What are common types of anxiety and physical symptoms?
Anxiety manifests in many ways, but common symptoms addressed include nausea, headaches, clenching of the jaw, sweating, and panic attacks that can become so severe they may resemble a heart attack. We work with anyone experiencing social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorders, and panic attacks.
What is causing my anxiety? How could therapy help?
It is important to explore the underlying reasons of anxiety rather than simply treating the symptoms. Anxiety is a collection of your feelings – it can be thought of as the net which holds the feelings within it.
With that in mind, consider that anxiety, at its core, is a symptom of trauma. We have all undergone some point(s) of trauma in our lives. This may come in the form of sexual or physical abuse, for example. Sometimes we have the defenses to tolerate the trauma when we are faced with it, but other times our defenses are not equipped. When our natural defenses are not adequate to handle the trauma, anxiety disorder or panic disorder fills in the gaps.
People with anxiety may continue to actually create anxiety until they learn to tolerate not feeling anxious. When someone has been anxious for a duration of time, she may, at some unconscious level, grow uncomfortable with the idea of not feeling anxious – as anxiety has become so intrinsic to one’s own identity.
You know the friend who can’t stay out of a bad relationship? (Or maybe you’re that friend?) Repetition compulsion is one of the tactics employed by people with anxiety, as they are recreating the feelings of trauma that catapulted their anxiety’s onset. How can we adjust this? Getting help and taking control is our priority to reduce anxiety, allowing you to live your best life.
How will I know if therapy is right for me?
If anxiety feels unmanageable or you need a sounding board, therapy is a good fit. We understand that anxiety can become debilitating. What are you doing to cope with your anxiety? A few too many glasses of wine, regular marijuana use, something else? If whatever you’re doing isn’t enough or if your anxiety is keeping you from living the fullest expression of your life, it’s time for therapy.
One last question: What kind of relief could you imagine from your anxiety? If you want to imagine and realize that relief from those feelings, therapy is a good step. We recommend therapy prior to or in conjunction with medication – we start at the source and uncover the causes to arrive at the solutions.
