Anxiety Therapy
Virtual Therapy in Hawaii, California, Utah, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Florida
“Healing is a process, not a destination. Although some people make it look extremely easy, life can be a very challenging journey. Whether our struggles are big or seemingly small, we are all worthy of support in navigating the complexities.”
Michal Cohen, LCSW
Is Anxiety Steering Your Life Off Course?
Are you an intelligent, successful, and motivated person whose hopes and dreams have been sidetracked by anxiety? Do you:
- Constantly feel on edge, worry excessively, or “fear for the worst”?
- Have trouble relaxing or being yourself without overthinking things
- Experience digestive issues, chest pains, muscle tension, or insomnia?
Given climate change and our challenging political landscape, maybe you’re facing an existential crisis that makes you fear for our future.
Or maybe you’re interested in anxiety treatment because of childhood trauma that’s resulted in panic attacks, social avoidance, or feelings of unworthiness.
The Symptoms Of Anxiety Can Transcend Mere Fear And Worry
For instance, anxiety has a way of robbing you of your self-confidence so that you end up in relationships and careers that don’t align with what you really want. It can erode your sense of self-worth such that you always feel inadequate or doubt that people like you.
In social situations, you may second-guess yourself, over-analyze what you say, or dread conversations with certain individuals. Conversely, maybe you misinterpret other people’s words or behaviors, causing misunderstandings and trapping you in a self-defeating loop of worry, guilt, and self-criticism.
As a therapist and the founder of Therapy with Michal, I want to help you overcome the limitations of anxiety so you can discover your best life. With support, I believe you can feel calmer, worry less about what other people think of you, and develop a compassionate and independent sense of self.
What Is Behind The Prevalence Of Anxiety In Our Society?
Anxiety is our natural biological response to threats or danger, but sometimes, that survival mechanism can get hijacked by forces beyond our control. For instance, people who—during their childhood—had to choose attachment over authenticity often become disconnected from their true selves because they are always trying to please others.
The pain of not having one’s needs met during childhood often manifests as the inability to speak up or self-advocate as an adult. Those with childhood trauma—especially women who have been socialized to place everyone else’s needs above their own—often have perfectionist tendencies and trouble setting boundaries.
Even our society conditions people to think and feel a certain way about themselves based on the value our culture assigns to material goods and performance. Frankly, it’s amazing not everyone is in therapy for anxiety by now.
Feeling Calm and Connected Can Be a Challenge For Anyone
Many people struggling to overcome anxiety on their own likely had parents who didn’t know how to regulate their own emotions. That means the average person coming into anxiety counseling never learned any skills for “being with” their thoughts and feelings. Men, for instance, are often socialized to believe that the only acceptable emotion they can display is anger.
Working with an anxiety therapist, in contrast, allows you to tune into your thoughts and emotions without being overwhelmed. It gives you permission to stop masking and suppressing your own needs so you can set healthy boundaries, feel less activated by stimuli, and grow more connected to and at peace with yourself.
Therapy Can Be Your Bridge From Anxiety To Greater Well-Being
Because it’s so easy to become disconnected from yourself when navigating anxiety, working with a counselor gives you a safe space in which to feel your feelings and process your thoughts. It enables you to understand the origins of these things, how far back they go, and how they affect you now.
Anxiety counseling is about noticing the stories you tell yourself and questioning the accuracy of those narratives so you can develop a more neutral mindset instead of always expecting the worst. Ultimately, working with an anxiety disorder specialist helps you cultivate the self-awareness and skills needed to manage symptoms, release implicit memories held in the body, and re-assume control of your life.
What Are My Anxiety Counseling Sessions Like?
Once you feel safe and comfortable opening up, I’ll start by exploring the roots of your symptoms, which oftentimes can be traced back to childhood. We can look at how far back a feeling or belief goes, where you feel anxiety in your body, and how you can better navigate current symptoms.
I’ll teach you about authenticity and attachment—namely, how you may have had to sacrifice your authenticity as a child for validation—and how to achieve both in your current relationships. We can address people-pleasing, boundary-setting, and any tendency to suppress your own needs.
Anxiety treatment can help you learn to distinguish between real and perceived threats—something that usually stems from childhood trauma. With my extensive history treating combat veterans, I also have multiple ways of working with anxiety related to traumatic experiences.
A Few Of My Favorite Anxiety Therapy Techniques
I am very eclectic in my approach to psychotherapy for anxiety, including the modalities I incorporate into counseling sessions:
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT for anxiety) is a skills-based approach to increasing one’s psychological flexibility, emotional resilience, and tolerance to distress.
- Polyvagal Theory is a trauma-informed approach to activating the parasympathetic nervous system and getting people to where they feel calm and safe enough to engage in self-exploration.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, specifically CBT for anxiety, involves restructuring unhelpful thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and emotions into more positive outcomes.
- Mindfulness Practices for Anxiety draw upon grounding skills, such as breathwork, gazing meditation, and body scans, for soothing the nervous system.
- Compassionate Inquiry, developed by Dr. Gabor Mate, is my go-to technique for helping clients release somatic and emotional pain, often from early trauma, so they can discover and reconnect to their true selves.
- Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) helps clients achieve significant breakthroughs for challenges resistant to other forms of therapy. (If you’re interested, we can discuss KAP as an option and if it is right for you.)
Currently, I am learning brainspotting—another trauma-informed approach to anxiety treatment. As a certified Ganja Yoga instructor, I can teach clients a very slow and gentle style of yoga for anxiety that utilizes cannabis to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. I also have extensive training in psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy for anxiety—and I blend all of these tools together.
Whether you’re struggling with social anxiety, people-pleasing, or any other anxiety disorder-related issue, therapy can help you go from fearful and overwhelmed to calm, clear, and at peace. Instead of always waiting for the other shoe to drop, you can finally feel at ease, be less critical of yourself, and discover the courage to live and speak your truth.
Do You Still Have Concerns About Anxiety Therapy?
Is anxiety treatment really effective?
It’s okay to be skeptical of therapy. After all, many talk therapies don’t get to the root of what’s going on. However, I take a different approach to healing by incorporating somatic (body-based) therapies that address the mind-body connection.
When we integrate all of our parts into the healing process, we can begin to experience ourselves and our lives differently.
I worry that you’ll keep me in anxiety counseling forever.
Because I help people uncover the root cause of their suffering and equip them with tools for managing symptoms on their own, people tend to see results after a few sessions.
To be honest, my goal is for you to outgrow me. Why? Because I am invested in helping you heal now and make lasting changes that enable you to feel better without lying on the couch for years waiting for progress to happen.
I had an awful experience with a past anxiety therapist judging me.
This exact thing happened to me in my 20s. I felt very judged and it was a terrible experience, so I share your pain. It is because of my own experience that I’ll make sure you feel welcome and at ease if you decide to work with me.
I pride myself on being compassionate and non-judgmental. Please know that you are always welcome to provide me with feedback. If I say or do something that upsets you, I encourage you to address it with me. Your safety and security are of the utmost importance, so I will always have your back.
Reconnect With Yourself And A Greater Sense Of Peace
Fear and worry no longer have to control your life. Through therapy, you can kick anxiety out of the driver’s seat and get on the road toward feeling happier, healthier, and more alive. To get started, please call (347) 860-1471 or use my contact form to set up your free, 15-minute consultation.