I work with clients experiencing anxiety issues (panic attacks, agoraphobia, phobias, PTSD, and generalized anxiety disorder) and mood disorders (major depression, dysthymic disorder/low grade depression and bipolar disorder.)
Any talk therapy has to be accompanied by addressing how anxiety and depression manifest themselves in the body. Emotions, including anxiety and depression, are felt in different places in the body. I use body awareness exercises to help clients move through their anxiety or depression issues. I talk with my clients about their lifestyle in terms of stress, sleep, food choices, use of caffeine, alcohol and/or other drugs which can interfere with the natural equilibrium of one’s body.
Emotions are caused by thoughts. Two different people can experience the same thing, think about it differently, and therefore, have a completely different emotional experience of the same event. I use cognitive-behavioral therapy to help address problematic thinking processes contributing to anxiety and depression. I often assign homework which includes exercises to calm the body and mindfulness exercises which help with thought processes. Sometimes the anxiety disorder and/or depression is a result of trauma which must be released on a bodily level and not just a cognitive one. I use Internal Family Systems, EMDR, and emotional freedom technique to help clients access unconscious emotions and release trauma. To get more information about these approaches, go to the websites https://ifs-institute.com, emdria.org and www.emofree.com. Sometimes I also recommend that clients see their primary care doctor or a psychiatrist if I think that medication could be helpful.
Books I recommend for anxiety, depression and trauma are:
- My Age of Anxiety (Scott Stossel)
- When Panic Attacks (David Burns M.D.)
- Total Relaxation (John R. Harvey, Ph.D.)
- The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques (Margaret Wehrenberg, Psy.D.)
- Waking the Tiger (Peter A. Levine, Ph.D.)
- In an Unspoken Voice (Peter A. Levine, Ph.D.)
- Healing Trauma (Peter A. Levine, Ph.D.)
- I Want to Change My Life: How to Overcome Anxiety, Depression, and Addiction (Steven Melemis, Ph.D., M.D.)
- Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety (Daniel Smith)