Therapy for Anxiety - San Francisco Bay Area
Anxiety doesn’t have to be your enemy
Anny Papatheodorou, LMFT
Culturally affirming and trauma-informed IFS Therapy for adults in the San Francisco Bay Area & online throughout California
What does living with anxiety look like?
Anxiety manifests itself in a variety of ways for each individual, including both physical and psychological symptoms. Anxiety may be crippling, especially when panic episodes occur. You may be afraid of everyday activities and feel as though your anxiety is controlling your life. You may have adopted coping mechanisms that get you through the day, yet are further impacting the quality of your experiences. For instance, you may have developed a challenging relationship with substances or may find yourself spending endless amounts of time on your phone doomscrolling.
*Anxiety is often closely related to depression and early childhood adverse experiences*
What are symptoms of anxiety?
Somatic symptoms of anxiety may include:
Rapid heartbeat
Headaches / migraines
Insomnia
Teeth grinding
Dizziness
Nausea
Sweating
Shortness of breath
Psychoemotional symptoms may include:
Inability to relax
High levels of distress
Worry that is persistent
Agitation
Concentration problems
Excessive rumination of thoughts or problems
What are some examples of living with anxiety?
The anxious mind can find itself looping through a variety of circumstances and experiences, either lived or imagined:
You may have incessant thoughts racing through your mind about work, money, relationships, your health, your environment - you name it.
Perhaps you can't stop analyzing and are stuck in the future catastrophizing about possible outcomes, or ruminating about your past choices and life experiences.
You’re experiencing your body as hypervigilant and on-the-go or paralyzed and stuck.
You try to relax because people tell you so but it doesn’t work.
You wonder why you can't just “let things go" and "go with the flow" just like many other people do.
Truth is, with anxiety you get stuck either in the past or the future. Your near-constant mind chatter and physiological arousal deprives you of being in the present moment. It’s difficult to cherish moments in daily life. Instead, you find yourself wanting to control things to lessen your anxious state. Perhaps you strive for perfectionism and scrutinize every aspect of yourself because if you achieve this "one more thing" then your anxiety will go away. Perhaps you say "yes" too often in an effort to please because you care too much of what other people think. So much of your energy is spent on all the above that little is left for people and things you really care about.
“Anxiety in all of its manifestations – worry, intrusive thoughts, insomnia, nightmares, physical symptoms – is a messenger from the unconscious pointing us toward areas of self that need our compassionate attention.”
— Sheryl Paul - The Wisdom of Anxiety: How Worry and Intrusive Thoughts are Gifts to Help You Heal.
How can we work with anxiety?
Therapeutically, I view anxiety as a messenger who is ringing an alarm bell indicating that something is off and requires your attention. This is a radically different approach to how our society instills within us fear and disdain about our anxiety, as if it is an indication of something within us that is malfunctioning and broken. By viewing our anxiety as a foe, we only prolong its tight grip on us, and thus our suffering continues.
In therapy, we can learn how to change our relationship with anxiety so that it serves us as a wise messenger, and not viewed as a villain in our life’s story.
I understand that the above statement may seem implausible, and almost too good to be true. I get it. Our culture is pathologically preoccupied with eradicating any part of ourselves that doesn’t fit neatly into the mold. We are told that we are “too anxious,” “too depressed,” “too dependent,” and “too sensitive.” The list is endless. Instead of immediately seeking to suppress symptoms through medication, in therapy we can decipher the underlying messages our anxiety is trying to communicate to us. Rather than seeing anxiety as a sign of pathology or dysfunction, I see it as a natural, human reaction to a life filled with stress, danger, risk, and the eventuality of death.
At this point, you may be thinking, “I don’t need to work with my anxiety. I don’t need to understand it, I just want it gone. It’s making my life a living hell.” To this, I would say that this is not about idolizing our anxiety.
Therapy will be about:
Allowing anxiety to enter our sphere of awareness with deliberation and mindfulness: instead of outcasting our anxiety as a foe, we can allow it to have a seat at the table so that we can finally hear its message.
Once we begin engaging in dialogue with our anxiety, and truly get curious about its purpose, then we can start to decipher its message.
Again, this can appear intimidating at first. You might be thinking, “Getting to know my anxiety? Thanks, I’ll pass.” I get how scary it can be to begin this quest of inner knowing; dialoguing with exiled and hidden parts within us can appear anxiety-inducing since it touches upon many fears - fears of the unknown, fears of uncertainty, fears of discovery. Yet, by bringing light to our forbidden parts with curiosity and compassion, we can start repurposing our anxiety so that it becomes more of an inner ally than a misunderstood and feared foe.
I use Internal Family Systems therapy, as well as mindful self-compassion and mindfulness techniques as we look at the whole you to do the work and find relief. I’m also trained in Brainspotting therapy, which is a brain-based therapy modality that facilitates deep and rapid emotional healing.
FAQs about anxiety, and anxiety therapy
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Yes, there is a difference. Stress is usually associated with an external event - for instance, a work project with a tight deadline, having a disagreement with a loved one or a friend, or experiencing a financial hardship. Irritability, hostility, exhaustion, muscle discomfort, digestive problems, and difficulty sleeping are some of the mental and physical symptoms of stress.
Anxiety, on the other hand, is characterized by persistent, overwhelming worries, i.e. persistent feelings of dread or apprehension that linger even when no stressor is present. Anxiety presents with similar symptoms as stress, such as insomnia, difficulty concentrating, exhaustion, muscle tension, and irritability.
It is our reaction to stress that severely impairs us, not the stress itself.
Therapy can help you:
Determine the origins of stress and anxiety triggers.
Find the source of the overpowering feelings by looking into the ideas and thoughts that are causing them.
Make an effort to be kind and welcoming of yourself.
Learn effective self-soothing techniques, and healthy coping methods.
Rather than becoming lost in the inner fight, stay present with the experiences.
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Anxiety can be activated by a variety of factors.
Stress. Despite the fact that stress is not the same as anxiety, stressful conditions can cause anxiety (see question above).
Trauma. You are more prone to have anxiety if you have experienced trauma. I’m passionate about helping people overcome difficult childhoods, and you can read more about my approach here.
Intergenerational anxiety / family patterns. You're more likely to feel anxious if members of your family are also anxious.
Predisposition. Because of our natural tendencies, some of us are more prone to anxiety. Perfectionism, a raging inner critic, being a highly sensitive person and/or an empath, for example, are frequently linked to anxiety.
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You’re probably on this webpage because anxiety has become a significant issue in your life. I’d encourage you to start exploring your options with therapy once you realize that anxiety begins to hamper your daily life.
Perhaps some of these statements ring true to you:
You've missed out on social gatherings due to your anxiety, and/or your relationships have suffered.
You’re experiencing restless nights, with an increased difficulty falling or staying asleep.
You feel unwell, weary, and restless to a degree where even small tasks appear to be overwhelming.
These are potential signs that you could benefit from professional assistance.
Welcome! I’m Anny.
I'm a licensed psychotherapist certified in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy and Brainspotting therapy. Not to mention a fantasy novel nerd, human and dog mother, and feta cheese aficionado.
I know in my bones what it is like to come from a challenging and painful background. As a relational trauma therapist, I have the honor of helping people heal their childhood wounds so that they create lives full of possibility and choice.
In our work together, I bring my full Self, meaning I'm right there with you every step of the way. I'm not a "blank slate" and will offer reflections and personal examples that may shed some light on your experiences, moments of "stuckness," and isolation.
I can hold intensity. There's no such thing as "being too much or too needy." I will laugh with you. I will curse with you. And welcome all parts of you wholeheartedly.