Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Oakville, ON.

It is normal to worry and feel stressed about life's problems and pressures. But when compounded symptoms begin to overwhelm us to the point where we are getting headaches, heart palpitations, a churning stomach, cold sweats, sleepless nights, weight loss, obsessive thoughts, a distressed GI tract - then we need help to break the adrenaline-fear cycle. Anxiety feeds on fear and needs to be confronted, appropriately and safely, with relaxation techniques, new perceptions and constructive thinking patterns. A counsellor can help you do this.

Anxiety and Stress are prevalent and challenging issues that may seem insurmountable and hopeless at times. Stress is an individual experience and often means different things to different people. Some may describe it as tension or worry, or some may describe the feeling of anxiety as being overwhelmed or out of control. My professional training and experience has shown that simple changes can make a big impact on a persons quality of life and their experience of anxiety. At the core of every persons experience is the bodies natural reaction to stress, fight or flight. Learning more about how your own personal reaction can initiate recovery through awareness.

Anxiety can leave you feeling overwhelmed, stuck in your head, or constantly on edge. You might notice racing thoughts, tension in your body, or trouble relaxing. Together, we take time to understand where your anxiety comes from and what keeps it going. With support, understanding, and self-awareness, you can feel calmer, more grounded, and better able to face situations that once felt overwhelming. Clients often notice improved confidence, reduced stress, and the ability to manage their thoughts and emotions more effectively.

In working with individuals who struggle with anxiety, I use both a cognitive behavioural therapeutic (CBT) approach and eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. The principal aim of cognitive behavioural therapy is to increase awareness that thoughts and behaviour drive emotion. My aim is to increase consciousness of distorted perceptions, and then assist individuals in rebalancing those perceptions to be more accurate. EMDR focuses specifically on reprocessing traumatic memories that are at the root of the anxiety. Through EMDR individuals can come to terms with traumatic and distressing memories that underlie anxiety.

At The Mindful Path, our team understands how overwhelming and exhausting anxiety and stress can feel—especially when it starts to impact your daily life, relationships, and overall well-being. We take a calm, supportive, and evidence-based approach to treatment, using tools from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness, and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) to help you better understand your experience, reduce reactivity, and build emotional resilience. Our goal is to help you feel more grounded, present, and empowered to respond to life’s challenges with clarity and confidence.

Life is hard. It can also be wonderful. Flux and flow. Often anxiety is created by a faulty belief system, and by the way the human brain works...I will explain in session...with what we now know about the brain and how it works, we know that we have a lot more power over our thoughts than we used to think we have. We CAN begin to shift our thinking. Yes, sometimes medication is also needed, especially as we learn how to have more control over our thoughts.

My approach is holistic that encompasses attitude and thought-processing with practical ways to alleviate anxiety. Though seemingly simplistic a perspective of "half empty/half full" this helps to change cognitive processing and feelings and self-mastery in incremental behaviour change by "doing" something different from past habitual reflex reaction. Hence, training for new muscle-memory responses and kinetic movement forms part of this core method to effect positive change. Trying to meet unreachable expectations defines anxiety. This chasm between expectation and reality is the task of therapy. Deep breathing good sleep hygiene nutrition and daily exercise leads to wellness and balance