therapy for anxiety
Anxiety shows up in lots of ways.
For a lot of men, anxiety doesn't announce itself as anxiety. It shows up as irritability you can't shake, difficulty switching off at the end of the day, a constant low hum of dread beneath an otherwise functioning life. It might look like overworking, difficulty in relationships, trouble sleeping, or a persistent feeling that something is wrong even when nothing obvious is.
You may also feel it physically: shallow breathing, a tight throat, a racing heart. You might find yourself caught in loops of negative or catastrophic thinking. However it shows up for you, anxiety can feel like something you're constantly managing.
Anxiety may be something you’ve experienced your entire life or it may be something new related to a work or relationship issue. While you might have some ways to cope with it, it can feel overpowering and out of your control.
Your experience of anxiety is unique.
There are many common themes for men who experience anxiety but they can be differentiated by how symptoms show up and how you struggle with them. Some men experience a lot of worry and feelings of apprehension, restlessness, and fear (often diagnosed as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)).
Others get fearful about specific situations and experiences such as social anxiety/social phobia, agoraphobia and other phobias. They may have strong feelings of dread or find themselves avoiding situations where they might encounter anxiety such as open spaces, airplanes or large crowds of people.
Some guys struggle with panic attacks. Panic is an overwhelming feeling of anxiety and dread and often involves extremely distressing physical symptoms as well. Panic symptoms can be extraordinarily uncomfortable and individuals who experience these often find themselves avoiding situations where they might occur.
How I Treat Anxiety in Men
I use three evidence-based approaches: IFS, EMDR, and ACT, and draw on whichever combination is most useful for you.
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) helps you change your relationship with anxious thoughts so they have less power over your behavior. Rather than fighting anxiety, you learn to move toward what matters to you even when anxiety is present.
IFS (Internal Family Systems) goes deeper, helping you understand the internal parts that drive anxiety, including the inner critic, the worrier, and the parts that shut down or go numb. For many men, this work gets at patterns that have been running for decades.
EMDR is particularly useful when anxiety has roots in past challenging experiences or trauma. If you've noticed your anxiety gets triggered in ways that feel disproportionate to the situation, there's often something older underneath. EMDR is one of the most effective tools for addressing this.
get started today
I see clients in person in San Francisco and online throughout California, including the Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Sacramento. Schedule a free 20-minute video consultation to learn about therapy services and see if we might be a good fit to work together.