Are you suffering from anxiety?
At times, does it feel almost unbearable?
Do you find yourself worrying about things that are not likely to happen?
Does your body often feel tense, your chest heavy, your heart pounding?
Are you obsessing about bad things that could happen, but are highly unlikely to occur?
Is it rare, almost impossible, to experience a profound sense of peace and security?
Do you feel like you are going to die in the near future?
Are you carrying a sense of dread and just can’t relax?
Do you either feel amped up and restless, or down to the point of being almost incapacitated?
These are all signs of anxiety. Sometimes we get so used to it, we forget what it feels like to feel calm, grounded, and neutral. Anxiety can rob you of your quality of life. Instead of enjoying yourself, you can literally get frozen in survival mode. The frustrating thing about anxiety is: it almost always is a neurobiological event. It impacts the part of your brain that is not verbal or logical, the limbic system. Anxiety is your body’s instinctive/reflexive response to perceived danger that has gone amok.
When you are suffering from anxiety, the limbic system is activated as if there was an immediate threat, but there is not one. Hence, it feels as if danger is just around the corner. When you try to control the limbic system by using words and logic, it rarely helps. Often times this lack of control over ones own body and feelings of fear and dread, cause even more anxiety! Some people assume that because they cannot control the fear and dread, they must actually be experiencing premonitions signaling that something bad is truly about to happen. This is not the case.
The reality is, the limbic system is reflexive, instinctual, and intuitive and cannot usually be controlled by our thoughts. In other words, it’s virtually impossible to talk yourself out of anxiety. Anxiety, however, can be managed and even resolved through neurobiological approaches to reprocessing the original traumatic memories that initially activated the limbic system and by calming down the limbic system. So if you have tried talk therapy to manage your anxiety and it has not worked, please don’t give up. There is still so much you can do!
Amani Farm is an amazing setting for anxiety counseling in Fort Collins. I invite you to come to this peaceful place to experience neurobiological methods for treating anxiety. I often see relatively quick and profound results when treating anxiety with Brainspotting and/or Equine Assisted Therapy. This is a safe place to take a deep breath and begin to heal. Here, I combine cutting edge neuroscience counseling techniques with the healing power of the natural world. So many times I hear clients say they feel better than they have for years!
What will happen in an anxiety counseling session?
First and for most, we will go at a pace that is comfortable for you! You cannot reprocess the trauma that results in anxiety, if the experience is traumatizing. We can meet in my office or any other place on the farm that feels comfortable to you. During our first session I will ask about your goals for therapy, get some background information, and answer any questions you may have. We may do a very brief Brainspotting session so that you may get a feel of how it works.
You can find out more about Brainspotting on my techniques page. Simply put, we use the position of your eyes to help locate and release traumatic memories from the limbic system. The eye position correlates to a constellation of neurobiological symptoms and memories your body stored in relationship to trauma. We call this a “brainspot”. When you process a memory with your eyes on a brainspot, the cortisol and adrenaline stored in your body as a result of trauma are discharged, and the limbic system can finally relax.
In future sessions, we will continue to talk and do Brainspotting in a combination that feels right to you. If you would like to do some Equine Assisted Therapy or simply enjoy being outside, we can do that as well. Please see Techniques to learn more about Brainspotting and Equine Assisted Therapy. Together we will chart a course that feels safe, yet gives you the relief you desire.
I have felt this way for so long, is the expense of anxiety counseling worth it?
If we can help you get your quality of life back, YES! We should know pretty quickly if this type of anxiety counseling will work for you. Many times clients can feel some relief after a single session. You will have the opportunity to experience more fulfilling relationships, enjoy life more, be engaged and connected with your family and community, and perform better at work. You can gain so much. There is no need to suffer any longer!
Please contact me to see if we would be a good fit. I offer a free 30-minute consultation
“May you be at peace. May your heart remain open. May you awaken to the light of your own true nature. May you be healed. May you be a source of healing for all others.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh