Stress, PTSD and Anxiety Therapists in Ridgefield, WA.

Do you find yourself fearful when tackling a new task? Are you burnt-out because the stress and pressure on you just seems too much? Do you find yourself saying "yes" when you want to say "no"? I will work with you to examine the roots of these stressful patterns and to find previously discounted or undiscovered strengths you possess. I will help you form stronger and more resilient boundaries so that you will experience a sense of choice and autonomy in dealing with others. I will help you transform anxiety to excitement using powerful tools such as EMDR and the Emotional Freedom Technique, so that you can lead a more harmonious, contented life.

Anxiety and stress are so common they seem like an unavoidable part of the modern lifestyle. However excessive anxiety, stress, and worry can start to destroy your peace of mind, lessen your confidence, and impact your physical health. I provide a therapy process where the pattern of how anxiety is created in your life is understood and new tools to stop the physical and emotional patterns of anxiety are made habitual. The end result is having your peace of mind back so you can focus on the things that matter most to you.

It can be really hard to talk about anxiety. You're reading the words of someone who suffered with severe anxiety from before the age of five. While depression largely looks backwards, and lacks a plan, anxiety looks forward and invents a future that almost never comes to pass. But, anxiety holds a little known secret that, once revealed, is a game-changer for anxiety sufferers! Too many people struggle needlessly with anxiety every day. It can be difficult to imagine life without it. It can feel like there's no hope. Fear and hope are powerful emotions! Be encouraged to take just a small step and reach out to someone who knows the steps to cultivate hope and build motivation to overcome!

Stress is part of this life. When it becomes overwhelming or spins into anxiety we need to find the calm in the storm. How we think, act and relate recursively loop to amp it up or tone it down. Experiencing and practicing ways to soothe ourselves, identify triggers and risk factors can help. Connecting with supportive people who help us to see more of the details in the whole story can bring increased peace.

Everyone experiences anxiety at some point, but for some the anxiety is so frequent or intense that it interferes with their lives or even triggers panic attacks. I use Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help my clients get a sense of control over their own anxiety. We collaborate to learn skills to reduce the frequency or intensity of the anxious feelings, to tolerate the anxiety when it does occur so they can still function through it, and to practice habits that reduce stress and improve general mental health.

Clients who I am privileged to work with, will often express a desire to talk about the stresses they are experiencing in their life. These stresses often are accompanied by anxiety. Today's world is, no doubt, a difficult place to navigate. Stress reduction, for many people, is an imbalance between what they are willing to accept and what they believe can or needs to be changed. I help them identify what part of their worries are about the past and which are about the future. We work together to establish a mindfulness approach to stress reduction which emphasizes the skill sets of consciously being in the present moment, through breathing and awareness of thought/body connection.

Maybe you've had to work extra hard at managing your thoughts and feelings, and this leads to those chiding voices in your head repeating that you're not "good enough." When you were younger you were full of ideas and plans, but never quite felt like you fit in. You trudged on toward your goals, sometimes feeling lonely and unsure of yourself, and kept going anyway because you're resilient and perhaps a little stubborn. When the anxiety stealthily crept in and then grew into overwhelming fear, or the mood shifts made your daily schedule chaos at best, your goals were shifted from enjoying a career and family to figuring out how to survive.

While most treatment approaches for anxiety and stress are effective on the surface, they don’t treat the real problem. Mantras, deep breathing, and rational dialogues about your fear being irrational rarely work---for most people don’t believe it or you! Imagine if you can trick the brain into changing without you telling your conscious mind that you are changing it? Problem with anxiety and stress is that the brain in this state knows you want to change it and it resists. Contact Kevin@kevinfleminphd.com for the ultimate stress and anxiety solution that will literally change your brain's autonomic nervous system patterns while you sit on your butt. 877-606-6161.