EMDR therapy for anxiety in Frederick, MD

Being a mom can be so stressful. EMDR Therapy for anxiety can help.

A woman looking out the window pensively
 

Though many of us are fully capable of getting through our mental health challenges prior to having kids, becoming a mom is often the catalyst that makes many women take a deeper look at issues they had previously been able to ignore.

Here are phrases I have heard from clients about feelings they’ve had that have made them decide to seek therapy for moms. If anything sounds familiar, maybe it’s worth setting up a time to talk to see if EMDR therapy might be helpful to you.

  • I just can’t stand all of the mental chatter.

  • I don’t know who I am anymore, and I feel like a shell of a person.

  • I’ve become someone I don’t even like – sometimes I can’t believe myself when I hear how I talk to my kids/spouse/colleagues. Then I feel so ashamed.

  • I’m tired of being so hard on myself, but I don’t know how to stop without feeling like I’m doing something wrong.

  • I’m so worried that my kids deserve better and that they’re getting the worst of me.

EMDR Therapy for Anxiety in Frederick or Online

Anxiety is an extremely common experience, especially in moms, especially in moms having gone through a pandemic. That’s all of us! I offer EMDR therapy for anxiety in Frederick or online throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania for moms struggling with anxiety.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself if you’re wondering if you might need counseling for anxiety.

  • Have you found yourself overwhelmed by what used to feel like “normal” parts of your day? 

  • Do you feel like you’re always on the verge of tears OR about to bite someone’s head off, often your children or partner? 

  • Do you experience that twisting feeling in your stomach, or that racing heart, alongside what feels like a ten pound weight on your chest?

  •  Do you lay down to sleep at night and you just can’t stop thinking about issues from the day or rehearsing the next day’s events?

If so, you might be in the grips of anxiety.

 

Online therapy for anxiety can be helpful if you are someone who is struggling with adding one more thing to your already overwhelmed “to do” list because you can access it with no transition time and from the comfort of your home, on your schedule.

I offer therapy for anxiety in Frederick, Maryland and online therapy for anxiety in Pennsylvania to moms located in both states.

What is anxiety?

Contrary to trauma, in which we fear the lack of safety from something that happened in the past, anxiety revs up when we consider the uncertainties of the future. Our nervous systems are in overdrive, working way too hard, cranking out all kinds of hormones that tell us we’re in danger or unsafe, even though what we really are is really “in our feelings” about every possible future unknown. Though it’s extremely uncomfortable in the moment, there are ways that we can calm our nervous systems and our minds so that anxiety doesn’t dominate our lives. I offer therapy for anxiety to teach you how to develop a relationship with anxiety so that you are not IN it and instead are living WITH it.

EMDR therapy has been found to be effective both for anxiety and trauma. This article provides an excellent explanation of how EMDR therapy can help treat anxiety. 

 

Anxiety symptoms can look like:

  • Chronic pain or consistent physical illness

  • GI issues (stomach, bowels, etc.)

  • Racing thoughts, mental “spinning”

  • Depression and/or irritability

  • Panic attacks

  • Trouble sleeping or staying asleep

  • Forgetfulness or brain fog

  • Feeling fatigued, overwhelmed, easily overloaded

  • Avoiding things or being overly controlling of other things

  • Relaxing can feel like not doing enough or getting enough DONE

  • Difficulty concentrating or connecting with others

  • Agitation and restlessness

 

Being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and anxiety.

The concept of the Highly Sensitive Person, a relatively new area of research in the world of psychology and counseling, comes from the work of Elaine Aron, PhD. The HSP “has a sensitive nervous system, is aware of subtleties in his/her surroundings, and is more easily overwhelmed when in a highly stimulating environment.” Basically, if you’re an HSP you are likely very sensitive to all of the information that this world is constantly throwing at you, and you therefore reach capacity for all the environmental “noise” in our world. It only makes sense, then, that an already sensitive nervous system would be more prone to experiencing anxiety

Being an HSP does not guarantee that you’ll have anxiety, but it does make it something to consider. Additionally, what you are feeling may not actually BE anxiety, and instead you may be an HSP who simply experiences the world in a fuller way that can sometimes feel overpowering.

A few traits of HSP’s are needing more sleep, becoming easily overwhelmed by stimulae in a situation, needing more quiet processing time, having a rich and complex inner world, and making sure you avoid content that is triggering/violent/upsetting. To learn more or to do a self-assessment, check out www.hsperson.com.

Being a highly sensitive person and mom presents unique gifts and challenges to parenthood. Having worked with many HSP moms, I can help you identify what’s happening within you and within your environment so that you can feel less overwhelmed. Together, we can help you develop ways of interacting with the world and with your family that feel more comfortable and gratifying.

How can EMDR therapy for anxiety help?

EMDR Therapy for anxiety can teach you how to engage in a relationship with anxiety rather than be overwhelmed or overrun by it. Many of my clients, after identifying their thoughts, behaviors, and emotions, share that they feel much relief in knowing that they don’t have to be a prisoner to their anxiety.

By seeking therapy for anxiety, you will learn how to:

  • Recognize your body’s signals that tell you about your emotions

  • Name the difference between normal stress and discomfort and anxiety

  • Identify patterns in anxious thoughts and behaviors

  • Discuss your anxiety and share your story with others

  • Address and let go of the negative self-talk that often accompanies anxiety

  • Create more ease in your body and in your thought processes in order to have a greater sense of calm

  • Harness and reframe your thoughts before they take over

  • Downshift your nervous system when you feel out of control

  • Regulate your emotional response, both internally and externally

  • Teach others (your children!) about regulating your emotions

  • Model appropriate anxiety management techniques 

I’d love to answer your questions in a free 10-minute inquiry call…

Leah Rockwell, LPC, LCPC