Anxiety Therapy

“We adapt to adversity by orienting to our strengths, attending to our pain, and taking charge of our narrative that define our life.”

— Dr. Arielle Schwartz

While occasional anxiety is normal, it becomes a problem when it is persistent and overwhelming. Anxiety disorders involve excessive worry that often feels disproportionate to the situation. Over time, these feelings can interfere with daily life, making it difficult to function at work, in relationships, or even with simple tasks.

Common symptoms include physical tension, difficulty concentrating, irritability, sleep disturbances, and more intense signs like chest pain, sweating, trembling, and a racing heart. These symptoms may last for months and worsen without treatment. The cycle of worry can lead to increased risks for depression, substance use, and other health complications. Unfortunately, many people don’t seek help, with only about 1 in 4 receiving treatment despite the availability of effective therapies.

Treatments Approaches and Treatment-Resistant Anxiety Disorders

First-line treatments for anxiety disorders typically include psychotropic medications, particularly SSRIs and SNRIs, along with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Benzodiazepines, another class of psychotropic medications, are considered a second-line treatment for anxiety. However, they are recommended for short-term use, no longer than 8 weeks, due to the risk of dependency and withdrawal.

Despite this, up to 83% of patients with anxiety are prescribed benzodiazepines long-term, often due to persistent symptoms, a condition known as treatment-resistant anxiety disorders (Ansara, 2020; Bokman et al., 2019). Up to 60% of Anxiety patients have substantial impairing remaining symptoms despite the application of evidence based first line treatment. 

Our Approach to Treating Anxiety & Treament Resistant Anxiety

At Holding Space Therapy, we use a multi-faceted approach to address anxiety. Our method involves examining your symptoms through a bio-psycho-social lens and then creating a treatment plan that integrates your past experiences and current environmental factors. We aim to support your recovery by:

  • Balancing the Nervous System: Using somatic-based interventions to either stimulate or calm your nervous system as needed.

  • Enhancing Social Engagement: Employing attachment and relational approaches to strengthen your social connections and improve relational dynamics.

  • Reframing Inner Dialogue: Working with you to shift your inner dialogue towards a more positive and supportive perspective, fostering a life with reduced depression and anxiety.

  • Integrating EMDR Therapy: Incorporating Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to process and integrate distressing memories, facilitating emotional healing and reducing symptoms.

Meet Our Specialists

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