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International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience | ISSN: 1522-4821 | Volume 20
November 26-27, 2018 | Los Angeles, USA
Psychiatry, Mental Health Nursing and Healthcare
World Summit on
Applied Psychology, Psychiatry and Mental Health
International Conference on
&
From anxious to empowered: How the messenger of anxiety can be used to help people move toward
healing and purpose
Jennifer L Fee
Vanguard University, USA
T
he World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 264 million people worldwide meet criteria for
an anxiety disorder, with nearly twice as many women afflicted than men. In the USA, anxiety disorders are the most
common, with 18.1% of the population meeting criteria each year. While a great deal of anxiety treatment focusses on
symptom management and reduction, there’s one particular piece to the problem of anxiety that is often misunderstood and
overlooked. For some, underlying a lot of anxiety issues is an unrecognized and unresolved experience of trauma somewhere
in the sufferer’s history. Unresolved trauma is a problem that can impact the sufferers emotional, relational and occupational
functioning. Anxiety is a messenger that tries to point the sufferer to the deeper issue that needs to be addressed. While many
assume that significant or “Big T” traumas cause one to be “damaged for life” or take many years of therapy to resolve, this belief
is not always reality. Additionally, other events, known as “little t” traumas are often not even recognized as having a significant
effect on one’s mental health. Eye Movement Desensitization and ReprocessingTherapy (EMDR) is one highly effective therapy
for addressing both “Big T” and “Little t” traumas. EMDR helps people to heal from paralyzing anxiety and trauma issues by
using the brain’s own capacity to process and move towards better mental health and functioning. Nearly 50 studies utilizing
EMDR demonstrate positive treatment outcomes. However, many barriers keep people from obtaining treatment, including
fear, stigma and access to services. There is much work to be done in terms of providing education regarding anxiety, trauma
and treatment as well as encouragement and empowerment for those who are suffering from these issues to aid them to seek
the treatment that they need.
Biography
Jennifer L Fee is a Psychologist with over 25 years of training and experience helping people with anxiety, panic and trauma recovery. As an EMDRIA approved
Consultant, she helps other professionals gain certification in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR). She maintains a full-time private
practice and works as a half-time Assistant Professor in the Graduate Psychology Program at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California. As an International
speaker, she aims to break the stigma surrounding mental health disorders, educate the public regarding trauma and its treatment and inspire hope among those
who are suffering.
drjenniferfee@gmail.comJennifer L Fee, Int J Emerg Ment Health, Volume 20
DOI: 10.4172/1522-4821-C5-023