... support groups for social anxiety, social phobia in the philippines ... (life coach, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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a growing number of people are consulting me for social anxiety or social phobia. usually, people with social anxiety or phobia keep their anxiety and phobia to themselves. they may not realize that there are many others who are suffering from the same dilemma.

.what are the common ways they try to overcome their problem?

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for one, they read all sorts of self-help books. but unfortunately, it doesn't really help them much. they also try self-therapy, mostly cognitive-behavioral therapy (cbt), the linden method, emotional freedom techniques (eft), positive affirmations, instant life revolution, etc. however, the problem with cbt et al is that they are very difficult to apply when one is overwhelmed by nervousness and fear. case in point: i'm sure that you won't even be able to think of cbt or your positive affirmations when you feel like dying from an intense panic attack.

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some try to find comfort in joining online forums. to some extent, this is good. it certainly helps to know that there are others with the same problem and get emotional support from them.

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on the other hand, some participants in the online forums offer a "bad" type of help. for instance, they unethically advice others against medical or psychiatric treatment; they give simplistic advice for complicated problems; they pit one doctor against another claiming that their doctor is better than others; and so on and so forth. moreover, getting a pep talk from someone who is also suffering from social phobia is like "the blind leading the blind."

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at its worst, the forums delude its participants into thinking that they are developing social skills as they interact with each other online, when the truth is that social skills are best practiced face-to-face with real people (and not "virtual" characters from cyberspace).

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the treatment for social anxiety is a combination of anti-depressant medication, individual psychotherapy, relaxation and stress management techniques, exposure therapy, and group therapy. .sadly, group therapy is the least used of the above interventions despite its powerful impact on the participants.

.many people suffering from social anxiety or social phobia will consciously (outwardly) say that they would like to meet up for support groups or group therapy, but subconsciously, they fear the social interaction and hence will unlikely attend. for the brave souls however who want to break free from their social anxiety and social phobia, group therapy offers them the opportunity to gain friendship, develop self-confidence, practice social skills, learn stress management and relaxation skills, and develop a happier disposition in life.

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