Understanding Anxiety: More Than Just Worry
Anxiety isn't just feeling worried or stressed—it's a state where your nervous system is stuck in overdrive, constantly scanning for threats and unable to truly rest. You might know logically that you're safe, but your body doesn't believe it.
Generalized Anxiety (GAD)
Persistent worry about many different things—work, relationships, health, finances. Your mind jumps from one concern to another, and it's hard to "just relax" even when there's nothing specifically wrong.
Panic Attacks
Sudden, intense surges of fear with physical symptoms—racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness, feeling like you're losing control or dying. Panic attacks can come out of nowhere, and the fear of having another one can become its own source of anxiety.
Social Anxiety
Intense fear of being judged, embarrassed, or rejected in social situations. This goes beyond normal nervousness—it can make everyday interactions feel overwhelming and lead to avoiding social situations entirely.
Performance Anxiety
Fear related to performing, speaking publicly, or being evaluated. This can show up at work, in creative pursuits, or in intimate relationships. The anxiety itself can interfere with your ability to perform well, creating a frustrating cycle.
Trauma-Based Anxiety
Anxiety rooted in past traumatic experiences. Your nervous system learned to stay on high alert to protect you, and now it's having trouble turning off that alarm system even when you're safe.
If you experience racing thoughts, physical tension, difficulty sleeping, irritability, avoiding situations due to anxiety, or feeling constantly on edge, Brainspotting can help calm your nervous system at its source.
Why Talk Therapy Often Falls Short for Anxiety
Cognitive approaches to anxiety—like challenging anxious thoughts or using breathing techniques—can be helpful. But for many people, they're not enough. Here's why:
Anxiety Lives in Your Nervous System
Anxiety isn't just in your mind—it's a physiological state. Your amygdala (the brain's alarm system) and your autonomic nervous system are driving the experience. When you're anxious, your body is in fight-flight mode, releasing stress hormones and preparing for danger.
You can't think your way out of a nervous system state. This is why "just calm down" or "don't worry about it" doesn't work—your body is responding to perceived threats, not logic.
Cognitive Approaches Miss the Body
Traditional talk therapy works primarily with the cortex—the thinking part of your brain. But anxiety activation happens in the subcortical regions—the deeper, more primitive parts that process threat and safety. This is why you can understand rationally that you're safe while still feeling terrified.
You Need Bottom-Up Processing
"Top-down" approaches (thought-based) have limits. "Bottom-up" approaches start with the body and nervous system, working from the ground up to create lasting change.
Brainspotting is a bottom-up approach. It accesses the subcortical brain where anxiety is generated and helps your nervous system recalibrate to a state of safety and calm.
How Brainspotting Calms Anxiety
Brainspotting helps anxiety by directly accessing and regulating your nervous system—teaching your body to return to a state of calm and safety.
Accessing Anxiety Activation
First, we identify where anxiety lives in your body. Maybe it's tightness in your chest, a knot in your stomach, or tension in your shoulders. This somatic awareness gives us an entry point to where anxiety is actually stored.
Finding Your Brainspot
We use your field of vision to locate the eye position that activates your anxiety most strongly. This "brainspot" is a direct neurological pathway to the subcortical regions processing your anxiety.
Regulating Your Nervous System
By holding your gaze on the brainspot while tuning into your body's sensations, your brain begins to process and release the anxiety activation. Often we use bilateral sound to support this processing—gentle alternating tones that help your brain integrate and calm.
Finding Calm at Depth
As the activation decreases, your nervous system naturally settles into a calmer state. This isn't about forcing yourself to relax—it's about allowing your body to find its way back to genuine calm.
Over multiple sessions, your nervous system builds a new baseline. The constant hum of anxiety quiets. Your body learns that it can be safe, and that relaxation is possible.
Somatic Relief
Many clients describe physical relief during Brainspotting—the tension releasing from their body, their breath deepening, a sense of spaciousness they haven't felt in years. This isn't just mental relief—it's your whole system coming back into balance.
Anxiety in the Bay Area: A Perfect Storm
Living in Oakland and the Bay Area can be inherently anxiety-provoking. The high cost of living, housing insecurity, traffic, noise, and the fast-paced culture create constant low-level stress that can accumulate into chronic anxiety.
Tech Industry Burnout
Many Bay Area residents work in high-pressure tech environments with long hours, unrealistic expectations, and constant change. This can lead to burnout, imposter syndrome, and persistent anxiety about job security or performance.
High-Achiever Anxiety
The Bay Area attracts ambitious, driven people—and that drive often comes with perfectionism and self-criticism. You might appear successful on the outside while struggling with intense internal anxiety about not being "enough."
Cost of Living Stress
Financial anxiety is real here. Even with a good income, the astronomical cost of housing, childcare, and living expenses can create constant worry about making ends meet or ever being able to buy a home.
A Different Approach
In a culture that values productivity and "powering through," Brainspotting offers permission to slow down and actually heal your nervous system—not just manage symptoms, but address the root cause of your anxiety.
What Relief from Anxiety Looks Like
Session Examples
In early sessions, you might notice your anxiety level dropping from an 8/10 to a 4/10 within a single session. Your breath deepens. Your shoulders relax. The racing thoughts slow down.
Over time, the baseline shifts. What used to trigger intense anxiety now causes mild discomfort. You find yourself sleeping better, feeling more present, and able to handle stress without spiraling.
Timeline
Many clients notice improvements within 3-5 sessions. Panic attacks may decrease in frequency and intensity. Generalized anxiety starts to feel more manageable. By 10-15 sessions, most clients report significant, lasting relief.
This isn't about eliminating all anxiety forever—that's not realistic or even desirable. It's about bringing your anxiety down to a level where it informs you without controlling you.
Next Steps
If you're ready to address anxiety at its source—in your nervous system, not just your thoughts—Brainspotting can help you find genuine, lasting relief.
Ready to Find Relief from Anxiety?
Schedule your free 15-minute consultation to learn how Brainspotting can calm your nervous system and bring lasting relief.
Serving Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, and throughout the Bay Area • In-person and telehealth available