I sometimes think of anxiety & panic as being like a rip current that catches us up and pulls us out of our calm and into scary thoughts and upsetting emotional states. It's exhausting and upsetting. Sometimes the more we try to escape our anxiety, the worse it gets. Stepping out of anxiety is similar to surviving being pulled out to sea: you have to keep a clear head about you and know how to manage the circumstance.
I help my clients alleviate, and sometimes completely eradicate, their anxiety by teaching them first how to recognize how it works: the setup, the body signals, the thoughts that fuel the anxiety and panic attacks. Then I teach clients how to manage these experiences so they remain in control. Finally, I use various methods of relaxation, cognitive (thinking) and physical (somatic) processing and awareness to teach clients how to calm their bodies.
Many of the same approaches are taught to clients suffering with depression .The main difference is that instead of trying to calm the body down, we are trying to get it a bit jump-started. Depression, while it often exists hand in hand with anxiety, keeps people isolated, withdrawn, and without energy. It is important with depressive disorders to get the body moving! Walking therapy can be useful in treating depression, as well as challenging depressive thoughts and behaviors with more realistic and helpful ones. Mind & body exercises, exercise, and EMDR can all be useful in treating depression, as well as anxiety.
I welcome the opportunity to speak with you about your anxiety or depression. Call or email me today to interview me and determine if I am a good fit for you. I look forward to hearing from you.