Anxiety Therapy - a mind-body approach
in the Northern Beaches & online
RELEASE TENSION. FEEL MORE GROUNDED.
Medicare Rebates
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is more than just feeling stressed. Stress is typically caused by an external trigger and disappears when the stressful situation resolves. Anxiety, on the other hand, is defined by persistent, excessive worries that don’t go away even in the absence of a stressor and interfere with daily functioning. Some anxiety disorders may lead a person to avoid enjoyable activities or make it challenging to keep a job.
Anxiety symptoms
Anxiety can manifest in different ways, including:
excessive worrying about everyday situations
persistent feelings of fear or dread
finding it difficult to calm down
panic attacks
feeling tired easily
difficulty concentrating
muscle tension
sleep disturbances.
Anxiety types
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalised Anxiety Disorder is characterised by excessive, hard-to-control worry occurring most days. The worry may jump from topic to topic and is accompanied by physical symptoms.
Panic Disorder
In Panic Disorder, the person experiences recurrent unexpected panic attacks. Panic attacks are a sudden surge of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms such as trouble breathing, pounding heart, dizziness and sweating.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder is marked by a strong fear or anxiety about one or more social situations in which the person is exposed to other people’s scrutiny.
Specific phobias
A phobia is the fear of a specific object or situation (such as spiders, heights, flying, etc.) which the person avoids or endures with intense anxiety.
What causes anxiety?
Like many other mental health conditions, anxiety results from a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Individuals may inherit a genetic predisposition or certain personality traits, which, when combined with external stressors or life experiences, can contribute to the development of anxiety disorders.
When to seek help
If stress or anxiety is affecting your daily life and you are finding it hard to cope, it may be time to talk to a therapist.
My mind-body treatment approach for anxiety
When you first come to see me, I take time to get to know you and what’s been happening in your life. In our early sessions, we’ll explore your current struggles, relevant past experiences, and what feels most important to you now.
I draw from different therapeutic approaches and tailor therapy to your needs, preferences, and pace, so it feels supportive and meaningful.
I approach anxiety through both the mind and the body.
The mind - practical strategies
I offer practical cognitive and behavioural strategies from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). These tools can help you relate differently to anxious thoughts and feelings, so you can start coping more effectively early on in therapy.
From an ACT perspective, anxiety is often maintained by getting caught in worry and by efforts to avoid or control uncomfortable inner experiences. While understandable, this can gradually shrink life and limit what feels possible. ACT focuses on gently noticing and making room for inner experiences, while moving towards what matters to you. Depending on your situation, this may include approaches such as gradual exposure, always at your pace.
The body - tunning in with compassion
Alongside this, I work with the body through Focusing. Anxiety doesn’t live only in the mind — it’s often felt physically as tightness, restlessness, pressure, or a sense that something isn’t quite right. In Focusing, we gently turn towards these bodily experiences rather than pushing them away.
By slowing down and paying compassionate attention to what is happening in the body, many people notice a softening or shift over time. This process can feel deeply grounding, creating a greater sense of stability and ease. For people experiencing anxiety, Focusing can help reduce the intensity of physical symptoms, increase tolerance for uncomfortable sensations, and lessen the cycle of fear about anxiety itself.