Anxiety Therapy You Can Trust
Throughout my career as a therapist, my understanding and treatment of anxiety has motivated me to specialise in this area. I am the Anxiety Expert Specialist.
My approach combines evidence-based interventions with counselling, designed to empower you to manage and overcome anxiety and its related symptoms. Each treatment plan I design is tailored specifically to your unique needs and circumstances.
Anxiety is a natural human response when we perceive a threat. It can manifest in our thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. At times, everyone experiences anxiety, but when it begins to impact your life severely, seeking professional help becomes necessary.
For those who have been grappling with anxiety for a long time, it may seem like a never-ending battle. Some of you may have tried various treatments that haven’t yielded results and others may feel lost, unsure of where to turn for help. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and yearning for change, my specialised private anxiety therapy could be the solution you need.
In my practice, I primarily use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is widely recognised as the most effective form of psychotherapy for anxiety disorders. CBT is typically a short-term treatment that aims to equip you with specific skills to reduce your anxiety symptoms and help you gradually return to the activities you’ve avoided due to anxiety.
Understanding Anxiety
Anxiety manifests as the body’s response to perceived threats or dangers. This response often propels us into a ‘fight or flight’ state. Such threats could be tangible physical dangers, but more commonly, anxiety is rooted in emotional reactions to perceived insecurities or threats. This could be as simple as feeling overwhelmed by other people’s expectations or our own self-imposed pressures.
This might resonate with you in the form of scenarios like:
The prospect of future events, such as birthday parties, weddings or work meetings, induces a sense of dread.
Your phone ringing or the arrival of a new email triggers feelings of anxiety and overwhelm.
You experience a persistent ‘presence’ of dread and fear, even without a specific cause to worry or feel anxious about.
Recognising the Symptoms of Anxiety
When the body goes into this anxious state, it manifests several potent symptoms. You might experience some, or even all of the following:
Your thoughts start racing, making concentration difficult.
You might feel detached from your surroundings.
Excessive sweating, sometimes to the point of soaking through your clothes.
Your heart might race, creating feelings of nausea and your stomach might churn.
You may experience a ‘butterfly’ sensation in your stomach, trembling or tingling in your hands and legs.
Your legs might feel ‘like jelly’, or you might have an urgent need to use the toilet.
Muscle tension and tightness.
Feelings of light-headedness or dizziness.
Shallow and rapid breathing.
The intensity of these symptoms can fluctuate, ranging from mild to severe. At their peak, these symptoms can culminate in a panic attack.
Understanding Panic Attacks
Panic attacks can feel like a tsunami of the symptoms listed above, so overwhelming that they mimic the sensations of a heart attack, or create the fear that death is imminent. This fear in itself escalates the anxiety, creating a distressing feedback loop.
Adapting Behaviours in Response to Anxiety
Faced with these symptoms, it’s common for individuals to adopt behaviours designed to quell the anxiety.
Avoidance Tactics Avoidance is a frequent strategy used to try and control anxiety-inducing situations. This could mean avoiding certain people, places or imposing restrictions on oneself.
Ask yourself: Do you often find yourself delaying responses to invites or contact from others, hoping for an opportunity to avoid an event or meeting? Do you ignore unopened emails or put off checking your inbox altogether? Do you let calls go to voicemail instead of picking up, especially when the caller is unknown or potentially stressful?
These behaviours aim to postpone action, in hopes that the future self will be better equipped to handle the situation. However, these tactics can exacerbate anxiety, making the fear around the triggering event even stronger.
Self-medication as a Control Mechanism
Some individuals might attempt to control their panic attacks and anxiety by resorting to medication, smoking, or drinking. But instead of treating the anxiety, these methods often worsen it.
Why These Behaviours Fail to Control Panic Attacks or Anxiety
While these behaviours might bring temporary relief, they merely sidestep the issue instead of addressing it. By avoiding anxiety-inducing situations, you deny yourself the opportunity to learn that the anticipated outcomes may never materialise, or if they do, they’re not as terrifying as imagined. Consequently, these avoidance tactics serve to amplify the anxiety, causing your response to the trigger to escalate rather than diminish.
How successful is private anxiety therapy?
Private anxiety therapy has been found to be highly effective in managing and reducing anxiety. According to various studies, around 60-80% of people with anxiety disorders experience significant improvement with the appropriate therapeutic approach, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) among others such as EMDR and NLP.
How do I begin my journey to overcoming anxiety?
Contact me for a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your situation and understand how private anxiety therapy for anxiety can benefit you.
Remember, acknowledging the problem is the first step towards overcoming it.
If you’re tired of living under the shadow of anxiety and panic attacks and ready to reclaim your life, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Together, we can navigate the path towards a calmer, anxiety-free future.
Guildford Clinic, Surrey
Shere Clinic, Surrey
Tillow Barn, Surrey
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Frequently Asked Questions
Anxiety symptoms are typically triggered when your body goes into ‘fight or flight’ mode in response to a perceived threat. This could be a physical danger, but more often, anxiety stems from emotional responses to perceived threats, such as others’ expectations or self-imposed pressure.
Through therapeutic techniques like CBT and exposure therapy, I will guide you to manage the physical symptoms of anxiety when they arise. These strategies will help you gain confidence in your ability to control your anxiety, instead of letting it control you.
Avoidance behaviours might provide temporary relief, but they do not solve the root cause of the anxiety. Instead, avoidance can often intensify the feelings of anxiety. Private anxiety therapy can help break this cycle by teaching you effective coping strategies.