Anxiety and Phobia Therapy in Florida

Compassionate virtual care to help you reclaim calm and confidence.

Understanding Anxiety

Anxiety is something most of us experience at some point—it’s part of being human. But when it starts to interfere with your daily life, relationships, or overall sense of ease, it can feel overwhelming and confusing.

At its core, anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress or perceived danger. You might feel it as a tightness in your chest, racing thoughts, restlessness, difficulty sleeping, or even stomach issues. It can show up when you're lying in bed at night, running through everything that could go wrong, or when you find yourself snapping at someone you love without really knowing why. You may even feel constantly "on edge," as if your nervous system is in a never-ending state of alert.

From a nervous system perspective, anxiety often means you're living outside of your “window of tolerance”—the space where you feel safe, connected, and able to engage with life. In this window, your body and mind work together in balance. But when you're pushed into hyperarousal, your body shifts into a fight-or-flight state, driven by your sympathetic nervous system.

Polyvagal theory helps us understand this further. Your vagus nerve plays a big role in how you respond to the world around you. When anxiety is present, your system may be stuck in high alert, misreading daily experiences as threats. But this isn’t because you’re “broken.” Anxiety is a protective mechanism. It shows up when your brain believes it needs to keep you safe—whether from emotional pain, perceived rejection, or physical danger. Therapy helps us get curious about this protection, rather than judge it.

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Phobias: When Fear Becomes Overwhelming

Phobias are a more specific form of anxiety—intense, often irrational fears tied to particular objects, situations, or experiences. Common phobias include fear of flying, heights, public speaking, enclosed spaces, certain animals, or medical procedures like needles or blood. While the trigger might seem small or avoidable to others, the fear feels very real and consuming in the moment.

From a scientific standpoint, phobias are rooted in the brain's fear center—the amygdala. When your brain links a certain stimulus with danger (sometimes through a past event, sometimes without a clear origin), it can create a powerful association that kicks off a fight-or-flight response, even when there’s no real threat present. This is your brain’s way of trying to protect you, but it gets stuck in overdrive.

Therapy can help you gently retrain this fear response. By combining evidence-based strategies with a compassionate, trauma-informed approach, we can work toward building new associations, regulating your nervous system, and restoring a sense of safety—so you don’t have to live in avoidance of the things that limit your freedom.

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Breaking Free: How Therapy Transforms Anxiety & Phobias

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In therapy, we work together to better understand your anxiety—not just as a symptom to get rid of, but as a signal to decode. Whether your anxiety is more generalized or centered around specific fears or phobias, the goal isn’t to “fix” you—it’s to support your nervous system in feeling safer and more regulated, so you can live with greater ease.

Phobias can feel especially distressing because they often lead to avoidance. And while avoiding the trigger might bring short-term relief, it tends to reinforce the fear long-term. In our work together, we approach these fears with curiosity and compassion, using gentle and effective strategies to reduce their hold on your life.

Depending on your needs, I may integrate:

  • Mindfulness-Based CBT to help slow things down and challenge unhelpful thought patterns with compassion

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to shift your focus toward living a life guided by your values, even with anxiety present

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and grounding

  • Exposure Therapy for gradually and safely facing the things that feel scary, helping to rewire the brain’s fear response

  • Trauma Processing through EMDR or ART, especially when past experiences are driving current anxiety or phobic responses

Together, we create a space where your anxiety or phobia doesn’t have to call all the shots. Instead, we work toward a life where you feel more grounded, connected, and empowered.

Does this resonate with you?

Are you ready to take the next steps towards change? If you feel a bit nervous, that is totally normal! I am here to help guide you in the right direction and answer any questions you may have.

Finding the right therapist for your healing journey is key. I offer a free 15-minute consultation over the phone or on video session to see if we are a good fit for each other.

Please let me know in your message why you are seeking therapy at this time and what your preferred method of contact is for me to reach out to you!