Rachele Judd Thompson, LCSW, TCTSY-F, SEP
Somatic Therapy
for Anxiety
Do people in your life ask, "Where did you just go?"
And you think, "Where didn't I just go in my mind?"
In the last couple of minutes, maybe you traveled down 25 different scenarios assessing future possibilities and past errors to strategize what you could do better or how to solve problems that don't exist right now but could potentially arise.
Or, perhaps, you don’t know where you went. Sometimes, your super thinking brain might go blank for a while.
Some folks might call you a worrier or an anxious person. I like to think of this pattern as Super Thinking which evolved for a reason.
This pattern may have showed up at an earlier age because you needed support to manage stress, life challenges, emotions, insecurity, instability, overwhelming circumstances, other people’s emotions, persistent cultural stressors, environmental stress, or chronic stressors in your home. We could also inherit these patterns from our caregivers and the generations before us.
Our culture often rewards and celebrates folks for super thinking habits by valuing perfectionism, overworking, not rocking the boat, doing it all on your own, and overachieving. This can be quite confusing during younger ages and stages because the pattern that is being celebrated or rewarded is also causing internal suffering.
Fortunately, there are other resources that can restore balance to your mind, truly alleviate stress in your body, and establish balance with yourself and with others.
As you likely know, this pattern comes with a cost. Sometimes, super thinkers can feel lonely, neglected, overwhelmed, isolated, burdened, chronically stressed, burnt out, taken advantage of, misunderstood by others, guilty about prioritizing their needs, and fearful of speaking up.
Additionally, long term Chronic Stress can lead to systemic issues within the body. This could include:
- GI Issues
- Blood Pressure Issues
- Heart Disease
- Skin Issues
- Sleep Disturbance
- Body Pain
- Migraines
- Weakened Immune System
- Autoimmune Disease
Oftentimes, there is also a pull towards substance, food, technology, obsessions with health, sex or other compulsive behavioral patterns in an attempt to alleviate the impacts of chronic stress.
Through a somatic approach, we interrupt your default pattern of super thinking and utilize resources that truly offer relief to you and your system.
When we are stuck in compulsive thought patterns of over-analysis / worrying / thought looping, thoughts offer the illusion of relief but never truly deliver.
In session, we co-create new pathways of thinking and experiencing while outside of session you will utilize personalized practices to cement the changes you are seeking.
You may have gained insight into triggers and cognitive patterns, but insight has not fully supported freedom from these burdensome thoughts. A somatic approach may be the next step to help you embody the change you seek with your mind and your day to day life. If you are new to therapy, we will explore psychoeducation and gather insight into your triggers if that is a useful part of your change process.
I enjoy helping folks restore their relationship with their minds, so analyzing and strategizing can truly benefit themselves and others. When this happens, Super Thinking can become your personal Superpower.