Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Castro Valley, CA.

Feeling anxious is never comfortable; stresses of life often bring us to that point. Having a safe and compassionate listener can be the beginning of alleviating some of the pressure that causes these disruptive emotions. Being able to talk about your struggle in a trusting space allows you to put some of the angst outside of yourself and begin to look at your anxiety more objectively - allowing you to make sense of it and temper it. When you hold all of this as your own it continues to grow and expand. I can provide you a safe space. I am direct and empathetic so we will honestly explore your "stuff." Call today. Begin to make your life more manageable. You need not do this alone.

Many persons seek the support of psychotherapy or counseling at some point in their lives. Some come for relief from troubling anxiety, stress or depression, while others come to understand reoccurring anger or conflicts with loved ones, or the lingering influences of childhood experiences that still impact their lives. Others come with fears of expressing themselves authentically or trusting others, desperate to liberate themselves from the constraints impeding their lives, but unsure if such freedom is even possible. If you are struggling with anxiety and stress, psychotherapy can help. To learn how, please consider calling me for an introductory conversation at 415-533-9724.

Anxiety is an internal alarm system that gives us information about our internal state as well as possible danger in the external world. Often, anxiety is a signal of deeper, more intense emotions such as sadness, anger, and fear. It can also be a consequence of not living authentically. Once these deeper feelings are identified and expressed, they can be readily released. For example, when we say "Yes" when we really mean "No," we will often experience anxiety. In this case, the anxiety is providing us with a warning that we are not being honest (living authentically) with ourself and/or another. Therapy is the perfect place to explore this common emotion.

Becoming aware of your habits and choosing to do things another way is an unfolding process. With mind-body approaches and awareness of how stress is held in the body we will uncover the source of your anxiety and stress while practicing practical and accessible tools to help you find an ease in your life and a comfort in your body. You can find calm in the stillness!

We hold our anxiety and stress in our body. We feel tension, gut problems, hot flashes, disrupted sleep and more. I work with anxiety and stress by helping individuals learn and develop tools to re-regulate their nervous system. When we have a coherent and fluid nervous system, we can do difficult things without feeling paralyzed by overwhelming fear.

Anxiety and stress are not just clinical diagnoses. They are pervasive to the human condition. If you are alive, you are feeling them. They play a role in relationships, work, eating, sleeping... everything! However, it is not enough to simply "manage" them. We need to understand what scares us, what keeps us awake at night, what it is that matters to us. Because anxiety is experienced to some degree whenever something matters, it also points us to our desire and helps us to learn about what we want. Therapy can help us make use of our anxiety to give us a better sense of what we want from our lives and how to confront the fears that are on the way.

Experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, anxiety disorders and ongoing chronic stress can appear as repeated episodes of worry & fear, or develop into sudden feelings of intense anxiety with physical sensations, known as panic attacks. Your anxiety may feel related to an event or thought, and other times appear to occur randomly and without cause. Anxiety can develop at any age, when left untreated it may develop into depression. In therapy we will explore how anxiety is affecting your life. You will learn how your physical, emotional and mental health are connected and together create an effective treatment plan specific to your goals to improve your well-being.

Anxiety in all of its forms (social, panic attacks, fears and phobias, PTSD, health-related anxiety, and performance anxiety) are concerns that I have helped adults and children overcome for over 22 years. It is a specialized area of therapy I work with using approaches that bring somatic awareness and resolve the underlying trauma that has led to activation in the body and worried mind. My aim is to help you learn tools to help you cope better and empower you to understand the causes of anxiety leading to resolution and lasting change.

You don't have to go at this alone. Anxiety is difficult to manage because sometimes our mind and body do not appear to agree. When you are dealing with the physical symptoms of anxiety or stress, your heart rate may increase, you may sweat, you may breathe a little more shallow, or you might find yourself holding your breath altogether, while your mind may be confused as to what and why you feel as you do. As your therapist, I will offer you exercises/tools, somatic perspectives and grounding to help you regulate your nervous system. I will hold space with you and I will approach your anxiety with compassion and curiosity, honoring the defenses that keep us going.

Do you feel like you live at the intersection of Anxiety Avenue and Stress Street? In the atmosphere that most of us experience in this country, we are likely to reside near or on one of these corners. I can help with your phobias, whether they are external or internal. Stress relief is incredibly important for vitality and health. I know how crucial peace of mind is to a healthy life, and I am dedicated to helping you reach it.

Anxiety is a debilitating disorder that deprives people of their happiness and sense of well-being. I work with children and adults to help alleviate their suffering. Together we explore their anxiety "triggers" e.g. what brings on their anxiety, and work with question those assumptions. Next I help my clients learn how to use tools to combat the thoughts that can paralyze and torment them and bring their negative thoughts back under their control, helping them to feel happy and confident once more.

Free 30 minute zoom call - Anxiety can arise from several places - one is the mind - people can think & imagine scenarios in their minds that create anxiety, when their thoughts and imagination may not even be true. Anxiety is also common in people who did not have a safe & secure experience with caregivers as they were growing up. The brain ends up being wired in a way that reproduces anxiety. Fortunately, due to new research in the field of neuropsychology & neuroplasticity, this can be changed!

I take a practical approach to treating anxiety and stress. I help you identify the sources of anxiety if you do not already know them. I support you in learning skills to regulate your emotions and increase awareness of body sensations and experiences in order to help you be able to control and reduce feelings of anxiety. I also use a combination of exposure therapy, if appropriate, and adjustment to lifestyle to help you reduce or eliminate sources of anxiety or stress. I know that every experience of anxiety or stress is unique and I will work with you to develop a plan of support tailored to your needs. I will provide a safe environment for you to challenge and overcome your fear/stress

Depression, anxiety, excessive worry, and challenges in relationships are rooted in insufficient emotional attunement in formative years. After providing you practical and effective tools that lower anxiety and reduce stress symptoms in the moment; I focus on really attuning to your experience and helping you experience being accepted. As our relationship develops, I find it normal that you will internalize an internal ability to experience yourself as acceptable. After this happens, you will find that the normal "pain in the ass life experiences" that you find will still be there, but you will have a different sense of self that will allow you to navigate them a deeper sense of self!