Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety in and of itself isn’t a bad thing. In fact, anxiety can be adaptive if channeled appropriately. Anxiety is a built-in alarm system that lets us know when there is an emotional or physical threat in our environment. However, like any alarm system, sometimes there are “false alarms”, where we think there is a threat when in actuality there isn’t. Sometimes our anxiety can become excessive and unwanted. When anxiety starts to interfere with our daily functioning it can be helpful to seek therapy. Anxiety Disorders can include Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Phobia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), PTSD, Panic Disorder. Kara uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to address negative thought patterns that impact feelings and behaviors.

Sometimes we feel anxious when there is no actual threat because we’ve experienced a past trauma or a negative life event that led us to internalize beliefs about ourselves, others, or the world in general, that aren’t true. The anxiety that was present at the time of the event is stored away in our central nervous system and can be triggered when we go through similar experiences in life, causing anxiety, fear, and panic. EMDR can be used to address Anxiety Disorders by reprocessing the original event, desensitizing the anxiety, and unlocking more reality-based perspectives.