From Chaos to Calm: Navigating Trauma with Anxiety Therapy San Francisco

Setting the Stage: The Intersection of Trauma and Anxiety

Many people suffer from anxiety and cannot understand why. Symptoms such as irritability, restlessness, increased heart rate, racing thoughts, and difficulty concentrating can show up over time. What is often not explored is the connection of anxiety due to psychological trauma. When someone undergoes psychological trauma, it can cause the nervous system to respond like that person is chronically under threat. When the nervous system feels it is under threat, symptoms of anxiety appear.

Recognizing Trauma's Impact on Mental Health

People who have experienced psychological trauma may have more difficulty in day-to-day life. Emotional regulation, e.g. being able to calm oneself in a variety of situations, may prove really difficult and consequently they may under or over react in social or professional situations. It may feel difficult to access emotions and clients may feel numb and disconnected from their bodies and themselves. Also, having the nervous system remain on alert for long periods of time can cause stress that will lead to health issues.

Anchors of Support: The Role of Anxiety Therapy San Francisco in Recovering from Trauma

In order to start to recover from trauma, it is essential for a person to start to feel safe. Without feeling safe, a client cannot explore the trauma and start to recover. This is where anxiety therapy can help. If a person starts by learning to manage their anxiety and learns to calm their nervous system, a skilled therapist can help them navigate the original trauma that is the source of the anxiety.

Embracing Calm: Holistic Approaches in Anxiety Therapy San Francisco

Since much of anxiety involves physical symptoms that start in the body, it is important to work on feeling safe in the body. This may involve learning skills such as meditation and mindfulness. Basically, therapists help clients find healthy outlets that allow them to feel their emotions without being overwhelmed . A therapist with a more holistic approach will have many tools to help a client learn to be at ease and regulate their emotions. Meditation and mindfulness are just the start.

Applying Therapy Beyond the Sessions

The goal of anxiety therapy that focuses on resolving trauma is twofold. The first goal is to teach a person coping skills that they can apply to everyday life, for the rest of their lives, so that they learn to cope with anxiety. The second goal is to eventually process the trauma that occurred so that anxiety happens less often overall. Between these two goals, clients learn to live a less chaotic and calmer life!

The Calm Continuum: Starting Your Journey to Healing

If you are ready to start your journey towards healing from trauma and also alleviating your anxiety, please reach out to me at lisa@lisamanca.com. I look forward to hearing from you!