Anxiety Therapy

Is Anxiety Defining The Way You Live?

Do you constantly feel restless, on edge, or exhausted from worrying about things that are ultimately out of your control? Is stress or anxiety making it difficult to concentrate, sleep well, or function on a “normal” level?

Perhaps you were profoundly hurt in the past, and you feel haunted by the negative thoughts and feelings associated with that experience.

Or maybe you’re seeking out anxiety therapy because you’ve done everything on your own to manage your symptoms without success.

Anxiety Can Show Up In Your Life In Debilitating Ways

For instance, you may be worried about leaving the house or socializing with others, so you slowly become more and more isolated. Irritability, anger fits, and emotional breakdowns that emerge out of nowhere likely threaten relationships. If you’ve suffered trauma, you may struggle with nightmares, flashbacks, or memories that make you feel unsafe and on guard at all times.

You may have even developed ritualistic tendencies, such as excessive handwashing or other OCD-like behaviors, as a way to self-soothe. Conversely, perhaps you’re managing anxiety with alcohol, cannabis, or faulty coping mechanisms that served you well in the past but ultimately cause more harm than good now.

If stress and anxiety are the dominating forces in your life, there is a way to reduce your symptoms and live with greater peace of mind. At Windows of Hope Counseling Center, our anxiety disorder specialists are here to guide you toward a life in which you feel safe, calm, and capable of navigating whatever the world throws at you.

Anyone Is Capable Of Experiencing Anxiety

Anxiety is our brain’s natural way of telling us to be careful—that there’s something dangerous out there that we need to watch out for. Unfortunately, for many people, the part of the brain that protects us during a scary or traumatic experience doesn’t understand when the threat is gone. Instead, the mind gets stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn mode—ever ready to protect and defend against the next danger.

After a while, stress and fear can develop into an anxiety disorder and other related health issues, which is why therapy is so crucial. After all, we live in a fast-paced culture that doesn’t exactly prioritize time for mental health issues, especially anxiety. In fact, some people are shamed, criticized, and told they are being “victims” or “seeking attention” because of their anxiety.

As a society, we fundamentally lack the resources and facilities to help people improve their mental health. Most mental health services only offer emergency mental health care, and even then, they send people back out into the world with very little support. That’s why Windows Of Hope Counseling Center opened the non-profit section of our practice: we hope to support all people in the community with mental health issues with ongoing anxiety therapy care.

Through therapy, we can teach the brain how to process anxiety differently so you’re not always stuck in survival mode. Working together, we can create a “whole-brained” healing experience that will automatically reduce symptoms and help you find more comfort in your everyday experiences.

Therapy Can Transform Your Relationship With Anxiety

Most of the time, people with anxiety experience a profound sense of loneliness that is difficult for well-meaning loved ones to understand. That usually means there’s little space for those individuals to discuss their pain and find real solutions to problems.

Psychotherapy for anxiety, in contrast, is specifically dedicated to giving you a safe space in which to explore difficult thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Anxiety therapy can give you an ally who can unlock your inner strengths and teach you unique techniques customized to help you create a healthier relationship with your brain’s response to fear-based experiences.

What Do We Explore In Anxiety Counseling Sessions?

You and your therapist will begin by examining any events, experiences, or precipitating factors that may have led to your current anxiety symptoms. That could involve looking at your childhood, upbringing, early relationships, family history, and any potentially traumatic or disturbing experiences from your past.

It’s also important to explore current common and uncommon life stressors that may be exacerbating your situation. Once we understand what’s driving your symptoms, you and your counselor can collaborate on creating SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relatable, and Timed) goals for navigating possible future life stressors and anxiety responses to those stressors.

How Do We Approach Anxiety Treatment?

Our anxiety disorder specialists at Windows of Hope Counseling Center are encouraged to draw from a wide range of evidence-based and holistic therapy models to tailor a treatment plan for everyone. We often utilize aspects of Mindfulness for Anxiety, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT for Anxiety), and other modern approaches to anxiety counseling.

Our work is also inspired by systemic, psychodynamic, and humanistic approaches to healing and personal growth. However, the most important element of therapy is cultivating a deeper understanding of the self and why the brain uses anxiety as a defense mechanism in the first place.

Once you understand that you’re not “crazy” and that what you are experiencing is a natural survival mechanism, you’ll become better able to accept, regulate, and navigate anxiety in your life. Most importantly, if you experience uncomfortable symptoms, you’ll be able to check your environment, analyze if you are safe, and use the skills you learn in session to calm your nervous system.

On a more pragmatic level, we can discuss diet, exercise, and water intake as well as anything that may be affecting your hormones and cellular composition. We’ll also show you how some common drugs, such as cold medicine, caffeine, alcohol, and some strains of THC, may also be negatively affecting your nervous system.

Anxiety Treatment Can Be A Transformational Experience

Anxiety is a normal biological response to both common life stressors and life-threatening experiences that can sometimes get a little out of control. However, with help, it is possible to teach your brain how to process anxiety differently so you’re not always on high alert, waiting for the worst to happen.

Through collaboration and exploration, we can create a “whole-brained” healing experience that will dramatically reduce anxiety symptoms and enable you to enjoy a greater sense of safety and peace in your everyday life.

Still Have Questions Or Concerns About Anxiety Therapy?

I’m worried that counseling will make my anxiety worse.

At Windows of Hope Counseling, we like to say, “Only move as fast as your slowest part.” That means learning how to set your own pace in anxiety therapy and working according to your own timeline for healing so you experience safety and comfort on your journey. Our anxiety disorder specialists will teach you effective techniques for managing emotions and reducing feelings of overwhelm long before we address any potentially deeper issues.

Will my anxiety therapist judge me?

Our counselors understand your fear, and we understand that well-meaning loved ones, not knowing better, use shaming techniques to help someone overcome anxiety. Judgment and shame have been scientifically proven to be the worst way to help motivate people to “be better.” We disinvite all shame, blame, and criticism from sessions as we examine the roots of your anxiety and find your way toward healing.

I have a family member who took medication and became dependent on it! Will my anxiety counselor try to medicate me?

Although pharmaceutical support can be helpful for some individuals in some situations, we do not encourage or require clients to take medication. If at any time you want to explore the possibility of medication, it will be a collaborative process that you lead. And if you choose to try medication, we’ll also help connect you with a doctor who can prescribe what’s best for you.

That being said, we believe that through support and guidance, you can make profound shifts in how you think about and respond to anxiety that can change your life for the better without medication.

Let Us Help You Discover A Greater Sense Of Peace In Your Life

If you feel desperate, afraid, and misunderstood, our anxiety therapists at Windows of Hope Counseling Center are here to listen to your story and offer guidance for reducing symptoms now!

Please use our Contact Page or call (310) 948-9929 to set up your first online or in-person anxiety counseling session. We serve Palm Desert, Long Beach, CA, and its Surrounding Areas.