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Therapy for Anxiety

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a response to threats to emotional safety and connection. Anxiety is a part of life – it is experienced by all people at different times.

Problems arise when anxiety persists and worsens to the point where it negatively effects other areas of your life – such as being able to have fulfilling relationships, feel connected to ourselves and our emotions, work, partake in hobbies, or just doing regular, everyday things.

Some examples of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and separation anxiety disorder. But anxiety is more than just a diagnosis.

What are the symptoms of anxiety?

Common signs and symptoms of anxiety include:

  • Feeling nervous or restless
  • Feeling muscle tenseness
  • Overthinking or rumination
  • Increased heart rate
  • Rapid breathing or hyperventilation
  • Sweating
  • Feeling weak or tired
  • Trouble concentrating
  • Zoning out
  • Stomach cramps or diarrhea

What does treatment look like?

There are different schools of thoughts about how to treat anxiety. Many therapists believe the best way to treat anxiety is to help people learn relaxation or distraction techniques that can help them “cope” with their anxiety. But learning these strategies in the therapist’s office often doesn’t translate to being able to use them in the real world and leads to a high relapse rate.

At my Beverly Hills office, psychodynamic psychotherapy can help you understand the root causes of your anxiety. Once there is a clear understanding of the root causes of the anxiety, it’s possible to move beyond mere coping strategies to help you live with anxiety and to actually help you get over it.

Get Help in Beverly Hills for Anxiety Today