Anxiety Therapy in Sonoma County
Are You or Someone You Love Struggling with Anxiety or Panic?
Is anxiety taking over your life? Does it feel like you can’t control it no matter how hard you try? Have you already tried therapy but found it ineffective? Are you still having panic attacks despite your best efforts to “manage” your anxiety?
Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions, affecting millions of people worldwide. These disorders come in various forms, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety, panic disorder, and specific phobias. They are often characterized by persistent, excessive worry or fear that is difficult to control. Left untreated, anxiety disorders can lead to other mental health issues like depression, substance abuse, and a decreased quality of life.
If this sounds like you, I believe I can help. My practice offers neurofeedback, an effective approach for anxiety and panic disorder, to help you get the relief from your anxiety that you deserve.
Anxiety in Children
Anxiety in children can manifest in both emotional and physical ways, often impacting their behavior and overall well-being. Emotionally, anxious children may appear overly worried or fearful about everyday situations, such as school, social interactions, or separation from their parents/caregivers. They may frequently seek reassurance, express irrational fears, or have difficulty calming down after becoming upset. Physically, anxiety can cause symptoms such as stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, or difficulty sleeping. Behaviorally, children may avoid situations that trigger their anxiety, become irritable, or have trouble concentrating. These symptoms can interfere with their ability to participate in normal activities, affecting academic performance, social relationships, and family dynamics.
Anxiety in Teens & Adults
In teens and adults, anxiety can present through a combination of emotional, physical, and cognitive symptoms. Emotionally, individuals may experience constant or excessive worry, fear, or a sense of impending doom, often out of proportion to the actual situation. This can lead to irritability, restlessness, or feelings of being overwhelmed. Physically, anxiety can trigger symptoms such as a racing heart, shortness of breath, muscle tension, headaches, or gastrointestinal issues like nausea or upset stomach. Cognitive symptoms often include difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts, and trouble sleeping. Adults may also engage in avoidance behaviors, steering clear of situations or activities that provoke their anxiety. These symptoms can significantly interfere with work, relationships, and daily functioning if left unmanaged.
What about Panic Attacks?
Panic disorder is characterized by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks—intense episodes of overwhelming fear that come on suddenly and peak within minutes. During a panic attack, individuals may experience a range of physical symptoms, including a racing or pounding heart, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, sweating, trembling, or sensations of choking. Many people feel detached from reality or have a fear of losing control, going crazy, or dying. These intense symptoms can mimic life-threatening conditions, leading individuals to seek emergency medical help. After experiencing panic attacks, people with panic disorder often develop a persistent fear of having another attack, leading to avoidance of certain places or situations, which can further disrupt daily life.
What Causes Anxiety & What Treatments Are Available?
The causes of anxiety are multifaceted, often involving a combination of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. Stressful life events, trauma, and chronic stress can all contribute to the development of anxiety. Additionally, certain personality traits or imbalances in brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine may make some individuals more prone to anxiety than others.
Traditional treatments for anxiety often include a combination of therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), in particular, has been shown to be effective in helping individuals understand and manage their anxious thoughts. Medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can help balance brain chemicals and reduce symptoms. However, these treatments are not always effective for everyone, and medications can come with side effects that make long-term use undesirable.
The Promise of Neurofeedback for Anxiety
In recent years, alternative treatments like neurofeedback have gained popularity as a promising approach for managing anxiety. Neurofeedback is a type of biofeedback that trains individuals to regulate their brain activity. During a neurofeedback session, sensors are placed on the scalp to measure brainwave patterns in real-time. The brainwaves are then displayed on a screen or through sound feedback, allowing individuals to observe their brain activity and learn how to alter it.
For people with anxiety, neurofeedback is particularly valuable because it targets dysregulated brainwave patterns that are often associated with anxiety disorders. For example, individuals with anxiety may exhibit an overabundance of high-frequency brainwaves (beta waves), which are linked to alertness and stress, or an imbalance in the ratio of slow and fast brainwaves. Neurofeedback works by training the brain to shift into more balanced and relaxed patterns, thereby reducing the physiological and emotional symptoms of anxiety.
One of the key benefits of neurofeedback is that it offers a drug-free, non-invasive method of treatment. This makes it an appealing option for those who are seeking alternatives to medication or who have not found success with traditional therapies. Over time, individuals can learn to self-regulate their brainwaves, leading to long-lasting improvements in emotional resilience and stress management.
Moreover, neurofeedback has the potential to address the root cause of anxiety rather than just its symptoms. By retraining the brain, neurofeedback promotes long-term changes in brain function, which can reduce the likelihood of anxiety reoccurring. While neurofeedback is not a one-size-fits-all solution, it offers hope for those struggling with anxiety, particularly when other methods have failed.
Anxiety is a widespread issue that affects mental, emotional, and physical health. While traditional treatments like therapy and medication are valuable, neurofeedback provides a promising, science-backed approach for individuals seeking a drug-free way to manage and overcome anxiety. By targeting dysregulated brainwave patterns, neurofeedback can help individuals achieve long-term relief and improve their overall quality of life.
Psychotherapy for Anxiety & Panic
Psychotherapy plays a crucial role in healing anxiety and panic by managing symptoms while also addressing the underlying unresolved emotional processes that contribute to these conditions. We start by focusing on the client’s symptoms to reduce their frequency and intensity. Over time, we then explore the deeper emotional conflicts, unresolved trauma, and repressed feelings that fuel anxiety and panic attacks – addressing the anxiety at its root. By delving into the unresolved feelings and pain that drive anxiety and panic symptoms, this therapeutic approach helps individuals gain insight into the root causes of their distress, often tied to early life experiences or internalized fears. Through this exploration and process, clients develop a greater sense of self-awareness, which can lead to the resolution of long-standing emotional patterns that perpetuate anxiety.
Another key aspect of psychotherapy for anxiety and panic is the emphasis on building a trusting, therapeutic relationship. This relationship provides a safe space where clients can express their fears and anxieties without judgment, allowing them to confront and process painful emotions in a contained, supportive environment. Over time, this process fosters emotional regulation, resilience, and a more secure sense of self. Symptoms of anxiety and panic begin to diminish. By integrating unconscious, unresolved emotional material into conscious awareness, psychotherapy not only alleviates symptoms but also promotes long-term healing, helping individuals break free from recurring cycles of anxiety and panic.
If you would like to learn more about anxiety treatment, please contact me for more information.