ANXIETY TREATMENT

Are Painful, Persistent Emotions Preventing You From Experiencing Joy in Your Life?

Does a constant sense of dread, worry, and fear drain you of all your energy and joy? Do you often find yourself consumed by intrusive thoughts and feelings of overwhelm? Are distressing emotions holding you back from forming and maintaining meaningful connections?

In our busy lives, it can be challenging to focus on the present moment. Often, we are distracted and consumed by intrusive thoughts or our running “to-do list.” Perhaps you’re constantly worried about being “perfect” and tend to avoid social situations because they make you nervous.

You long for a few moments of relaxation, but you can’t seem to stop the chatter in your mind. The persistent feelings of worry, negativity, and fear about the future can be relentless and exhausting.

Anxiety Presents A Variety Of Challenges

Between managing your career, friendships, familial responsibilities, and personal goals, you may feel like you’re constantly juggling competing needs all at once. This endless state of hyperarousal and “busyness” can create real challenges that can affect your well-being if left untreated.

Perhaps you’ve noticed physical signs of anxiety, such as difficulty sleeping, increased heart rate, high blood pressure, body tension, and changes in your appetite. You may also experience negative thoughts, excessive worry, and overwhelming feelings that make it tough to get through your day.

Or maybe you’re a high-performing, perfectionistic individual who has learned how to live with your symptoms and believes that anxiety has actually helped you become successful. While a small amount of anxiety can motivate us, too much of it can be debilitating.

It doesn’t take long for the constant hypervigilance to take its toll on your spirit. You may feel irritable, angry, and stuck in your life.

While it seems difficult to cope with these overwhelming feelings by yourself, anxiety counseling can provide the support you need for true healing to begin.

Many People Feel Anxious, Just Like You

Individuals from all walks of life experience anxiety symptoms. Many have lived with these symptoms for so long without even realizing the extent to which they are suffering. They may have tried different ways of handling their anxiety but can only manage so far on their own.

Unhealthy habits like substance abuse, eating disorders, and obsessive compulsive behaviors can often arise in attempts to cope with and reduce anxiety symptoms.

Although these behaviors may provide some immediate relief from anxiety, these coping mechanisms can lead to serious issues in the long run and actually mask the underlying anxiety disorder.

Anxiety Has Become A Major Public Health Problem

Feeling anxious is a human emotion that we all experience at some point in our lives, but various factors can lead to a diagnosable anxiety disorder. Most of these—like traumatic experiences, genetics, or familial and societal influences—are probably out of our control. Anxiety is not your fault, but seeking help for it IS your responsibility.

In today’s society, we all face overwhelming pressure to succeed in every aspect of our lives. A pre-pandemic study conducted in 2019 revealed that close to 16 percent of adults aged 18 and over experienced symptoms of anxiety within two weeks prior to participating in the evaluation. That was about one in every six adults in our country. And with the toll that COVID-19 has taken on all of us over the last few years, that number is certain to have increased.

While you may feel that no one can understand your feelings and emotions, you can rest assured that you are not alone in your battle. Sustainable happiness is attainable with the right tools and support. Therapy can provide you with these tools, teaching you strategies for managing your anxiety symptoms and facing your most troubling emotions.

Anxiety Treatment Offers A Space To Ease Your Mind and Nurture Your Spirit

Without the proper help, the weight of anxiety can feel unbearable. This is why seeking guidance from an experienced counselor is vital on your path to overcome the negative patterns and behaviors that anxiety creates.

What To Expect In Sessions

Healing can only successfully occur when there is a good fit between the patient and therapist. During the initial 45-minute intake session, I try to fully understand your reasons for seeking therapy, as well as your current understanding of your anxiety. Our discussion will also give you a sense of my personality and approach so that we can mutually decide if working together will be beneficial for you.

Because I believe that patients must understand the ways they behave both unconsciously and consciously, my approach is rooted in psychodynamic psychotherapy, which is an approach that works to help clients better understand some of the unconscious motivations that influence how they think, feel, and act. This treatment method also helps you discover how certain coping mechanisms and patterns developed in childhood can potentially harm or hold you back today.

In addition, we can also use other methods of treatment, depending on what fits your needs best. I have clinical experience in somatic work, meditation, relaxation methods, EFT tapping, and other cognitive-behavioral tools for a wide range of issues. I may also recommend Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)—a rapid eye movement treatment similar to EMDR, that helps the brain reprocess distressing images, memories, and sensations.

No matter the approach, we will look at the underlying causes and history of your anxiety so that we can work together to address and manage your symptoms.

During more than 20 years of clinical experience, I’ve helped many individuals find relief from their anxiety. I will do everything in my power to help you grow, heal, and overcome your anxiety, too.

You May Be Interested In Anxiety Treatment But Still Have Some Concerns…

I can handle my anxiety on my own and don’t need help from a therapist.

It can be easy to downplay your anxiety symptoms, especially if you have lived with them for a long time. Certain cultural messages that you may have received growing up—whether from family, peers, or media—could have led you to believe that overcoming your hardships on your own is the sign of a strong, resilient person. This myth can interfere with your ability to seek help.

Your suffering should never be ignored. “Toughing it out” may work in the short term, but this mindset is not a successful, lifelong strategy. As your counselor, I will help you identify your symptoms, learn techniques to manage your anxiety, and face your emotions head-on so that you can find true connection in your life.

I’m just an anxious person: always have been and always will be.

You may have experienced anxiety symptoms for as long as you can remember. If this is the case, I don’t blame you for believing that nothing will ever change how you feel. But just because you have lived this way for most of your life doesn’t mean that you have to continue living this way moving forward. Change is possible.

Treatment can help you discover how it feels to be present, calm, relaxed, and free from the persistent negative emotions that typically hold you back. This way, you can finally achieve moments of true joy and connection with family, friends, and loved ones.

I’m scared I’ll be judged or considered weak for seeing an anxiety counselor.

When you break a bone, you don’t consider yourself weak for wearing a cast until it heals, do you? Caring for your mental health is no different. Consulting with a mental health professional is like hiring a personal trainer for your brain.

In sessions, I will provide a space free of judgment in which to explore your thoughts and feelings. Remember that as human beings, we are hard-wired for connection: we are literally not meant to do this alone. True strength lies in the courage to ask for help and do the work.

Anxiety Counseling Offers Relief When You Need It Most

If you feel constantly consumed with self-doubt, excessive worry, fear, or experience overwhelming feelings that interfere with living a full and authentic life, treatment with Brooke Bralove can help you develop strategies for healing. The mental relief that you so desperately deserve is within your reach.

To set up an initial consultation to see if we’re a good fit, please connect with me through my contact page or by calling (202)-256-4646. I look forward to hearing from you!

Click here for more information on Psychodynamic Psychotherapy or Accelerated Resolution Therapy.