Anxiety Therapy in Newport Beach, CA
Your mind doesn't have to work this hard all the time.
When worry, overthinking, or the need to stay one step ahead starts taking up too much room, therapy can give you somewhere to put it down for a while.
I offer compassionate anxiety therapy for adults in Newport Beach and online throughout California.
Therapy for Anxiety in Newport Beach
You can look completely fine and still feel anything but calm.
Anxiety isn't always obvious to the people around you.
You may be getting everything done. Showing up for work. Taking care of your family. Remembering what everyone needs. Making decisions. Handling things.
And underneath all of that, your mind rarely stops.
You think ahead. Replay conversations. Question decisions you've already made. Prepare for things that may never happen. Even when life is relatively calm, it can be hard to actually feel calm.
Therapy gives us somewhere to understand what's keeping your mind and body on alert- and help things feel a little less consuming.
What Anxiety Can Feel Like
Anxiety doesn't look the same for everyone.
Sometimes it’s loud and impossible to ignore. Other times, it quietly becomes part of how you move through your day, plan ahead, make decisions, and care for the people around you.
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Your mind may have a remarkable ability to find the next thing to worry about.
You might run through conversations before they happen and replay them afterward. A small uncertainty can turn into ten possible outcomes. Even after you've made a decision, part of you keeps wondering whether you made the right one.
We'll look at what keeps pulling you back into those loops and help you become more comfortable not having every answer in advance.
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You may be the person people rely on.
You remember what needs to happen, anticipate problems, take care of details, and make sure everyone else is okay. Being prepared can feel safer than trusting that things will work themselves out.
But carrying that much responsibility can become exhausting.
Therapy can help us sort through what genuinely belongs to you — and what you've gotten used to carrying because putting it down feels uncomfortable.
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Sometimes anxiety hides inside very high standards.
You may spend a lot of time trying to get things exactly right, worrying about disappointing people, comparing yourself to others, or focusing on what you could have done better even when something went well.
We can get curious about what perfectionism is protecting you from without treating your ambition or care as something that needs to disappear.
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You finally have nothing you need to do... and somehow relaxing still doesn't happen.
Your body may feel tense. Your mind starts making another list. You reach for your phone. You remember something you forgot. Rest can even bring guilt because there is always something else you could be doing.
Part of our work can be helping your nervous system learn that it doesn't have to stay prepared for the next thing all the time.
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Anxiety doesn't only happen in your thoughts.
It can show up as a racing heart, tight chest, stomach discomfort, muscle tension, difficulty sleeping, restlessness, or the feeling that something is wrong even when you can't identify exactly what.
We'll pay attention to what your body is communicating rather than expecting you to simply think your way out of it.
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Even changes you chose can make things feel less steady.
Relationships, career decisions, pregnancy, parenting, caregiving, health concerns, loss, or simply entering a new stage of life can bring uncertainty that makes anxiety louder.
You don't need to wait until you're in crisis. Sometimes having somewhere to sort through what's changing is exactly what you need.
How I Approach Anxiety Therapy
We'll get curious about what your anxiety is trying so hard to manage.
I don't want to give you a list of breathing exercises and send you on your way.
Practical tools can absolutely help, and we'll use them when they're useful. But I also want to understand why your mind keeps returning to certain fears, what makes uncertainty feel so uncomfortable, and what your anxiety may have learned it needs to protect you from.
My approach may draw from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, and other evidence-based approaches.
I'll listen closely, ask questions, and help you notice patterns that can be difficult to see when you're in the middle of them.
EMDR Therapy for Anxiety
Sometimes your body hasn't gotten the message that you're okay now.
Anxiety can sometimes be connected to earlier experiences that taught your brain to anticipate danger, rejection, failure, or loss.
You may know logically that the situation you're in now is different and still have a reaction that feels much bigger than the moment itself.
As a Certified EMDR Therapist, I can incorporate EMDR when past experiences appear to be contributing to anxiety in the present.
We won't assume EMDR is what you need. We'll understand what's happening first and decide together.
Frequently Asked Questions About Anxiety Therapy
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You don't have to reach a particular level of distress before therapy is appropriate. If worry, overthinking, physical anxiety, or the need to stay in control is taking more energy from you than you want it to, we can talk about it.
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Anxiety doesn't always correspond neatly with what's happening around you. Your nervous system can remain alert even when there isn't an obvious immediate threat, particularly when you've spent a long time anticipating problems or managing stress.
Part of therapy can be understanding why your system has learned to stay so prepared.
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Yes. Rather than trying to force yourself to “stop thinking,” we'll look at what keeps pulling you into repetitive thought loops and work on changing how you respond when they begin.
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Yes. Anxiety can be experienced physically as well as mentally, including tension, restlessness, changes in breathing, stomach discomfort, racing heart, difficulty sleeping, and other sensations.
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EMDR may be useful when anxiety is connected to earlier experiences, distressing memories, fears, or beliefs that continue to trigger strong reactions in the present.
We'll determine together whether EMDR makes sense for you.
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Yes. I offer anxiety therapy in person in Newport Beach and online for adults throughout California.
Anxiety Support in Newport Beach, CA
You don't have to think your way through everything by yourself.
You don't need to arrive knowing exactly why you're anxious or how to make it stop.
Tell me what's been taking up so much room lately.