Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Larkspur, CA.

Anxiety feeds on the demand for certainty and comfort, and during these incredibly crazy times, we find these two staples to be in short supply! No wonder you are feeling stressed and anxious right now. The key to working with your anxiety is to befriend it - as anxiety-provoking as that may sound - because having a relationship with anxiety will actually help you to understand what it needs and how to soothe it when uncertainty and discomfort are the prevailing themes of our time. I can help you to do the scary but courageous thing - to hold it and listen to it, drawing it in and providing it with the safety, warmth and welcome it has been longing for!

Anxiety and stress are most common conditions that result in physical ailments, disease and impairment in living. I show you how to use the whole body to both contain stress responses and to find a more solid, stable foundation with which to process anxious and stressed places. These are usually aspects of ourselves that do not feel safe or supported- so grounding in the whole body, breathing, letting the body unwind tension allows for a way to not get caught up in these stress patterns. Rather we then learn how to enter into the places of anxiety/stress- so that these parts of ourselves feel safe to experience, express and release what they have been carrying- including unresolved traumas.

I work with clients using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, mindfulness, Narrative Therapy, Expressive Arts, and psychoeducation to address anxiety and stress. Many folks are experiencing extreme stress as a result of all we have experienced in the last year. I'm able to work with clients experiencing burnout, increased anxiety, and higher stress relying on neuroscience as the guide.

Anxiety could be debilitating. It could suck the energy out of you and leave you feeling paralyzed by fear and worrying. If you constantly feel stressed and overwhelmed, have trouble staying focused, and cannot control your worrying thoughts, you are not alone, and I can help. I help students and professionals to manage their stress and reduce anxiety symptoms so that they feel at ease and find peace in life again. In our work, I will help you learn how to become more grounded in the present moment, navigate thoughts and feelings that hold you back, and find peace and joy in life again.

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!

I can teach you specific tools to help with anxiety and stress reduction on the physical level. We may also explore the deeper causes of anxiety, your history, and how to find ground in the midst of uncertainty. It is easy to become anxious when our minds are consumed with thoughts of the past or future speculations. By guiding awareness, I will help you to return to the present moment even as we talk, to feel your body and senses in the here and now. Building your capacity to be aware in the present moment greatly reduces anxiety.

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!

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 in my experience works similarly to depression. If depression is caused by unexpressed feelings, anxiety is caused by unexpressed fear. It may be a therapist cliche to talk about creating safety and trust, but this is especially true of helping to heal anxiety. It really is about helping the client feel safe to express their fears and worries and to learn to feel safe to have the full range of our emotional expression.

Everyone experiences anxiety at some point, but for some the anxiety is so frequent or intense that it interferes with their lives or even triggers panic attacks. I use Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help my clients get a sense of control over their own anxiety. We collaborate to learn skills to reduce the frequency or intensity of the anxious feelings, to tolerate the anxiety when it does occur so they can still function through it, and to practice habits that reduce stress and improve general mental health.

My specialty is working with individuals to learn effective ways of coping with triggers and negative thought patterns that create cycles of anxiety and stress. Although, anxiety and stress are mechanisms built into our biology to anticipate harm and keep us safe, many of us develop chronic states of agitation, worry, tension, catastrophizing, panic, and restlessness. I often work with others to repattern old ways of coping and to learn new strategies to create greater spaciousness, joy, peacefulness, and enjoyment in their lives and relationships. These strategies positively affect many areas, such as decision-making, relationships, performance in work or school, sleep, and health.

Anxiety often serves a useful function for humanity when it is not overused, facilitating us keeping our responsibilities and agreements, and remaining ethical and moral in our behavior. Yet, anxiety, leading to stress is the most common dysfunctional problem in today's high pressured world where stressors abound. Anxiety when overused, like too much anger, is self destructive to our minds and bodies. My therapy style assists you to get to the root of your anxiety, determining what secondary gain you may be getting from this behavior and weighing it against the cost. I can assist you to get to the source of your anxiety and learn behaviors thta will serve you and your family better in life.

Are you worried about things going out of your control? Do you experience overwhelming anxiety and panic attacks? Are you obsessed about someone or something that is driving you crazy? I can help you find the roots of your fears, worries and anxieties, identify destructive patterns, work through inner conflicts, and move on to peace, and a calm state of mind that you deserve.

Anxiety and stress are so prevalent in today's society. I can help you gather the tools you need to successfully handle those moments when you feel overwhelmed - even if those moments seem like they are all the time. I utilize psychodynamic and/or a cognitive behavioral approach to treating anxiety and stress. I also treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder using Exposure and Response Prevention.

Because anxiety is a unique experience from person-to-person, we start by learning about your anxiety. Through dialogue and exploration, we help you map your anxiety and how it shows up in your thinking, emotions, actions and ultimately in your relationships. Having a map as a building block may help you develop a response plan for when symptoms of anxiety begin to fester. Using a blend of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness and dialectical behavioral therapy to develop a wise-mind approach to life and reactive emotions is how we approach anxiety. From there, we explore your psychological and emotional needs to help you build insight on what to do about them.

Anxiety and stress come in all shapes and sizes and can be thought of as acting on different levels, including the physiological, cognitive, and behavioral levels. These levels often interact with each other and can make it difficult to function in life. I can help you gain an objective understanding of your anxiety and stress and teach you skills to help you cope more effectively with future stressful events.

If you are struggling with feelings of anxiety or depression a wonderful tool is to learn about Mindfulness Meditation. Once you learn the simple steps, you can practice a little as five or ten minutes daily and see the results immediately. Mindfulness Meditation is easy to learn, has no side effects and is very cost effective. You can use it as a tool for stress management or for deepening your spiritual growth and practice. There is no right or wrong way. You take what works for you and apply it to your life.

Would you like to feel calmer -- while experiencing more satisfaction in your life, and have closer connections with your loved ones, friends and co-workers? Psychotherapy can be your gateway to a life with more happiness and balance. I am experienced at helping you understand and utilize your strengths as a foundation to help create the life you desire. This isn’t a magical cure - walking this path may take some time, energy and focus. Yet the rewards can be great. For some, the goals are more about resolving old hurts and trauma - for others, improving relationship skills, and communication skills. In all cases, my aim is to increase your ability to create the life you want.

I help men, women, and teens who are feeling anxious and stressed out, develop the skills they need to succeed. I understand that we in the Bay Area live in a "high expectations" environment. As a clinical psychologist with more than 10 years of experience, I have treated countless individuals for anxiety and stress-related concerns. My approach to therapy is client-centered, authentic, and based on current research. Psychotherapy can be transformative and life-changing. I am happy to offer a free initial phone consultation and to answer any question you may have. Give me a call today!

Anxiety can be difficult for some to identify and sometimes it's hard to distinguish anxiety from depression. Anxiety and depression can be so closely knit that teasing them apart can be the first step towards generating understanding and emotional change. I will work collaboratively with you to understand what your personal and unique experience is with your anxiety. We will explore your history and make links between your past and present to help increase awareness and develop new ways of coping with your anxiety. My style is warm, empathic, and collaborative and I will work hard to help you better understand and manage your anxiety.

While most treatment approaches for anxiety and stress are effective on the surface, they don’t treat the real problem. Mantras, deep breathing, and rational dialogues about your fear being irrational rarely work---for most people don’t believe it or you! Imagine if you can trick the brain into changing without you telling your conscious mind that you are changing it? Problem with anxiety and stress is that the brain in this state knows you want to change it and it resists. Contact Kevin@kevinfleminphd.com for the ultimate stress and anxiety solution that will literally change your brain's autonomic nervous system patterns while you sit on your butt. 877-606-6161.

There is an almost infinite list of causes for anxiety and stress, probably a few more if you live in a metropolitan area. Maybe your anxiety is decades old from trauma, family of origin, or chemically related. Perhaps it's situational and can be attributed to a recently suffered trauma, is work related, or relationship related. When you are stressed out or anxious, your brain doesn't function optimally. Instead, it functions in crisis mode and impairs your decision making ability and leaves you feeling too drained for the rest of your life. I will help you to regain your control by giving you concrete strategies and tools to manage them.

You may have incessant thoughts racing through your mind, you can't stop analyzing, and you are stuck in the future catastrophizing about possible outcomes, or ruminating about your past choices and life experiences. Your body state is heightened and on-the-go. You try to relax because people tell you so but it doesn’t work. You wonder why you can't just 'let things go" and "go with the flow" just like many other people do. With anxiety, we get stuck either in the past or the future. Our near-constant mind chatter and physiological arousal deprives us of being in the present moment and cherishing invaluable daily moments. Instead, you find yourself wanting to control things to lessen your a