Anxiety & Stress
Anxiety and stress are distinct experiences that affect the nervous system and overall mind-body-spirit wellness. Stress, a response to external pressure or challenges, triggers the body's fight-flight-freeze response and releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. It can be short-term or chronic, depending on the situation. Anxiety, on the other hand, often persists even in the absence of an immediate threat and is characterized by excessive worry, fear, and nervousness. While stress can sometimes be a motivating force, chronic stress and anxiety can dysregulate the nervous system, leading to heightened alertness, difficulty relaxing and long-term effects on mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and sexual health. Prolonged activation of the stress response can contribute to issues like insomnia, GI problems, weakened immunity and increased risk of anxiety and panic disorders. Over time, unprocessed trauma can result in chronic stress, anxiety disorders and even physical symptoms like tension, fatigue or digestive issues. Anxiety and stress can feel isolating—you don't have to navigate this on your own. I use evidence-based practice that is intentional, adaptive and relevant to you. Learning to manage stress and anxiety through mindfulness, relaxation techniques and self-care is crucial for maintaining overall well-being.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a collaborative and goal-oriented approach that can empower you to understand and transform the connections between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. By identifying and challenging negative thought patterns, CBT helps replace them with more realistic and constructive ways of thinking, leading to healthier emotional responses and behaviors. This therapeutic method is effective in addressing a variety of concerns, including anxiety, depression and stress-related disorders. In session, I will support you in actively participating in skill-building, equipping you with practical tools to manage life's challenges. The collaborative nature of CBT fosters a strong therapeutic alliance, where we work together toward meaningful change. This approach not only alleviates current distress but also promotes long-term well-being by enhancing self-awareness and coping strategies. This approach is considered traditional talk therapy and often includes homework outside of session.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), an evidenced-based psychotherapy, is a compassionate and structured talk therapy that combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness practices to help individuals manage intense emotions and develop healthier coping mechanisms. DBT was initially designed to treat Borderline Personality Disorder and has since proven effective for various mental wellness challenges, including: depression, anxiety, panic, self-harm and eating disorders. In session, we will focus on enhancing emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness and mindfulness by developing and practicing a multitude of life changing skills. By fostering a non-judgmental attitude and promoting acceptance, I will support you through self-empowerment to navigate your challenges with resilience and confidence. This therapeutic approach not only addresses immediate emotional concerns but also supports long-term personal growth and well-being.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidenced-based psychotherapy technique used to heal trauma and other distressing experiences. It is not talk therapy, rather brain science. Through the use of bilateral stimulation, EMDR works by helping your brain process and release painful memories that are stuck and cause emotional reactivity and distress. Bilateral stimulation (BLS) helps your brain reprocess the memory in a way that reduces its emotional charge, allowing you to feel more grounded and at peace. It also allows for the creation of new, healthier associations with those memories. As you move through the EMDR process, you will begin to feel a sense of wholeness emerging, as the fragmented pieces of your past integrate into a more peaceful and balanced self.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or Tapping, is an alternative approach for relieving emotional distress, promoting inner healing and restoring your body to its balanced state. EFT combines the principles of acupuncture and modern psychology by using gentle fingertip tapping to apply pressure on specific meridian points on the body while focusing on specific thoughts, feelings, or memories, helping to release emotional blockages and reduce the intensity of distressing emotions. This process can heal trauma, greatly reduce physical pain, calm the nervous system, shift limiting beliefs and create a greater sense of control, balance and resilience. Whether we are working through trauma or looking to reduce your daily stress, Tapping provides a gentle, easy and effective path toward wholeness that you can continue in the comfort of your own home.
Exposure Therapy is a structured, evidence-based treatment designed to help folks gradually face and reduce fear and anxiety related to specific triggers. It works by exposing a person to the source of their distress in a controlled and safe environment, allowing them to build tolerance and reduce avoidance behaviors. By repeatedly encountering the feared situation, object, or thought without experiencing actual harm, the brain learns that the threat is not as dangerous as it was once perceived. The process of habituation helps rewire the nervous system, decreasing the stress response over time. Exposure therapy is commonly used to treat phobias, PTSD, OCD and GAD, empowering people to regain control over their fear. Through this method, I will support you to reduce your panic and fear, desensitize your nervous system, develop coping skills and build resilience so that you can experience long-term relief from anxiety and stress.
Mindfulness techniques are practices that help us stay present, cultivate awareness, regulate emotions and reduce stress, anxiety and panic. Breathing, body scans, meditation and grounding exercises help calm the nervous system, decrease rumination and enhance emotional resilience. By focusing on the present moment without judgment, you learn to break free from cycles of worry and stress and return to a sense of inner peace and balance. I use mindfulness resources in EMDR, CBT and DBT sessions to help you manage your anxiety, depression and emotional distress more effectively.
Understanding how your nervous system responds to stress, connection and safety is essential for healing. Polyvagal theory helps explain how our autonomic nervous system influences emotions, behaviors and relationships. By integrating this knowledge into my clinical practice, I can help you recognize and regulate nervous system states whether you're feeling anxious, shut down or socially disengaged. This approach fosters greater self-awareness, emotional resilience and a deeper sense of safety, allowing for more effective healing and personal growth within the therapy process. Through tailored techniques that support nervous system regulation, we can work together to create lasting change and well-being.