Melissa W Cooper

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

California # 141326

Understanding Anxiety

What is Anxiety?

It is a natural response to stress or uncertainty and a normal part of life. While the response is designed to protect us in dangerous situations, it can be activated by everyday stressors as well. When the feelings it triggers become constant, it can be physically and emotionally exhausting.

Common Symptoms

  • Digestive Problems

  • Accelerated Heart Rate

  • Disrupted Sleep

  • Muscle Tension

  • Trembling, Shaking, of Sweating

  • Restlessness

  • Feeling Depleted or Fatigued

  • Loss of Appetite

  • Excessive Worry

  • Feelings of Doom

  • Self-Criticism

  • Fears & Phobias

  • Panic Attacks

  • Use of Substances to Relax

  • Irritability & Mood Swings

  • Difficulty Concentrating

Who Experiences Anxiety?

Anxiety can affect anyone. It’s a normal part of life that most people experience at some point. It is only a problem if it begins to interfere with your daily life by impacting your work, relationships, or overall well-being. Anxiety can often be triggered by a mix of biological, psychological, and environmental factors, including life experience. It doesn’t mean you are weak or incapable.

If anxiety is interfering with your daily life by impacting your work, relationships, or overall well-being please reach out to me. You don’t have to just deal with it. I can help you develop tools to maximize your enjoyment of life.

Step One

My First Priority with every client is to Co-create goals for therapy based on the clients needs and desires.

Step Two

Once goals have been set, I introduce some basic skills to help them manage their anxiety. Some tools that I found helpful include:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

  • Mindfulness Practices

  • Somatic Practices

  • Healthy Life Style Practices

Step Three

Once a client has basic tools to manage their anxiety, we explore the underlying reasons for it. These could be existential, trauma-related, inherited in your DNA, or something else. Helpful tools include:

  • Depth (Jungian) Practices

  • Somatic Practices

  • Dream Work

  • Art

  • Mythology

Step Four

If appropriate, after we identify the underlying reasons for your anxiety we can use methods such as Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) to begin to rewire your brain so that it no longer rules your life.