Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Santa Cruz, CA.

To live in this western world is to live with distress. Some stress is actually healthy for us and should be engaged with regularly (ie., exercise or sex) but there is a boundary between healthy stress and dis-stress. Distress is not pleasurable and in fact lays the foundation towards dis-ease and possibly towards addictive behaviors. Safety and connection will ease the distress. Using a polyvagal informed approach to therapy, we will explore how you learned to deal with overwhelm and what tools might be useful for you.

We have so many demands on us these days that most people experience stress and anxiety on a daily basis. However, many don't feel there is a solution to feeling this way so the feeling of fear, worry or unease just continues. In therapy, we learn how to identify the emotions present, learn how to tolerate the emotions themselves, and begin to heal within.

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.

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.

The anxiety disorders are usually very amenable to EMDR therapy, which deals with disturbing memories, negative beliefs, body sensations and emotions associated with the root of the anxiety. Stress leads to anxiety which leads to low serotonin levels and then poor functioning. The EMDR is a "non-drug" treatment for anxiety and stress. This is a preferable approach for real resolution rather than taking prescription medications for anxiety, which are the "benzos", highly addictive with regular use for just a few months, and difficult to get out of one's system. Anxiety, worrying, stressing, nervousness, phobias, fears, triggers, are common problems in our high strung culture but fixable.

I am a psychoanalytic therapist with a focus on anxiety and stress. Through my practice, I strive to create an empathetic, non-judgmental space where you can express your thoughts and feelings. I take a unique approach to therapy, exploring the underlying causes of your concerns and developing personalized solutions to help you move forward. My goal is to help my patients gain insight into their struggles and find inner peace.

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 falls along a continuum from acceptable to crippling, debilitating anxiety requiring professional intervention. The major forms that anxiety takes are: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder, Phobic Disorders, Social Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD). A variety of proven therapeutic interventions are well established now, eg., Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Yoga, Tai Chi, Breathwork. By diving into therapy clients regain a sense of optimism, courage and confidence in relationships, workplace and career, driving, aging, life transitions and more.