Therapy for Anxiety in NYC
Anxiety and Its Impact
Anxiety is part of being human – it helps to keep us alert, aware and safe. It is a physiological experience that shows up when our brain thinks we’re being threatened. But sometimes anxiety arises when we aren’t actually in danger. And sometimes it doesn’t actually help us but ends up crippling us. Anxiety’s symptoms can interfere with our ability to live our life in an engaged and meaningful way.
In a fast-paced and demanding city like New York City, anxiety is often elevated. Demands of high-pressure jobs and a non-stop city can be hard to cope with. Constant stimulation, sparse nature, and frequent social engagements can also make it hard to slow down and recharge. This stressful lifestyle might lead to symptoms like irritability, insomnia, incessant worry thoughts/racing mind, physical symptoms (restlessness, nausea and GI issues, irregular heartbeat, and sweating to name a few). Anxiety can be chronic and generalized or it might show up in specific settings and contexts, such as social anxiety.
Internal Sources of Anxiety
Beyond external stressors, anxiety can also rear its head when something in our internal landscape feels unsafe. Namely, when we learn that certain emotions are “bad,” particularly as vulnerable children, our bodies will tense up in anxiety. It can be really challenging when this perceived threat lives inside of us. Our brains still search for danger outside of us, sending us on a spiral of thoughts to figure out why it’s happening. We end up feeling even more anxious when we’re not able to locate the source of our anxiety in our environment.
At Sōhum, our therapists get how overwhelming and scary anxiety can be. We work together to safely let in your anxiety – not trying to make it “go away” or working around it, but using somatic therapy to actually go into it, observe it and listen to it. Our therapists specialize in working with anxiety, especially with anxiety that is a response to our own feelings that feel threatening. We explore your past and consider present-moment underlying emotions that might be prompting your anxiety. We also equip you with mindfulness and body-based skills and strategies and behavioral changes to help you manage your anxiety. Most importantly, we do deeper work to help you to get to the root of your anxiety to create meaningful, long-lasting change.
Common Symptoms of Anxiety
Anxiety manifests through various symptoms:
- Increased heart rate
- Rapid breathing (hyperventilation)
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Feeling nervous, restless, or tense
- Sense of impending danger, panic, or doom
- Gastrointestinal (GI) problems
- Difficulty concentrating
- Trouble sleeping
- Irritability and anger
- Uncontrolled emotions
Therapy for Anxiety in NYC
It’s our honor and privilege to accompany you on your path
Emotion-Focused Therapy
ISTDP for Anxiety
Internal Family Systems Therapy
