Kealy Spring, LMFT #93512
Anxiety Therapy
When your mind won't stop running the worst-case scenario.
You've probably tried to think your way out of it. Make the list, run the numbers, prepare for every version of how it could go wrong and maybe you'll finally feel okay. Except the calm never quite arrives, or it's gone the second something new shows up to worry about.
Anxiety isn't always the racing-heart, can't-catch-your-breath kind. Just as often, it's quieter and more constant: the low hum underneath everything you do.
What anxiety actually looks like in therapy
It shows up differently for everyone, but some common threads:
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A mind that's always a few steps ahead, running scenarios that haven't happened yet
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Trouble relaxing, even when there's technically nothing to do
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Physical symptoms that don't have an obvious cause: tight chest, upset stomach, clenched jaw, trouble sleeping
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Overpreparing or overworking as a way to manage uncertainty
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Irritability or a short fuse that seems out of proportion to what's actually going on
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A sense of dread that doesn't track to anything specific
For a lot of my clients, anxiety and perfectionism run on the same circuit. The anxiety often is the perfectionism, just wearing a different name.
How I work with it
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you catch and interrupt the thought patterns that keep anxiety in the driver's seat, the catastrophizing, the all-or-nothing thinking, the mental rehearsals that never actually make you feel more prepared.
I pair that with Hakomi Somatic Therapy, because anxiety doesn't just live in your thoughts, it lives in your body. A lot of people can logic their way to "I know I shouldn't be worried about this" and still feel wired and on edge. Somatic work helps address what's happening underneath the thinking.
I also bring my background in Leadership and Executive Coaching into the room. Many of my clients are managing real pressure, running teams, carrying big responsibilities and the anxiety shows up as much in their decision-making and leadership as it does privately.
This isn't about eliminating anxiety altogether. Some of it is useful information. It's about getting your nervous system out of constant alert mode so you can actually hear what it's telling you.