Help for Anxiety and Panic Disorder in New York City.

You don’t have to suffer in silence or avoid the many aspects of your life that were once fulfilling. Asking for help can cause anxiety but finding the right therapist and therapeutic options can end or greatly reduce your suffering. Anxiety can be like background noise in your life or it can be truly debilitating — interfering with relationships, work, leisure, family time and social experiences. How do you know when to seek treatment for your anxiety? When it’s interfering with the quality of your life and you’re spending your days managing your symptoms. When you are experiencing panic attacks, it’s very important to enter therapy or counseling as panic can easily lead to avoidance of situations and eventually agoraphobia.

Anxiety is treatable — whether it’s creative or writer’s bock, performance, fear of flying, phobias, nagging worries or full-blown panic disorder.  I’m experienced with helping people manage and get to the root of their anxiety problems and use many creative tools such as yoga, relaxation, CBT, hypnosis, EMDR and other helpful techniques.

Symptoms of anxiety disorders

• Difficulty sleeping
• Panic attacks
• Isolation and avoidance
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Inability to concentrate and/or make decisions
• Obsessive thoughts
• Eating Problems
• Physical symptoms

More about anxiety disorders 

Anxiety disorders are broadly defined as irrational fears of situations or particular objects marked by an intense physical or emotional response. Anxiety disorders often co-exist with other disorders, such as depression, mood disorders, personality disorders and drug or alcohol addiction.  The American Psychological Association (APA) recognizes seven anxiety disorders: generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, agoraphobia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), social phobic disorder and specific phobic disorder.

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) - GAD is defined as excessive worry about any number of things. Any situation, event, thought, word or object can produce anxiety. The symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder include a feeling of being on edge, tense muscles, difficulty sleeping, an inability to focus, irritability and fatigue.
• Panic disorder - Panic attacks are more intense and brief when compared to episodes experienced by generalized anxiety disorder sufferers. Panic disorder is characterized by abrupt panic attacks that last from a minute to under an hour. Panic attacks are a false activation of the “fight or flight” response, which is the body’s natural physical reaction to fear. A person suffering from a panic attack will experience real physical symptoms of distress such as increased heart rate, numbness in the arms and legs and difficulty breathing. Often, people who suffer from panic attacks believe that they are having a heart attack or about to die.
• Agoraphobia - Agoraphobia can co-exist with panic disorder and can develop when panic disorder is left untreated. An agoraphobic person fears travel in cars, buses, trains or planes, and fears public places or particular situations. The severity of agoraphobia varies among individual sufferers, but it can become very debilitating. Sometimes, agoraphobia can become so severe that a person will refuse to leave his or her home. Sufferers of agoraphobia generally fear that they will have a panic disorder or become ill in public and begin to eliminate any and all activities that they believe might provoke a panic attack.
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) - OCD incorporates anxiety with behavioral components. OCD is characterized by unwanted, uncontrollable thoughts that persistently recur, which are termed obsessions. These obsessions are accompanied by irrational behaviors, which are called compulsions. A person with OCD tries to negate or control his or her obsessive thoughts with compulsive behaviors such as frequent hand washing, turning lights on and off, repeating a specific word a certain number of times, ordering, organizing and so on. OCD often occurs along with other forms of anxiety disorders, especially generalized anxiety and panic disorder.
• Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - Is an anxiety disorder that is caused by a traumatic event in a person’s life, such as witnessing a terrible accident, natural disaster, abuse or war. A person with PTSD frequently re-experiences the traumatic event, which induces fear and anxiety. This can lead to avoidance of situations, panic attacks, general uneasiness, depression and withdrawal from activities and people.
• Social phobia - Social phobia is characterized by an irrational fear of social situations and interactions with other people. Usually, a person with social phobia is disproportionately afraid of how he or she will act in the company of others. Those with social phobia suffer from a fear of embarrassing or humiliating themselves, rather than a fear of other people causing them harm.
• Specific phobia - A person with specific phobia might be terrified of a spider, a dog or a bird, or may be frightened by heights, water or the dark. Although many people are uneasy about specific objects or become nervous around other people, true phobias are debilitating to the point of affecting a person’s quality of life and ability to perform daily activities.

Kim Seelbrede is a psychotherapist, EMDR therapist and integrative therapist with a private practice in New York City. In her Manhattan therapy practice, Kim has experience addressing the following concerns: relationships, marital difficulties, divorce, parenting, career, professional performance enhancement, anxiety, panic disorder, OCD, depression, loss/grief, adolescent psychotherapy, underachievement, perfectionism, identity issues, LGBT, body image, eating disorders, addiction, substance abuse, sexuality, PTSD, trauma, stress reduction, transitions, life purpose, health concerns, women’s issues, therapy for men, pain management and wellness. Kim Seelbrede has advanced training in EMDR therapy and Brainspotting and uses it with clients who prefer to work in this way, or when she feels it is a technique that will be helpful for the client. Clients include CEOS, senior executives, entrepreneurs, financial analysts, performers and creative individuals with a focus on helping them identify and remove barriers to success and happiness. Kim Seelbrede offers adjunctive EMDR, meditation and yoga therapy to medical and mental health professionals in New York City. To learn more about her psychotherapy approach, visit her therapy website at www.kimseelbrede.com call 646.248.9196 or email.

Kim holds a master’s degree in social work from New York University (MSW) and received advanced post-graduate training inpsychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)  from New York University. Kim uses an eclectic approach which draws from attachment theory, object relations theory, self-psychology, ego-psychology, family systems, CBT, crisis counseling and solution-focused therapy with her clients as needed. Kim has pursued advanced education in the fields of psychology, wellness and complementary health care for nearly 10 years.  Kim draws from extensive education and life experiences including training from the Urban Zen Integrative Therapist Program (UZIT) during which she completed clinical rotations working directly with cancer and surgical patients at Hope Lodge and at Beth Israel Medical Center and has studied nutritional theories from leading experts in the field. Kim Seelbrede is an integrative healthcare blogger for the Urban Zen Foundation.

In her separate integrative therapy practice Kim Seelbrede works with healthy clients as well as clients facing and managing health challenges. Kim collaborates with health care providers and can provide support with the following techniques:  gentle yoga movement, restorative yoga poses, stress reduction, breath awareness (pranayama), controlled breathing techniques, guided imagery, meditation, nutrition, essential oil treatment (aromatherapy), Reiki, life coaching and contemplative care. All of these unique integrative therapy modalities provide a gentle and balanced approach to the following concerns:  pain, anxiety, nausea, insomnia, digestive issues, fatigue and serious chronic illness. Please email or call Kim 646.248.9196 with questions or to arrange a consultation in her Manhattan office. For more information about her holistic integrative therapy practice visit her at www.nyintegrativetherapy.com  follow Kim Seelbrede’s psychology, yoga and health-related tweets on Twitter or friend her onFacebook.

Kim Seelbrede offers adjunctive EMDR, meditation and yoga therapy to medical and mental health professionals in New York City.