Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Bergenfield, NJ.

Feelings of anxiety and stress are the number one reason people seek out therapy with me. We live in a fast paced and solution oriented world. Here in New York these pressures are often multiplied. This can lead to extreme stress and anxiety. With a focus on mindfulness and stress reduction I will use motivating techniques to both give you tools to minimize these feelings as well as ways to mitigate it in the future.

There are six major types of anxiety disorders: post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder and phobias. Each type of anxiety has overlapping qualities, but there are distinct symptoms between them as well. Many of my clients come to me suffering from anxiety and, depending upon which type of anxiety my client is experiencing, I customize my treatment to help them find relief. For a therapist, having intimate knowledge about the different types of anxiety is critical in order to provide the best treatment possible.

Did you just yell at your partner because you felt overwhelmed and irritable. Are you always feeling like you never reach your goals and are constantly rushing yourself and your family. In our society of never ending pressure and high expectations people are often feeling chronically stressed and anxious. Neurobiology has taught us a great deal of the impact of anxiety on brain and emotional functioning. Couples and individual therapy are an excellent resource for learning how to identify your triggers for anxiety. In my work with couples and individuals we work on learning and implementing understanding and tools to manage and decrease stress and anxiety wherever possible.

It's hard not to feel stress in today's world. Constant exposure to stress, without tools and practice to manage it begin to affect our physical health as well as emotional and mental well-being. Learning self-hypnosis, mindfulness and breathing techniques and reduce stress and improve how we react to stressful situations. Journaling, doodling, and visioning also reduce the impact of stress. Even if you don't consider yourself an artist, painting and drawing create peace thoughts. Learning a new hobby, such as knitting, whatever your age or gender, is documented to reduce stress. You can learn these techniques, strategies and skills in the comfort and privacy of my office.

I often think that anxiety is a difficulty that shows great promise--because it's really misdirected energy moving in unhelpful directions: panic, stress, etc. and energy itself is a gift. The key is how, together, we find ways to make it more productive by identifying whatever fuels it and lends it power. I've treated so many people for anxiety and they have made great progress, either reducing or eliminating the symptoms.

I have several strategies that have proven to be very effective in helping my clients decrease their anxiety. I utilize cognitive therapy to help clients develop a toolbox with as many tools as possible to help them cope with their anxiety. This helps them get through they day, the hour or the minute so that they can successfully complete daily tasks and pursue personal and professional goals. I utilize psychodynamic psychotherapy to help clients become aware of the underlying issues that may be contributing to their anxiety. Once they have gained this insight, they are able to cope with their anxiety better and live their lives with more confidence and joy.

Anxiety and stress are interrelated. Generally people with anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, tend to internalize conflicts that cause them to always be stressed out, which affects their thinking and behavior. Through an eclectic psychotherapy approach that includes psychodynamic, cognitive and behavioral work, I help them release the fears and angers that underlie the build-up of stress. In time they learn to moderate their feelings, cope better with stressful situations and live a calmer life.

Anxiety and stress is often symptomatic of internal conflict that creates the perception of threat. If we liken ourselves to a collection of different personality traits who all serve important functions, then the goal in reducing stress and anxiety is to make a conscious space to integrate, coordinate, and tailor, these sides of ourselves for optimal functioning. When we can learn to be the benevolent, kind, curious, and autonomous facilitator of such a network then we cease to be at the mercy of internalized critics who we continued to depend on in unhealthy ways beyond their capacities to offer effective guidance.

Anxiety and stress are signals that something is going wrong and you need to make changes. If you feel anxious or stressed ask yourself, " Who or what are you angry at? Or, what are you doing that is painful, without limits and leaves you in a state of Dis-Ease/ Anxious and Stressed? Many times your anxiety can be expressed in panic attacks which are overwhelmed emotions unable to be contained. Psychotherapy will help you to express these pent up emotions and burdens. It will teach you to: be assertive with yourself and others, learn to say "No", relax, set limits, take better care of yourself and learn to use anxiety as your friend and a warning signal that you need to make changes,

We have all had moments of anxiety and we remain anxious due to the beliefs we hold about our reality and the thoughts we have about our situation. An individual becomes anxious when they overestimate the negative aspects of their situation and underestimate their ability to cope and function in problem situations. The anxious individual will imagine and create even more negative consequences than are actually present. I guide my clients to a more rational approach of focusing on the task at hand, not engaging in or imagining negative outcomes, and not engaging in or exaggerating possible negative outcomes. We focus together on ways that enable coping, behavioral change and flourishing in that situation.

Our clinicians often Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques to treat individuals struggling with anxiety. CBT refers to a class of interventions with the basic premise that maladaptive cognitions (general beliefs, or schemas, about the world, the self, and the future, giving rise to specific and automatic thoughts in particular situations) contribute to the maintenance of emotional distress and behavioral problems. The basic model posits that therapeutic strategies to change these maladaptive cognitions lead to changes in emotional distress and problematic behaviors. Our clinicians help you learn how to challenge and control these thoughts so you can regain control of your life.

Here, as with depression, the problems come in many many forms and involved many different additional feelings as part of them - anger, depression, rage, discouragement, frustration, resentment, and so on. Your particular constellation of these feelings, your unique collection of symptoms, and of course your personality - your way of experiencing and handling life - all play into how your therapy will go. Some relief is usually quick with simpler anxiety and stress symptoms. More ingrained anxiety, forming your longer standing mode of interacting with the world, will take longer to abate.

Anxiety can take many forms, including excessive stress, low self-esteem, panic attacks, phobias and compulsions. When fear or anxiety is experienced on a daily basis it can become so familiar that it goes un-noticed until problems arise that grab our attention. These can include health problems, insomnia or feeling stuck in bad relationships. Addressing anxiety can free up your energy and enjoyment, and give you back your life.