The Great Course Plus – Treating Anxiety 2025-1

Updated August 10, 2026 4.9 GB

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Description

Treating Anxiety Course. We’ve all experienced anxiety in situations like a job interview or a first date. This feeling, often associated with improved performance, can be helpful. But for many, anxiety becomes a persistent, debilitating disorder that interferes with daily life. What once served as a useful evolutionary survival mechanism can now confine us to the metaphorical “cave” of our fears. Taking a scientific and practical approach, this course helps you identify and understand the causes and symptoms of a variety of anxiety disorders, from generalized anxiety to social anxiety and panic attacks. Anxiety at any given moment can be broken down into three main components: physical sensations like a racing heart, negative thoughts about the future, and avoidance behaviors. The good news is that by identifying these three components, you have three points of entry for intervention and treatment. You’ll learn breathing techniques like 4-7-8 and box breathing to calm your body, methods like “cognitive detachment” to observe thoughts without engaging with them, and strategies for acting on values rather than fears. In addition, you’ll learn about common factors across all anxiety disorders, including perfectionism, overly critical self-talk, and procrastination. The tools presented in this course fall into two main categories: “change” (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy) and “acceptance.” You’ll also find tips for finding a therapist and information about anti-anxiety medications. Finally, you’ll learn what happens in your body when you’re anxious, identify three common themes across all anxiety disorders, and master dozens of simple, practical techniques for treating your anxiety.

What you will learn

Calm your body using breathing and grounding techniques.
Learn exercises that help them accept their thoughts exactly as they are: not truth, but just thoughts.
Learn to act based on your values, not your fears.
Learn about cross-cutting factors common to all types of anxiety.
People will learn what really happens in their bodies when they are anxious.
They identify three common issues across all types of anxiety disorders.
They master dozens of easy-to-learn techniques to treat their anxiety.

This course is suitable for people who:

They seek to reduce anxiety and understand its roots.
They want to learn practical, science-based tools for self-treating anxiety.
They seek to understand how their thoughts, physical feelings, and behavior fuel anxiety.
They want to learn how to calm their physiology with breathing and anchoring techniques.
Are interested in learning psychotherapy techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Defusion, and changing thought patterns.
They are experiencing symptoms such as perfectionism, intense self-criticism, hesitation, and procrastination, which contribute to their anxiety.
Looking for guidance on finding a therapist to work with one-on-one.