{"id":32360,"date":"2016-07-13T08:00:27","date_gmt":"2016-07-13T15:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=32360"},"modified":"2016-07-12T15:08:03","modified_gmt":"2016-07-12T22:08:03","slug":"self-criticism-smooth-muscle-anxiety-and-how-istdp-helps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/self-criticism-smooth-muscle-anxiety-how-istdp-helps-0713165","title":{"rendered":"Self-Criticism, Smooth Muscle Anxiety, and How ISTDP Helps"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ManAnxiety<\/a> can manifest in a variety of ways in the human body. It can make us tense in our large, voluntary muscles, activate the involuntary muscles of our internal organs, and even cause changes in our thinking, sensation, and perception. I want to focus here on one particular pattern of anxiety\u2014anxiety in the smooth muscles\u2014and the style of self-punitive thinking that is associated with it.<\/p>\n

Smooth muscle anxiety is linked with a wide range of physical problems that are emotional in origin but can be mistaken as medical, which can lead to misspent health care dollars, lost time, and dashed hopes. It is my hope to help you identify manifestations of smooth muscle anxiety, learn about the thoughts linked with smooth muscle anxiety, and gain exposure to intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy<\/a>, a model that has demonstrated effectiveness in treating smooth muscle anxiety.<\/p>\n

What Are the Smooth Muscles?<\/h2>\n

The smooth muscle systems of the body include the gastrointestinal system, the vascular system, the bronchi, and the urogenital system. There are also smooth muscles in our skin and eyes. The muscles are called smooth because they are made up of small, mushy, somewhat elastic cells. They differ from our skeletal muscles, which have long, striated fibers that are less flexible.<\/p>\n

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When our smooth muscles are functioning as they should, they regulate our blood pressure, digestion, sexual and excretory functions, and breathing\u2014functions that are essential to human survival. However, the smooth muscles are linked to the emotional center of the brain<\/a> by the nervous system, and they can be activated in response to anxiety (Janig, 2003). So what happens when anxiety impacts the smooth muscles? What symptoms are linked with dysregulation of the smooth muscle systems?<\/p>\n

Conditions Linked with Smooth Muscle Activation<\/h2>\n

The following conditions are associated with involuntary tensing of the different smooth muscle systems (Abbass, 2015):<\/p>\n