Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Raytown, MO.

Everyone feels anxiety at some point in their lives but when it starts to interfere with your life, counseling can help. Although anxiety can feel debilitating, it is treatable. People with anxiety don’t always share the same symptoms, they vary from person to person. Therapy will help you to reclaim your life and function in a chronically stressful world.

Stress and anxiety is something we all feel at times. It's a normal part of life, but it can become so overwhelming that it starts to take over our ability to function, and that's when we know it's time to get help. I'll work with you to better understand the thoughts and feelings that are maintaining the distress, signs from your body leading up to it, and help you manage these area so that you're eventually able to be proactive in not letting the stress and anxiety overtake you.

Anxiety is a normal reaction to a potential threat, however we can become anxious about issues that are not life threatening. Anxiety becomes a problem when the symptoms disrupt our daily activities or cause conflicts in our relationships. Anxiety also impacts our physical bodies and these symptoms (headaches, shortness of breath, stomach aches, fatigue, etc…) are often overlooked as something a therapist can help resolve. During therapy you will gain a better understanding about anxiety, what makes you anxious, how your body communicates, and strategies to overcome these emotions.

We are not born with anxiety. Anxiety and stress are a learned way to cope with difficult situations, and they actually do not help the situation, they just make it worse. Medication treats the symptoms, and can be helpful, but it does not heal anything. I want to work with you to help discover what is the reason you react this way and others don't. We can explore how you learned this, and discover if there is indeed a better coping mechanism available to you.

Anxiety and stress can wreak havoc on your body and life. You can only take so much. Sometimes things get so overwhelming that you feel paralyzed and cannot function. I offer ways to learn and understand your anxiety and stress, ways to manage it, and reduce it. I will give you the tools to identify the triggers and ways to prioritize the things that are important to you. Anxiety can also be helpful to us. I will help you find the healthy ways to use your anxiety to move forward in life. Let me help you turn your anxiety from a negative to a positive.

I use Self Psychology (a branch of psychoanalysis that uses human developmental science, sustained empathy and the therapy relationship itself to understand and bring healing to problems). I work from a warm, empathic standpoint in which I try to enter your shoes and understand your experiences as you do, not as others do. Insight is not the main goal (although that certainly happens), rather formative moments of feeling tuned into, deeply understood and emotionally held are the goal. These offer new emotional experiences that really catalyze psychological growth and healing. Benefits include increased: feelings of vitality and realness, hope, self-esteem, emotion regulation, etc.

Daily stress and important life events can have a significant impact on our personal lives and relationships. I believe that having the ability to calm down and express our feelings can foster growth and joy in the midst of difficult circumstances. My hope is that you leave our time together feeling empowered so that you are able to find peace in the midst of whatever life event you are facing.

Let's be honest - there are many experiences and relationships that bring a lot of anxiety and stress into our lives. We can feel uncomfortable in the presence of others, fearful that our vision for life won't unfold how we want it to, or the challenge of making progress and using our time and energy in productive ways. We all struggle with this at different levels, but I believe we can take hope that because of who God is and in a close relationship with Him, we have a future that is incredibly bright. I want to offer clarity on how this is true even when it doesn't feel like it in your life.

As a therapist, I utilize many stress reduction techniques for the treatment of anxiety and stress disorders. One technique I have had succes with is biofeedback. This assists the individual to develop a healthy coherence and reduce symptoms significantly. I generally utilize a holistic approach which addresses every areas within an individual's life. Therapy may target the negative patterns and cycles that cause symptoms such as; self-care and prioritizing, life adjustments and changes, or in some cases, due to abuse or trauma. Whatever the situation, there are healthy and therapeutic techniques to resolve or reduce symptoms significantly.

Mary experienced her share of anxiety while growing up. She has spent her life understanding the many facets of anxiety and now uses her knowledge to assist others to lead a less-stressed, less anxious life. She is teaching a pregnancy anxiety course. Who isn't anxious when they are pregnant? Mary has taught other mindfulness-based classes, as well. With the latest technologies working for us, more and more is being learned about the harmful effects of stress on our bodies. It is worth the time and effort to educate ourselves and learn tools to help us lead a happier, more balanced life. Let's get started!

Anxiety often develops during our growing up years that seem to manifest itself during our adult years when the stresses of life can take its tole. We will explore the root of your anxiety, as well as teach skills to manage it before it gets out of hand. If willing, using hypnosis can help one get in touch with those often forgotten memories. Through hypnosis, one can express the pain, frustration, hurt and anger that often gets stored in our bodies.

Anxiety and stress can be debilitating, affecting all areas of life--school, work and relationships especially. Anxiety and stress are internally self-perpetuating, and can lead to panic attacks or anxiety attacks. Panic and anxiety attacks are scary and can feel like you're dying, making someone feel hopeless and helpless. However, therapy can provide significant relief from anxiety and stress. Through the use of talk therapy, yoga and conscious breathing, art and sand tray therapy, and EMDR; relief is possible. Therapy can provide the relief you're looking for, so you can finally rest peacefully, live life confidently and fearlessly, and finally take a deep breath and breathe.

Anxiety and stress is something we all experience in life. However, if you are overcome with anxiety and unable to function in a healthy manner, counseling may be necessary. In my sessions, I focus on anxious thought patterns that may or may not be rational. Cognitive Behavior therapy is used as a tool to help those who suffer from anxiety and stress to evaluate the source of stress and find ways to alieviate the intensity of the anxiety. Thought patterns are analyzed and new thought patterns are taught. Each client is encouraged to take steps to create a new thought pattern process, and pinpoint areas in their lives that need to be dealt with.