Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic condition characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry that persists for at least six months, significantly interfering with daily functioning. Unlike situational anxiety, which arises in response to specific stressors, GAD often occurs without a clear cause. Individuals may experience disproportionate worry about work, health, or relationships. For instance, a person might continuously fear poor health despite normal medical evaluations or...

Behavior Therapy

Behavior Therapy

Behavior therapy incorporates diverse techniques rooted in classical conditioning principles to address maladaptive behaviors and anxiety disorders. These methods aim to reduce avoidance behaviors, foster adaptive coping mechanisms, and alter associations between stimuli and responses, making them effective in a wide range of therapeutic contexts.
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...

Anxiety: Overview

Anxiety: Overview

Anxiety is a common mental disorder featuring excessive worry, fear, and apprehension, significantly affecting daily life. People with anxiety disorders experience persistent and intense anxiety, interrupting their everyday functioning.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.

Coping Strategies: Emotion Focused

Coping Strategies: Emotion Focused

Emotion-focused coping refers to a set of strategies aimed at managing the emotional impact of stressors, rather than directly addressing their causes. This approach involves altering one's emotional response to stressful situations to reduce their psychological effects. For example, individuals might talk with a friend or engage in activities like journaling to express their feelings. Such actions can help achieve emotional clarity or release, providing the psychological stability needed...

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is characterized by an intense fear of social situations where one might face humiliation, rejection, embarrassment, or negative evaluation. This disorder leads individuals to avoid activities like casual conversations, public speaking, or seemingly simple tasks such as eating, signing documents, or swimming, in public settings. Its impact extends beyond discomfort, often significantly interfering with daily functioning and quality of life.

Anxiolytic Drugs: Overview

Anxiolytic Drugs: Overview

Anxiolytic drugs are vital in managing anxiety disorders by effectively alleviating symptoms such as excessive fear, tachycardia, and tremors. There are several classes of anxiolytic medications, each with unique mechanisms of action and potential side effects.
Primary Types of Anxiolytic Drugs
1. Benzodiazepines:
Benzodiazepines bind to the GABA-A receptor in the brain, enhancing GABA's interaction. This action reduces neurotransmission, effectively blocking anxiety-associated limbic...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Dropping out of therapy in context of an RCT: a qualitative analysis.

Psychotherapy research : journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research·2026

Same author

The good, the hard, and the emotionally difficult: Therapist experiences delivering both protocols in a randomized controlled trial.

Psychotherapy research : journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research·2026

Same author

Unfinished business in virtual reality: Development and preliminary evaluation of an empty chair intervention grounded in emotion-focused therapy.

Internet interventions·2025

Same author

Exploiting Online Spatially Resolved Dynamic Light Scattering and Flow-NMR for Automated Size Targeting of PISA-Synthesized Block Copolymer Nanoparticles.

ACS polymers Au·2025

Same author

Implementing Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression and Anxiety in Adults: Systematic Review.

Journal of medical Internet research·2025

Same author

Emotion-focused treatment for self-criticism in a nonclinical population: A randomized controlled trial.

Journal of counseling psychology·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 16, 2026

Elevated Plus Maze Test Combined with Video Tracking Software to Investigate the Anxiolytic Effect of Exogenous Ketogenic Supplements

Elevated Plus Maze Test Combined with Video Tracking Software to Investigate the Anxiolytic Effect of Exogenous Ketogenic Supplements

Published on: January 7, 2019

Emotion-focused therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: An exploratory study.

Ladislav Timulak¹, James McElvaney¹, Daragh Keogh¹

¹School of Psychology, Trinity College.

Psychotherapy (Chicago, Ill.)

|December 19, 2017

Summary

Emotion-focused therapy shows promise for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This study found significant improvements in GAD symptoms and overall functioning, suggesting it as a viable alternative to cognitive-behavioral therapy.

More Related Videos

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: March 14, 2025

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance

Published on: July 19, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 16, 2026

Elevated Plus Maze Test Combined with Video Tracking Software to Investigate the Anxiolytic Effect of Exogenous Ketogenic Supplements

Elevated Plus Maze Test Combined with Video Tracking Software to Investigate the Anxiolytic Effect of Exogenous Ketogenic Supplements

Published on: January 7, 2019

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: March 14, 2025

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance

Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance

Published on: July 19, 2017

Area of Science:

Psychology
Clinical Psychology

Background:

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most studied psychological treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
There is a need to explore alternative therapeutic models for GAD to broaden client options.
Emotion-focused therapy (EFT) is a non-cognitive-behavioral approach that warrants investigation for GAD.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the pre-post outcomes and 6-month follow-up of emotion-focused therapy for generalized anxiety disorder.
To gather qualitative client accounts on helpful and unhelpful aspects of EFT and reported changes.

Main Methods:

An exploratory study involving 14 clients with GAD.
Quantitative assessment of GAD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and general psychological functioning (pre-post and 6-month follow-up).
Qualitative data collection through post-therapy client interviews.

Main Results:

Quantitative data revealed large effect sizes for pre-post and 6-month follow-up outcomes.
Qualitative findings indicated improvements in emotional functioning, anxiety levels, self-acceptance, self-confidence, and self-understanding.
Clients found relational and experiential aspects of EFT helpful, though some experienced challenges with experiential tasks.

Conclusions:

Emotion-focused therapy demonstrates potential as an effective treatment for generalized anxiety disorder.
Further investigation in a randomized controlled trial is recommended to validate these findings.
EFT may offer valuable benefits for individuals with GAD, complementing existing treatment options.