Practical regulation
Concrete ways to bring your body down from high alert, so you have something to use in the moment.
When your body stays on alert
Anxiety Therapy in Boca Raton
You can know a situation is manageable and still feel your body respond as though it is not.
Treatment addresses the alarm response itself, alongside the way you think about it.
Available in person in Boca Raton and virtually for appropriate clients in Florida and New Jersey.
Schedule a Free 15-Minute ConsultationReady to start therapy? Book a Full Session on ZocdocHave a question? Send Me a Message
In-person therapy in Boca Raton• Virtual sessions also available in FL & NJ
Skills for now, and treatment for what drives it.
Why understanding it may not be enough
Anxiety runs below the level of explanation.
Reasoning and the alarm response do not change together
Most people with anxiety can already explain it. They can name the trigger, identify the distortion, and repeat the reassurance, and still feel it in their chest.
That happens because the response sits in the nervous system rather than in reasoning. Understanding helps. On its own it is rarely enough, and people who have only been offered understanding often conclude they are bad at therapy.
Schedule a Free 15-Minute ConsultationWhat people bring to these sessions
How anxiety usually shows up.
Worry that continues whether or not there is something to worry about
Replaying conversations and rehearsing ones that have not happened
Tension, restlessness, disrupted sleep, a stomach that reacts first
Avoiding things, then feeling worse for having avoided them
Difficulty settling even when there is nothing to do
Knowing you are fine and feeling otherwise
Anxiety does not always begin with trauma, and I will not assume yours did.
Where anxiety and avoidance meet
Avoidance brings relief, and teaches the alarm to keep sounding.
Stepping back from something difficult lowers the feeling quickly. The relief is real, and it also confirms to your nervous system that the situation was dangerous.
Over time the list of avoided things grows, and the effort of managing around them becomes its own weight. Treatment works on both the response and the avoidance.
My approach
Skills for now, processing for what is driving it.
Somatic work
Noticing anxiety earlier and lower in the body, where it is easier to interrupt.
EMDR
Where specific memories or triggers drive the anxiety, EMDR can reduce their charge directly.
Returning to what you have avoided
Gradual and planned with you, at a pace you set.
What treatment may look like
A clear process, adapted to your situation
Map when it spikes and what it targets
When it happens, what comes immediately before, and what you have started avoiding.
Build regulation skills you can use immediately
Concrete methods for bringing your body down from high alert between sessions.
Process the experiences underneath, where relevant
EMDR for specific memories or triggers that are driving the response.
Return to avoided situations, gradually
Planned collaboratively, at a pace you set, rather than as an abrupt test.
Questions about anxiety therapy
Why do I still feel anxious when I understand it?
The response sits in your nervous system, which does not respond to explanation. Treatment works on the response itself as well as the thinking.
Does anxiety have to be connected to a trauma?
No. Some anxiety traces back to specific experiences and some does not. I will not assume yours does.
What happens in sessions?
Early sessions map when anxiety spikes and what it targets, and build regulation skills you can use right away. Where specific memories drive it, we may move to EMDR.
Can we work with anxiety I feel physically?
Yes. Somatic work is often the most useful part for tension, a racing heart, or a stomach that reacts first.
Local, face-to-face care
Anxiety therapy in Boca Raton.
Meet with Shaya in his Boca Raton office, accessible from communities throughout South Florida. Virtual therapy is also available to appropriate clients in Florida and New Jersey.
A next step at your pace
Take the first step without committing to treatment.
A free 15-minute consultation gives you space to describe what has been happening, ask about my approach, and see whether working together feels like a fit.
Free 15-minute consultation
Find a time that works for you.
Schedule your free 15-minute consultation below.
If the scheduler does not load, schedule directly on Calendly.