At the core of anxiety is a deep longing to feel safe.

This might mean physically, emotionally, spiritually or all three. Oftentimes, symptoms can manifest as an attempt to seek certainty and control–because this gives us a sense of safety. You may find yourself becoming overly rigid with certain routines, ruminating and overthinking, struggling with panic symptoms like a racing heart or shortness of breath. This is because being in a constant state of anxiety puts our nervous system on overdrive. Cortisol and adrenaline (stress hormones) rise in our bodies, making it difficult to relax, sleep or even eat properly.

You might find it harder to concentrate and may feel more irritable in general. You may worry about specific things or you may worry about a wide variety of potential issues within your daily life. You may even logically realize your worries are a little excessive- but find it hard to control them!

If this is you, please know there is hope. There are many ways to treat anxiety and its many manifestations. Contrary to popular belief, the goal isn’t actually to get rid of anxiety. It serves an important purpose and carries important messages about your inner world. Without anxiety, we would have never survived as a species. The goal of anxiety treatment is, rather, to change your relationship towards it so that it is not taking over your life. It is to learn to embrace uncertainty and build self trust.

ANXIETY THERAPY IN SAN DIEGO that gets to the root of your worries and fears.

In therapy, our approach to this is to look at all the ways your history and current life are fueling your anxiety, including:

• Unresolved emotional pain (grief is a big one!)

• Behavior patterns outside of your value system

• Compulsions such as reassurance seeking, avoidance, rumination and repetitive behaviors

• Thought patterns

• Core wounds and negative core beliefs

• Physical needs

• Relational patterns and attachment styles

• Psychological defense mechanisms

• Compensations strategies for Neurodivergent folks

If we listen closely, we might find that anxiety is carrying an important message about our inner world that is longing for our attention or care–an unmet need, an unbalanced nervous system, an over burdened soul or an overworked lifestyle.

We will identify the root causes together, and then work on healing and changing your relationship to your emotions, core belief systems, thought patterns, meeting your physical needs (food, water, medication, sleep hygiene), finding ways to build an internal sense of safety and trust, and building up support systems in your life through the lens of secure attachment.

Most importantly, in our work together, I will teach you how to embrace your anxiety. It’s often the things we do to avoid anxiety that ends up making it worse!

The reality is, anxiety is a temporary visitor in our life, that when channeled properly, will come and go naturally on it’s own.

Of course, living with an Anxiety disorder is deeply uncomfortable, and just as much as we will help you embrace the discomfort, we also have a wealth of tools to help you cope with the discomfort. These may include Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Skills, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) skills, mindfulness skills and/or somatic therapy tools. In some cases, a medication evaluation might be a recommendation to help bring your nervous system back into balance so we can do the deeper work together.

Either way, I am here to help you reclaim your life and live a meaningful life WITH anxiety. Book a consultation today and let’s get started!