Reclaiming Peace: Journeying Through Anxiety and Trauma with Anxiety Therapy San Francisco

When you are struggling with anxiety due to trauma, it can feel impossible to find a moment of peace. Your brain may relive the trauma over and over, with troublesome thoughts popping up whenever you are not occupied by activities or work. Sleeping may feel difficult or impossible: your body may be tired but your mind won’t let you rest. Not being able to sleep makes your anxiety worse, so the cycle continues.

Understanding Anxiety and Trauma in San Francisco

Living in a city can be a wonderful thing. You have access to so many activities—whether it is the arts, museums, restaurants or sports—everything is at your fingertips. However, living in a city can often be isolating and can add stress. You may feel a bit more on edge and the need to be more vigilant of your surroundings can take a toll if you are already anxious due to trauma.

The Therapeutic Odyssey: Navigating Anxiety and Trauma with Expertise

Anxiety can present as feeling constantly on edge, hypervigilant, elevated heartbeat, racing thoughts, and other physical symptoms. It can also be difficult to concentrate and feelings of doom can be present. Many times, people who have experienced psychological trauma will have anxiety and it can feel tricky to tease apart what is anxiety and what is trauma. Early psychological trauma from childhood can also set the stage for anxiety later in life. Since anxiety and trauma can be intertwined, working with a skilled therapist can be the key to going from anxiety to peace.

Strategies for Peaceful Restoration: Techniques in Anxiety Therapy San Francisco

The first thing a skilled anxiety therapist will do to help you resolve trauma is to work on coping skills. Repeat after me, “If a therapist tries to get me to talk about my trauma in depth without FIRST giving me more helpful coping skills, I will RUN away!” Specifically, a competent therapist will give you the skills to work with your anxiety when you feel you can’t cope anymore. Once the therapist feels you have enough resources to cope when emotions get stirred up, then and only then, will they proceed to help you process the trauma. The coping techniques you learn will start to feel like part of your normal life and can help reduce your anxiety greatly.

Beyond the Sessions: Integrating Peace into Daily Life

Once you have processed your trauma with your therapist, much of your anxiety may dissolve. You may still experience anxiety since ALL people experience anxiety at times. . . but you will be able to use coping skills that help you to soothe yourself when you feel overwhelmed. You may incorporate daily rituals that therapy taught you to help keep your anxiety in check and life will feel more manageable overall.

If you are ready to start your journey towards more peace in your life, please contact me at lisa@lisamanca.com. I hope to hear from you soon!