Do you feel nervous and anxious more than you'd like? Does your heart sometimes race? Do you sometimes feel like you're not completely "in your body"? Do you have panic attacks? Do you have a phobia that others think is ridiculous, but that you absolutely cannot help? Do you suffer from social anxiety or performance anxiety?
You may see no relation between the knot in your stomach or racing heart to anxiety. Panic attacks seem to come from nowhere, out of the blue. People may tell you you are "too sensitive," but this can make you feel even worse.
Please know that it is my goal to help you feel safe and comfortable. You have health in the very core of your being (See Come Inside and See Clearly), even though it may not feel that way to you at the moment. I will listen to you respectfully and teach you ways to feel better.
Everyone feels anxious or worried at times. But constant anxiety feels awful, and during a panic attack, you might actually think you are dying. You might go to the Emergency Room and have your heart checked out, only to be told there's nothing wrong with you. But it might feel like something is very wrong with you. If you have phobias, you may feel certain something is wrong with you.
Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias are all anxiety issues. If you suffer from them, you may feel as if you are crazy or "broken." If you have social anxiety, being with other people may feel unbearable. If you have performance anxiety, you may feel like you are dying when you have to speack or perform in front of a group. The good news, however, is that you are programmed to heal. It is possible for you to learn how to feel calm and peaceful and even to have a sense of inner power in your life.
When you come to me for help with any form of anxiety, the first thing I will do is teach you how to re-train you brain to move from "fight, flight, or freeze" to "calm and relaxed." This is something you will practice at home regularly. Consistent practice will benefit you greatly and will begin to give you some sense of control over anxiety. We will also talk about physical things that can cause or contribute to anxiety, such as caffeine and diet. (Hint: if you suffer from anxiety, caffeine is not your friend!)
The next thing we will do is address what is causing your anxiety in the first place. The causes freqently stem from events in earlier life that have left you with negative messages about yourself, such as "I'm not okay, I'm not good enough, I'm defective, I'm not safe, I have to work extra hard to be okay, or I have to please people all the time." You may not even think about the original events, but they can still affect you. In fact, you may know in your head that you're not defective, but you can still feel that way. I usually use EMDR or EFT to help dislodge the negative feelings and messages about yourself.
You may absolutely need some assistance at the moment. However, in the deepest and most fundamental sense, there can only be something right with you. You can access your inner health and begin the process of feeling good about yourself and being comfortable in your own skin.