Tom came to see me because he was suffering from social anxiety and panic attacks that would affect his breathing and trigger heart palpitations. His profound fear of being sick in public would often keep him home. It was not uncommon for his anxiety to creep up on him in the most inopportune moments, and trigger queasiness.
Despite seeing a psychiatrist and being treated with anti-anxiety medication, he still found that his anxiety in public settings and the associated symptoms remained unmanageable. Wanting to cut down on how often he was needing to take klonopin, he sought counseling.
After taking Tom’s history, we began to unravel his life story and his earliest relationships so that we could start to understand his mind, his emotions, and his body’s response to stressors clearly. For Tom, and for many, his anxiety was actually layers of unprocessed emotion and memory. Taking a compassionate lens, we began to identify thought patterns and beliefs that contributed to his anxiety. While examining and being curious about his life story and its events, we took note of his corresponding physiological responses to perceived stress.
When we came to know and continued to be curious about Tom’s mind and his body, we were then able to regulate the emotion that would usually sweep Tom up into his usual nauseous anxiety. With empathetic inquiry and presence, Tom learned to use his breath, grounding exercises, and somatic awareness to ease anxious tension.
Since beginning treatment, Tom has not had any panic attacks, reports better relationships with his partner, friends, and family and has reduced his medication significantly. Not only is he better able to cope with previously stressful situations, he has come to know himself in a whole new way.
To schedule a counseling appointment with Lauren Pfau-Capone, click here.