Anxiety and Depression Therapy in Lafayette and Online throughout California
Understanding the Causes of Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depression have many causes, including genetic factors, which make them tend to run in families.
You may have been raised by perfectionists and/or critical parents, planting the seeds for your chronic anxious or depressed state (or your fluctuation in between).
Your perfectionism might be fueling your anxiety or depression.
You might be a highly sensitive and gifted individual who is unable to enjoy life because of the status of your relationships, career, and even community and world affairs.
Your marginalized and oppressed identities may be and rightfully resulting in/contributing to your current mood struggles.
Your current or past life experiences, including traumatic events and attachment wounds, might be shifting your way of thinking and feeling and, as a result, your choices in life.
Your life stage, the transitions you are going through, and all the suffering on earth we witness daily might be causing you to question the meaning of everything.
You might have specific phobias that are getting in the way of enjoying your life fully, affecting your social, emotional, school, and work functioning.
Regardless of whether you are (or can be) diagnosed with a mood disorder, I am here to help you understand and manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life. Talk therapy based on many different modalities, somatic therapies, psychoeducation, Neurofeedback, EMDR, experiential interventions, and bibliotherapy may help you to improve your mood, manage your symptoms, and even cure your mood disorder.
Existential Depression and Anxiety
If you are feeling chronically depressed and/or anxious thinking about global warming, the meaning of life, ongoing wars in the world, innocent people suffering and dying by millions on a daily basis, or struggling to accept your own eventual death, please know that you are not alone.
Especially highly educated, gifted, and/or very smart people are more likely to have “existential depression and anxiety”. I am experienced, personally and professionally, in finding a way to improve the quality of life and bring joy and peace back to daily life while not losing the gift of this deep awareness of reality.
Cognitive Dissonance
The mental discomfort and psychological stress we feel when our beliefs, values, and actions are inconsistent and contradictory, which is called cognitive dissonance, ultimately encourage us to take a hard look at ourselves so we can make some changes (often either in our beliefs or actions) to align better, and so we can feel happier.
When we are not aware of our cognitive dissonance and its reasons, we end up feeling anxious or depressed, not knowing why, and/or have somatic symptoms such as headaches, muscle aches, stomach aches, and other gastrointestinal problems that are not based on physical reasons.
From this perspective, these symptoms are our good friends pushing us to get help. Not knowing what is bothering you and what you would discuss with your therapist are common barriers to seeking help.
I implore you to reach out anyway.
Like many other experienced and skillful therapists, I am trained to help you figure out where the psychological stress is coming from, equip you with many tools to help yourself between your therapy sessions and make informed decisions about how and what to change about your life to live a more intentional and content life.
Thoughts on mental health medication
As a society, are we over-medicated? I think so.
Do I think psychotropic medication is not useful? Just the opposite.
When and if people are on the right medication and the right dose for their mental health symptoms, they can feel and function better. If they are also in therapy at the same time they are on medication, they may be able to utilize therapy better and make changes in their lives to live a happier and healthier life. Whether medication is temporary or forever, its benefits may way overweigh the potential side effects, which are usually manageable by medication adjustments.
If you are on any kind of psychotropic medication, I am happy to work collaboratively with your prescribing psychiatrist when you are in therapy with me. If you are not on medication but are considering giving it a try, I can help you make an informed decision and provide you with skilled psychiatrist referrals. And even if you are not bringing up the topic of medication, when and if I see the potential benefit of talking to a psychiatrist, I will bring up the topic, make suggestions, provide comprehensive information, and respect your ultimate decision.
