EMDR Certified
EFT Trained
Anxiety
Anxiety is a complex, multi-faceted feeling. Intense anxiety is a part of all mental health disorders and troubles. It can also be a stand-alone mental health struggle independent of other diagnoses. At its core, it is a physiological reaction to the nervous system perceiving something in the environment as unsafe. Anxiety is also triggered when we perceive an internal experience such as a specific emotion, belief or desire as “bad”, “wrong” or dangerous. Anxiety in reasonable doses applied to situations in which we correctly perceive a threat is very helpful. It becomes problematic when we perceive a threat when we are safe.
Anxiety is a “secondary emotion”- secondary emotions are feelings which are meant to protect us from accessing more vulnerable, often unconscious experiences such as shame, guilt, fear, primary anger, and disgust. We experience secondary emotions because our psyche believes that either the environment is unsafe, and/or the masked emotions themselves are unsafe.
Anxiety can keep us stuck because it often urges us to problem-solve or attempt to think our way out of unsolvable problems, resulting in “overthinking”, self-criticism and an ever-increasing intensity of anxiety. It can also manifest in the form of restlessness, irritability, insomnia, perfectionism, avoidance, panic attacks, excessive worrying and angry outbursts.
It also has a somatic component- meaning that it includes uncomfortable feelings in the body as a result of an over-stimulated sympathetic nervous system. Anxiety is more than intrusive thoughts and “negative thinking”.
My approach to treating anxiety recognizes all of the above ways that is shows up in our lives. I help clients understand what anxiety feels like in the body and finding ways to soothe the nervous system through mindfulness-based interventions which activate the parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for feeling calm and at ease). I also assist in cultivating awareness of unhelpful beliefs which fuel anxiety, how said beliefs developed, and learning to tolerate anxiety without becoming overwhelmed by it. Throughout this process, we will often come into contact with and begin to let go of the underlying emotions and experiences masked by anxiety, resulting in permanent relief. With some clients, EMDR can be incorporated to help treat anxiety.
Some individuals may find themselves in situations to which anxiety is an “adaptive” response and cannot be reduced without action-oriented change. Examples of such situations are abusive or unsatisfactory romantic relationships, unsatisfying careers, dissatisfaction with location, lifestyle, and/or addiction to substances.
Treatment for this type of anxiety includes helping clients bring awareness to parts of their lives which require attention, deciding if they would like to make changes, and collaborating to discover a practical course of action for implementing them.