Anxiety Therapy • CaliforniaWhen Anxiety Has Deeper Roots
You've treated the symptoms, but something deeper is holding the pattern in place.
understanding anxietyAnxiety isn’t just a thinking problem — though that’s often how it gets treated. The patterns driving it are rooted in the nervous system, in attachment history, in relational dynamics that developed long before the anxious thoughts started. In my practice, the work goes deeper than symptom management. The goal is to help you respond with more choice and less automatic reactivity.
Sound Familiar?What Anxiety Can Look Like
Anxiety doesn’t always look like what people expect. It’s not always panic attacks or obvious worry. Sometimes it’s the constant hum in the background, the vigilance you can’t quite turn off.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And there’s a reason insight and coping strategies haven’t been enough on their own.
Here’s what that often looks like:
Your mind is always running, replaying conversations, rehearsing what might go wrong, anticipating the next thing.
You carry tension in your jaw, your shoulders, your chest. You don’t notice until it’s unbearable.
You’ve had panic attacks, or you carry the fear of having another one.
You feel responsible for everyone else’s emotions, and you’re exhausted by it.
You’ve tried breathing exercises and coping strategies. They help briefly, but the anxiety keeps coming back.
You know something deeper is driving all of this, but you can’t quite reach it on your own.
Beyond symptom managementWhy Anxiety Persists
Anxiety is often the nervous system’s learned response to earlier relational experiences: patterns of over-functioning, hypervigilance, or self-monitoring that developed because they were once necessary.
Coping strategies can help regulate the surface, but they don’t reach the deeper patterns stored in the body and nervous system. That’s why many people find their anxiety returns. The root hasn’t been addressed.
These patterns are often connected to relational dynamics: difficulty with boundaries, people-pleasing, or attachment.
“This isn’t about never getting triggered — it’s about recovering more quickly and with more awareness.”
My ApproachHow I Work With Anxiety
I take an integrative approach to working with anxiety, weaving Brainspotting, IFS, and somatic approaches based on what’s emerging in each session. Brainspotting helps access and process the nervous system patterns that keep anxiety active. IFS helps us understand the parts of you that developed to cope: the vigilant part, the over-planner, the people-pleaser.
We work with both mind and body, at a pace that feels manageable and respectful of your nervous system.
I offer individual therapy and Brainspotting group therapy online for adults throughout California.
What Can ShiftWhen the Noise Quiets Down
When the deeper patterns begin to shift, the changes show up in your daily life.
More space between feeling and response
The ability to notice an anxious thought or physical response and choose how to respond, rather than being carried by it.
A quieter nervous system
Less baseline tension, fewer automatic stress responses, and a greater capacity to stay present in situations that used to feel overwhelming.
More choice in relationships
The ability to set boundaries, express needs, and navigate conflict without defaulting to people-pleasing, avoidance, or over-functioning.
If you're ready to explore what's possible, I'm here.
Resources
No previous Brainspotting experience required. All group participants receive a complimentary 45‑minute individual orientation session with Esma and a digital therapeutic resourcing guide.
Brainspotting Group Therapy Info Sheet
An overview of the group, what to expect, and how to get started.
Common questionsAnxiety Therapy FAQ
How is your approach to anxiety different from traditional CBT?
CBT is one of many tools I draw from, but I don’t treat anxiety as a thinking problem alone. Anxiety often has roots in relational patterns and nervous system responses that developed early. My approach integrates Brainspotting, IFS, and somatic work to address both the cognitive and body-based dimensions of anxiety.
Do I need a diagnosis to work with you on anxiety?
No. Many people who come to my practice don’t have a formal diagnosis. If anxiety is affecting your relationships, your sense of ease, or your ability to be present in your life, that’s enough to begin.
How long does anxiety therapy take?
It depends on what’s driving the anxiety and how deeply the patterns are rooted. Some people notice meaningful shifts within a few months. Others doing deeper attachment-related work find it unfolds over a longer period. We’ll check in regularly about what feels right.
Can anxiety therapy be done via telehealth?
Yes. All of my sessions are conducted via secure telehealth for adults across California. Many clients find that processing anxiety in their own space actually supports the work. Your nervous system is already in familiar surroundings.
Related ReadingThoughts on Therapy & Healing
Take the First StepWhen You’re Ready to Go Deeper
If you're ready for therapy that meets you where you are, let's talk.