Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Pasadena, CA.

It is a given! The issue is not that we have anxiety, rather it is not being able to make sense out of what is making us anxious. Anxiety is a warning signal that something is wrong and we need to be alert to what we need to take care of ourselves. Anxiety changes when we can be in dialogue with someone who can help us understand what the surrounded issues are that need our attention. Being alone in our anxiety keeps us trapped. Being connected in our fear changes it. This is what good therapy does. It provides a space to no longer be alone in your anxious feelings. Being responded adequately in your fear allows confidence and peace to return.

Counseling for Anxiety & Stress involves a combination of addressing the external, situational stressors and the client's internal responses to those stressors. I work with my clients to determine where they have control and how they can better exercise that control to reduce anxious feelings, and how to more effectively handle those situations in their lives that are beyond their direct control. I teach clients new stress management skills, practice creating and maintaining healthier boundaries in stressful relationships, and provide new ways of thinking about circumstances to reduce anxiety.

Anxiety can leave many clients feeling completely powerless. I would empower clients to take control of their anxiety by separating themselves from their anxiety and working towards their preferred relationship with anxiety. I would encourage clients to use mindfulness to decrease their anxiety by focusing on the present moment, acknowledging their anxiety, and accepting that their anxiety will not last forever.

One of the most effective treatments for anxiety is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) which was developed about 30 years ago. The most common anxiety disorders are specific phobias. Other anxiety disorders include social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I will help you find the root cause of the anxiety and process the memory that feeds the current symptoms of worry and fear.

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

Anxiety and Stress are two of the main reasons people come to therapy. Our therapists at La Vie are specially trained to get at the root problems in these areas. We know that stress is a byproduct of a busy life, but if not dealt with correctly it can lead to distress which has disastrous consequences. We are trained to get beneath the symptoms of stress and anxiety in your life and help you get healed at the root of your pain. We can help you learn to respond to your busy life in a healthy and more peaceful way.

Panic, anxiety, and stress rob you of your freedom. Freedom to go places, freedom to do things, and freedom to be with people you love. The fear makes your world small. Using proven methods, called cognitive-behavioral methods, I help you walk your way out of the fear and back into freedom and into your life again. You do not have to stay the victim of fear. Let me show you how.

We all have stress and anxiety; the question is how we deal with them. Therapy can teach various ways of handling these natural states so that they do not hold us back from reaching our goals. Together we will choose and try out ways of helping you through stress and anxiety. Thought-stopping, examining illogical thoughts, self-talk, and hypnotherapy are a few of these techniques.

Our work together will give you greater insight into knowing yourself and discovering the root cause of your anxiety. We will look to past relationships( familial and others) as well as here-and-now experiences in your life in order to discover unconscious conflicts, patterns, beliefs, thoughts are contributing to the formation of the anxiety symptoms. As you grow in knowing the cause of the symptoms, and understanding how the past psychological pain is creating present day suffering, you will find an alleviation of anxiety symptoms and a greater freedom in your life.

At its core, anxiety and stress is fear. A stressed or anxious person might not think of it as the feeling of fear, but fear is what drives a person to worry and tense up. My clients have frequently told me how they cannot help it, that life just piles heavy responsibilities and problems onto their shoulders. This is true, that life hands us unthinkable challenges. That is exactly why you cannot afford to let anxiety and fear take over your mind--fear and worry cannot solve a single thing, but give you emotional suffering. I know how to help you better manage your stress and anxiety. Therapy does not take your problem away, but it helps you gain control over your stress and anxiety.

My approach to stress and anxiety is to help people reduce their tendency to be perfect or becoming demanding of themselves or others. Stress and anxiety will happen due to life demands or due to various role conflict in our life when we are trying to do too much. People will beneift from my approach as I help people learn how to ask for help, set their boundaires over what they can and cannot control, learn how to surrender and let go, and seek relaxation techniques such as exercise, healthy eating, meditation, and engaging in fun and meaningful activities. Learning how to say no and where to ask others to help you can also be beneficial.

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.

These are stressful times! People are working longer hours, often for less pay - - and often feeling exploited, unappreciated, and discouraged about how to make their life better. Anxiety is not a disease, but a sign that things are not going the way you need or would like them to go. Take the first step toward a happier, more gratifying life by making an appointment today.

Over the course of time, a client may start to experience increased anxiety and find themselves beginning to become more and more tentative as they approach their relationships and personal and professional goals. I provide a comprehensive assessment, that takes into account biopsychosocial (biological, psychological and social) areas of life, and together we are able to develop a holistic and integrative plan that is adjusted to the client's changing life circumstances. When clients redesign their approach to life, they have greater insight, are transformed, and better skilled to attain a higher degree of life satisfaction.

My approach to the treatment of anxiety is to use the most effective intervention strategies possible. My treatment for anxiety (including panic disorder and OCD) utilizes exposure therapy, which works by helping a person confront a specific fear or memory while in a safe and supportive environment. The main goals of exposure therapy are to help my clients learn that by stopping the avoidance of what they fear, they actually become MORE comfortable and can reduce their anxiety to a substantial degree - all of which opens doors of hope and increases the potential to reach your desired goals with an improved quality of life.

Life has a way of making us feel overwhelmed and out of control at times. Stress and anxiety can build up and consume your thoughts and feelings. I believe that by exploring unmet needs from the past, people can develop healthier relationships today. By working through painful losses and wounds, people can release unhelpful beliefs about themselves and others in order to live more fully in the present and with hope for the future. We are hurt in relationships; we are also healed in relationship, and the therapeutic relationship can be a useful resource. If you are ready to take the next step I am here to support and empower you. I look forward to working with you!