Therapy for Anxiety
When you're dealing with anxiety, you're often stuck in a loop of overactive thoughts, body tension, and emotional overwhelm. Some of the therapy modalities I use—Somatic Experiencing (SE), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)—help break that loop, but from different entry points.
First, the body needs to feel safe (Somatic Experiencing)
Anxiety lives in the nervous system—tight chest, racing heart, shallow breath. Somatic Experiencing works here, helping you slow down and track what's happening physically, without needing to explain or analyze it. This creates the foundation: if your body doesn’t feel safe, your mind won’t either.
Then, the mind can begin to question itself (CBT)
Once your body is a bit more grounded, you're better able to notice the thought patterns driving your anxiety. CBT helps you identify those automatic thoughts—like “I’m not safe,” “I’ll fail,” or “This is too much”—and reframe them.
But instead of doing this purely from your head, you’re now also tuned into how your body responds to new, more supportive thoughts. This makes CBT more embodied and effective.
And beneath the thoughts, there are parts of you trying to protect yourself (IFS)
IFS helps you get curious about why the anxiety is there in the first place. Often, it’s a protective part of you—maybe a vigilant inner critic, or a scared child part—that learned anxiety was the only way to stay safe.
Instead of fighting these parts or trying to “fix” them, IFS teaches you to relate to them from a calm, centered place. You listen to them, understand what they’re afraid of, and help them relax their grip.