Therapy for Anxiety in NYC
Are you constantly stressed, worried, and overwhelmed?
Do you feel like you just can’t relax?
Do you often find yourself spiraling and overthinking?
Do you have difficulty making decisions and trusting yourself?
Do you suffer from frequent headaches, stomachaches, or bodily tension?
Do you have panic attacks?
Do your worries keep you up at night?
Is anxiety taking over your life?
Perhaps you have a demanding job or multiple responsibilities, and needing to be consistently reliable without fail has led you to feel stressed, constantly on high alert, like you can never drop the ball. Maybe you feel pressure to be perfect and to appear “together,” but you’re really struggling inside.
Perhaps you’re contending with life’s relentless uncertainties and changes, and you’re trying your best to do the "right” thing, but you’re feeling exhausted and overwhelmed in the process.
You may be in the process of making a big decision or life transition, which can kick up all sort of difficult feelings, including worry and stress.
Maybe you have specific fears or phobias that limit you from living a full life. Maybe you’re suffering from panic attacks that make it impossible to just get through the day.
Maybe you have serious doubts or concerns about some aspect of your life, but you’re not sure who you can talk to about it.
Anxiety can make it difficult to enjoy life.
It can feel debilitating to struggle with anxiety, worry, and panic attacks. Anxiety is a common experience, but it can really get in the way of enjoying life.
When anxiety is in the driver’s seat, our lives can become small and diminished. Rather than being led by more expansive qualities — curiosity, purpose, possibility — it can feel like life just becomes about avoiding anxiety triggers with no chance to rest or catch a break. If you’re frequently having trouble enjoying your life because you’re always worried or stressed, therapy can help.
Have any questions? Reach out and we’ll get back to you soon.
Anxiety is a very human experience.
Nearly everyone struggles with anxiety from time to time. No one goes through life without some experience of fear, worry, stress, or overwhelm. It’s part of the human condition. Roughly one-third of adults in the U.S. will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.
It’s understandable that anxiety is so common, given the stress of the world we’re living in. While some people only experience anxious feelings from time to time, others may suffer from more intense symptoms.
Anxiety comes in many different forms.
How does it show up for you?
Health Anxiety
If you struggle with Health Anxiety, you often feel overly anxious about your health. In some cases, you may have good reason to feel concerned — perhaps you have a chronic health condition that poses real risks, and this becomes a frequent source of worry. On the other hand, you may feel preoccupied about your health when there is no obvious logical reason to be worried. Even with reassurances from doctors, you find it difficult to believe that you’re okay.
Treating Health Anxiety begins with a realistic assessment of your situation, with input from your medical team. We’ll work together to identify strategies to help you address your health concerns from a practical perspective, develop awareness of your own patterns, and calm the part of you that constantly seeks reassurance.
Somatic Symptoms
To complicate matters, anxiety can cause physical symptoms. You may suffer from panic attacks or other somatic symptoms such as headaches, neck and shoulder tension, or digestive issues. In therapy, I can help you develop increased somatic awareness and implement skills to reduce the physical manifestations of anxiety and stress.
Social Anxiety
Do you freeze up in groups of people? Does public speaking make you want to hide out? You’re not alone. Many people struggle with social anxiety. From an evolutionary perspective, social standing can be a matter of life and death, so it’s understandable that our nervous systems are attuned to our social position and social dynamics. Not being accepted by the group can have real consequences. Fear of criticism — or even being seen at all — can feel insurmountable, but there are ways to cultivate feelings of safety and confidence. One step is to become more comfortable being seen and known in the context of a therapeutic relationship, with a therapist who offers you compassionate understanding. The next step is to practice gradually building your ability and comfort with being seen in other contexts in your life. It can be scary, but working through social anxiety can free up your life energy in remarkable ways.
Relationship Anxiety
If you’ve ever felt doubt or ambivalence about whether you’re in the “right” relationship, you may suffer from Relationship Anxiety. Especially if you struggle with perfectionism or other forms of anxiety, you may bring this same energy to your intimate partnerships. Relationship Anxiety can be tricky because matters of the heart are nuanced, and even healthy relationships can be challenging at times. With so much pressure to get it right, it’s understandable to have doubts. If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I with the right person?” you’re not alone. In therapy, you’ll have a safe space to honestly examine your thoughts and feelings to gain clarity and relief.
Existential Anxiety
Given the multiple threats facing the human species and the rapid pace of change, it’s not uncommon to feel a sense of existential anxiety or dread. Whether you’re concerned about wars, climate change, AI, or other issues, therapy gives you a space to voice your concerns and feel less alone with your experience. While there are no easy answers to these complex challenges, I can offer compassionate presence in the midst of it all. Together, we can explore ways for you to tap into your own sense of agency amid the chaos of the world.
On a more personal level, you may fear death or be preoccupied by your own mortality to the point that it gets in the way of being able to enjoy your life. Doubts about what you “should” be doing with your life may feel overwhelming. If you’re struggling with these concerns, know that you’re not alone, and there are ways to develop peace, acceptance, and even positive emotions alongside the knowledge that life is finite.
Perfectionism
You may struggle with perfectionism, indecision, or fear of making a “wrong” choice. Many high achievers struggle with these challenges, and they can really be a burden. Perfectionism can create anxiety because it’s like a high-alert system always keeping us in check, telling us that if we do something wrong we’ll be in deep trouble. Often these messages were instilled early on, so they can feel like second nature. In therapy, we can examine and question the drive to be perfect, leading to less pressure and more ease.
Phobias
In some cases, you may feel fear in very specific contexts — perhaps driving over bridges or in tunnels, getting blood drawn, or seeing certain types of animals — just to name a few common phobias. EMDR can be an excellent treatment modality to address specific phobias. You can learn more about my approach to EMDR here.
Therapy for anxiety can help.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, it doesn’t mean you’re doomed — it just means you’re human. Fortunately, all of these styles of anxiety can be addressed in therapy.
Anxiety grows when we don’t have space to feel and process our emotions. In therapy, we give your emotions space to be felt, so you can move through them.
I provide practical strategies to support nervous system regulation.
In our sessions together, I’ll support you to build insight and self-awareness to recognize patterns that may be contributing to your anxiety, so you can change.
You don’t have to struggle alone. I’m here to help.
Reach out for your free consulation today to learn more about working together.