Then we end up hijacked into a heightened state all the time. When the central nervous system is hyper vigilant to threats we end up in the stressed anxious state all the time, held back and miserable.
You feel what you think?
How Beliefs Are Crucial To Anxiety
Normally when a fear response is evoked, it goes away when the physical or imagined danger passes. This is when the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in and releases hormones that level us out from this heightened state. However, what if we are triggered by something constant in our environment or even if we don’t know what is triggering us? If the thing that triggers us is so everyday that we can’t help but be faced with it?
What if what makes us anxious is our emotions, our bodies, our living situation, our fears in our relationships? Then we end up hijacked into a heightened state all the time. When the central nervous system is hyper vigilant to threats we end up in the stressed anxious state all the time, held back and miserable.
Why does it happen?
Beliefs are Very Important with Anxiety
Beliefs are very important with anxiety. Anxieties often build because our beliefs begin to change over time or become more extreme. That which was once seen as harmless, and maybe still is to others, becomes unbearable for us. We can feel like people are looking at us, thinking things about us or would judge us if they knew certain things about us.
Thoughts like “Things have to be so so or else”, “If I get embarrassed it will be so awful that I won’t be able to cope”, “The street is so dangerous you could get killed at anytime” or “Every time these attacks happen I feel like I’m dying” are all just beliefs and not facts, but they can be profoundly physically upsetting.
Distorted Thinking styles are also extremely important for how we deal with and suffer from anxiety. Distorted thinking styles include: Filtering, Polarized Thinking, Over-generalization, Mind Reading, Catastraphizing, Personalization, Control Fallacies, The Fallacy of Fairness, Emotional Reasoning, The Fallacy of Change, Global Labeling, Blaming, Shoulds, Being Right and Heaven’s Rewards Fallacy.
Why does it happen?
Beliefs are Very Important with Anxiety
Beliefs are very important with anxiety. Anxieties often build because our beliefs begin to change over time or become more extreme. That which was once seen as harmless, and maybe still is to others, becomes unbearable for us. We can feel like people are looking at us, thinking things about us or would judge us if they knew certain things about us.
Thoughts like “Things have to be so so or else”, “If I get embarrassed it will be so awful that I won’t be able to cope”, “The street is so dangerous you could get killed at anytime” or “Every time these attacks happen I feel like I’m dying” are all just beliefs and not facts, but they can be profoundly physically upsetting.
What Can we do about it?
Challenge Those Beliefs
The same thing is happening when you have anxious thoughts, predictions and beliefs about yourself, others and the world. Thoughts and beliefs come into all levels of anxiety, whether that is ruminating about the past, misinterpreting what’s happening in the present or predicting some terrible imagined future. Emotions are crucial to anxiety too. If we have a high level of fear, sadness, anger, etc. and we are uncomfortable with this, then we convert that to anxiety, to thinking and to nervousness. Many of us never learn to tolerate our feelings.
But have you ever believed something and then changed your mind when you get more facts or evidence? Have you ever gotten more comfortable with something with practice? Probably yes! Just like the time you changed your mind about something, realised you were wrong when you got more evidence or became more comfortable exercising or driving, the same can happen with your anxiety. When you get anxiety help to challenge those beliefs, you gain comfort and knowledge of your emotions, body, mind and actions. Then anxiety lessens.
What can we do about it?
Challenge Those Beliefs
The same thing is happening when you have anxious thoughts, predictions and beliefs about yourself, others and the world. Thoughts and beliefs come into all levels of anxiety in some way, whether that is thinking about the past or some imagined future.
But have you ever believed something and then changed your mind when you get more facts or evidence? Probably yes! Just like the time you changed your mind about something, realised you were wrong when you got more evidence or became more comfortable exercising or driving, the same can happen with your anxiety. When you get anxiety help to challenge those beliefs, you gain comfort and knowledge of your emotions, body, mind and actions. Then anxiety lessens.
Where Do I Start?
You’re Not Alone
Sometimes Counselling and Psychotherapy is a wonderful way of getting help when anxieties overrun us, despite our best efforts. Anxiety Ireland is here to give information and support, to normalize talking about anxiety and, for those who need it, to arrange counselling for them with trained professionals.
To chat with a professional click on Anxiety Help. Michael can be contacted on 087 063 0948 for a consultation or to chat about who in the country could work with you to transform your anxiety.
Where Do I Start?
You’re Not Alone
Sometimes Counselling and Psychotherapy is a wonderful way of getting help when anxieties overrun us, despite our best efforts. Anxiety Ireland is here to give information and support, to normalize talking about anxiety and, for those who need it, to arrange counselling for them with trained professionals.
To chat with a professional click Anxiety Help. Michael can be contacted on 087 063 0948 for a consultation or to chat about who in the country could work with you to transform your anxiety.
Our Specialities
SOCIAL ANXIETY
PHOBIAS
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER
PANIC ATTACKS
Find Out More
Who We Are
Michael Ledden
Founder, Manager and Clinical Lead
Michael is the chief blog writer and manager for the page and does press and interviews on behalf of the service . He sees clients in Glasnevin, Dublin 11 and online and charges €60.00 per session. Michael uses CBT integrated with his personal style of counselling. Available for one to one CBT counselling and psychotherapy.
Peter Ledden
Supervising Director
He has undergone training in Stress Management, CISM, Counselling and Psychotherapy, Bereavement Counselling, Mediation, Personnel Management and Health Services Management.
Work With Us
Ireland and feel you would have something to offer our panel of counsellors, feel free to email info@abatecounselling.com or call us on (01) 830 1699 to chat with Michael.
Information on referrals, fees, standards, philosophy and ethics available on request.