Are sudden, intense anxiety and panic holding you back from living your life?

Do you find yourself feeling extremely nervous or worried out of nowhere? Are you having trouble sleeping or relaxing because you just can’t stop worrying? Have you stopped going places or doing the things you need or want to do because you’re afraid you’ll have an anxiety or panic attack? Do you often have knots in your stomach or sweaty/shaky hands?

You might notice that it’s become hard to fall or stay asleep at night. You find yourself replaying the events of the day over and over, worrying about whether or not you did everything “right” and what tomorrow will bring. Anxiety makes it hard to get anything done at work or school because you can’t help but overthink every decision. It may seem like as soon as one thing you were worrying about gets resolved, five more take its place.

Perhaps you’ve had a panic attack, which is extremely frightening because it feels like you’re dying. If others have seen you have a panic attack, you may feel intense shame or think you’re “crazy”. It may seem like everyone around you is judging you and no one understands what you’re going through. Your relationships suffer as you isolate more and more from everyone. Do you find yourself wishing things weren’t so hard?

It’s natural to feel afraid sometimes

Fear is a natural and powerful emotion to have. It is part of our survival mechanism, which is hard-wired into our brains. When we sense danger, the fight or flight response kicks into high gear and helps us survive the situation. The problem with anxiety and panic disorders is that this response never quite goes away. It’s as if your brain is on alert most or all of the time, thinking that something dangerous is about to happen.  

Anxiety and panic disorders can happen to anyone

If you’re experiencing anxiety or panic, you’re in good company. According to a study published in 2014 conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an estimated 5.7% of adult Americans (12.9 million) had at least one kind of anxiety disorder in the past year. This study found that the prevalence of anxiety disorders in women was more than twice that of men. Although no one knows for certain what causes anxiety disorders, genetics, childhood adversity, and trauma appear to raise the risk considerably.

You can recover from anxiety and panic

Imagine being able to fall asleep quickly and easily and sleep through the night. You look forward to your day when you wake up because you’re rested and you know that you can handle anything that comes your way. Your life is once again full of possibilities. You regain that passion for life and feel reconnected to loved ones. Feeling calm yet excited about your future becomes your new normal. Anxiety treatment can help you get there, no matter where you’re starting from.

I can help you resolve the root causes of your anxiety

I help people just like you overcome anxiety everyday by integrating Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Thought Field Therapy (TFT), Brainspotting, and mindfulness. My multi-faceted approach allows us to tackle your anxiety symptoms to get you relief in less time than you might think, often within the first four to six sessions.

I use Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) to help you identify and transform unhelpful thinking patterns that are feeding your anxiety into more helpful ones, thereby reducing symptoms. I help you identify and gradually change how you respond to anxiety triggers. We also work on incorporating various health-promoting behaviors, such as improving sleep, using relaxation techniques, and building social relationships, which help reinforce this change in mindset.

I use Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) to help you develop healthy boundaries with others as well as effective communication skills. This model focuses on becoming mindful of thoughts, feelings, and body sensations without judging or resisting them, which is quite effective in helping reduce anxiety and panic. In addition, DBT emphasizes self-compassion and radical acceptance of what cannot be changed, both of which are critical in overcoming anxiety.

I use Thought Field Therapy (TFT) and Brainspotting to help locate and process trauma out of your brain and nervous system, which reduces anxiety symptoms and eliminates triggers. This is an essential part of the healing process because understanding anxiety symptoms and how to manage them alone won’t completely resolve them. With TFT and Brainpsotting, we’re able to resolve the trauma, which is likely the root cause of your anxiety symptoms.

Above all else, I am a collaborative therapist. I treat you as the unique, intelligent, resilient being that you are. I understand that I have to earn your trust and that means meeting you where you are in your journey, ensuring that you feel safe, heard, and respected, and allowing you to control the process and the pace at which we work.

My years of training and experience in all of these approaches as well as my certification in trauma therapy allow me to draw from a wide variety of strategies and skills to help you recover from anxiety and panic. In addition, I was a Registered Nurse for 25 years before I became a therapist. This allows me to draw from that extensive base of knowledge and experience to help you understand how your brain works and how anxiety and trauma affect your whole body.

Still not sure if therapy is for you?

“I’ll just keep taking my anti-anxiety meds and I’ll be fine.”

Believe me, I’m not knocking these medications. They can be very helpful in dealing with anxiety and panic, when properly prescribed and taken correctly for short periods of time. The problem is they’re just covering up the problem, not resolving it. Benzodiazepines (like Xanax, Klonopin, and Valium), commonly prescribed for anxiety and panic, are extremely addictive and can have serious side effects. People with a family history of addiction are particularly at risk for becoming addicted to benzodiazepines. Anxiety therapy is far less risky and more effective in the long-term.

“I’m just a worrywart. I don’t need therapy.”

It’s common to downplay anxiety, especially at first. However, worrying to the extent that it interferes with your ability to do your usual activities like going to work or school isn’t healthy. If worry is keeping you from enjoying your life and being able to do what you want, it’s likely that you have an anxiety disorder. If left untreated, anxiety tends to get worse over time and puts you at risk for other problems like depression, heart disease, and weakened immune system.  

“I don’t think my insurance pays for therapy.”

Many people are unaware of how to actually use their insurance and are uncertain of their mental health benefits. I help people everyday navigate the insurance maze and figure out what their plan covers. The good news is that nearly all insurance plans cover anxiety therapy with little out of pocket cost.

You can feel like yourself again

Ready to take the next step toward getting anxiety relief? If so, please give me a call at (512) 766-2875 for a free, no obligation, 15-minute consultation.

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