Anxiety

According to the American Psychological Association, anxiety is different from stress because it causes persistent, excessive worries that don’t go away even in the absence of a stressor.

If you live with anxiety, you know this all too well.

It can happen when you’ve been through difficult or traumatic situations, especially as a child or younger adult. During those vulnerable periods, we don’t have the support to get through those experiences. That’s why they leave a lasting impact.

When you struggle with anxiety, you simply can’t relax – even if it’s a perfectly peaceful day.

You may have difficulty sleeping, trouble staying present in your daily tasks, or endlessly contemplate about the future.

Your brain never stops churning, and it’s exhausting. Constantly feeling overwhelmed and frustrated can lead to tension in your chest and jaw, stomach aches, and other health problems… even panic attacks.

And when you check in with your body, it feels like a dark cloud swirling overhead or a rock in the pit of your stomach. You may have frequent chest tightness or jaw pain.

The worst part is that it feels unrelenting.

Somatic Experiencing is a tremendous help.

I know what it’s like to be consumed with anxiety day and night. I’ve been there. And I know what it’s like to heal through Somatic Experiencing. I want to share this approach so that you can relieve your anxiety, too. This work isn’t magical. It takes time, practice, and support, but I promise you it works.

In our work together, we will uncover your specific anxiety pattern. We will identify the thoughts, emotions, and sensations that go into your experience of anxiety and separate them. Addressing each factor one at a time will break the pattern and make the entire experience less overwhelming. You’ll be able to recognize what’s happening before your anxiety reaches a tipping point.

We’ll also give you resources and tools to help you “downshift” when your anxiety is revving up. You’ll begin to trust that you CAN initiate a different response than those you’ve previously had.

Lastly, we’ll employ a somatic approach to healing the traumas or triggers that feel like the primary anxiety factors. Sometimes, these are obvious pieces of our history; sometimes, they’re not. By working with what shows up in the body in the present moment around your anxiety pattern, we can unravel and heal those past experiences activating your present anxiety.

One of my clients started seeing me because…

… she had panic attacks that affected her life and relationship with her partner.

She rated her anxiety at “8 out of 10” on most days and constantly worried about having a panic attack when she needed to be at the top of her game. After several months of working together and bringing her body into the conversation using gentle somatic approaches, she dramatically reduced her anxiety and eliminated panic attacks. She now reports that her worst anxiety is a “2 out of 10,” even a year after our last session!

My personal experience is similar. Rather than waking up with insomnia and sweating in the night, feeling like a failure at work because I was so anxious that I could barely do my job, I move at an easier pace through life, even when I’m busy. I get a little anxious now and then, but three things are vastly different:

The physical symptoms of anxiety are much less intense.

The frequency and duration of the anxiety are greatly reduced. When it does show up, it doesn’t hang around long!

I recognize it for what it is: an old pattern. I can observe it without getting sucked into it.

This can be your experience, too.

Our experience isn’t unique. All my Somatic Experiencing clients report similar results.

You don’t have to keep living like this!

If you can relate to anything you’ve read here today, I invite you to reach out to me for a free 20-minute consultation: (619) 432-2991.