Identifying the specific fear
Getting to the precise version of what you expect to happen, which is what treatment can then target.
When being around people takes effort
Social Anxiety Therapy in Boca Raton
Rehearsing sentences before you say them. Replaying a conversation for hours afterwards. Leaving an event and going over everything you got wrong.
Underneath it there are often specific earlier moments — being laughed at, singled out, or corrected in front of people. Those can be treated directly.
Available in person in Boca Raton and virtually for appropriate clients in Florida and New Jersey.
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In-person therapy in Boca Raton• Virtual sessions also available in FL & NJ
More freedom to take part when you want to.
Social anxiety and introversion
Introversion is a preference. Social anxiety is fear.
What treatment is aiming at
Introverts find people tiring and solitude restoring. There is nothing there to treat.
Social anxiety is the fear of being judged, embarrassed, or found wanting. You can be an introvert with none of it, or an outgoing person with a great deal of it. The aim of treatment is more freedom to take part when you want to, rather than becoming more extroverted.
Schedule a Free 15-Minute ConsultationWhat people bring to these sessions
How it usually shows up.
Dreading an event for days and reviewing it for days afterwards
Going quiet in groups, then feeling worse for having gone quiet
Blushing, sweating, a voice that will not cooperate
Declining invitations and regretting it
Being told you seem confident while feeling the opposite
Finding one-to-one conversations harder than groups
Some people find a long conversation with one person harder than a room full of people.
Why the fear is usually more specific than it sounds
"Being judged" is rarely the whole of it.
Underneath the general description there is usually something more precise, such as they will see something is wrong with me, or they will realise I do not belong here.
Naming the specific version matters, because that is what treatment can target. A general fear gives us nothing to work with. A specific one does.
My approach
Treat the earlier experiences, then build participation.
EMDR
Where earlier humiliations still hold their charge, EMDR can reduce it. This is often where the change comes from.
Somatic work
Staying in your body rather than inside the commentary about yourself.
The therapeutic relationship
Therapy is itself a social situation, and being understood weekly does part of the work directly.
What treatment may look like
A clear process, adapted to your situation
Identify the specific fear
What exactly you expect to happen, which is usually more precise than being judged.
Build steadiness you can use in the moment
Grounding and regulation for before, during, and after a social situation.
Process the earlier experiences with EMDR
Specific moments of humiliation or being singled out that still carry their charge.
Build participation gradually
Planned with you, starting with situations you choose. Nothing is sprung on you.
Questions about social anxiety therapy
Is social anxiety different from introversion?
Yes. Introverts find people tiring and solitude restoring, and that needs no treatment. Social anxiety is the fear of being judged or found wanting. You can be an introvert with none of it, or an outgoing person with a great deal of it.
What if it happens one-to-one rather than in groups?
That is common. Some people find a long conversation with one person harder than a room full of people. Treatment works the same way.
Will I be pushed into uncomfortable situations early?
No. Any practice with a difficult situation is planned ahead of time and chosen by you.
Can we work with earlier embarrassing experiences?
Yes, and this is often where the change comes from. EMDR can reduce the charge those moments still carry.
Local, face-to-face care
Social 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 social situations are like for you, ask about my approach, and see whether working together feels like a fit.
Free 15-minute consultation
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