Anxiety Is Only Part of the Story

I specialize in treating emotional disorders, and anxiety is often just one part of the emotional story. Many people come to therapy because they feel overwhelmed, confused by their emotions, or unsure why their reactions feel so intense. What you are experiencing might get called anxiety, or depression, or stress, or emotional overwhelm, but the truth is that these labels only capture a small piece of what you have been carrying.

My work focuses on the emotional patterns underneath the label. The worry that spirals. The emotions that feel too big or too fast. The moments of shutting down or pulling away. The overthinking that loops until you are exhausted. The heaviness that lingers without a clear reason. The self-criticism that feels impossible to turn off. Anxiety is part of this picture, but it is not the whole thing, and you do not need to fit yourself into one word to get support.

When Emotions Feel Unpredictable Or Out of Control

You might be here because something has been happening inside you that you cannot fully explain. One moment you feel fine, and the next you are overwhelmed, tense, or completely shut down. Your thoughts may race, or they may suddenly go blank. Your body reacts before you even realize what is happening.

And underneath all of this, there is a constant worry about how you are coming across to other people. You find yourself replaying conversations, analyzing expressions, or assuming you said the wrong thing. Even when no one is judging you, it can feel like you are constantly preparing for criticism or disappointment. It is exhausting to live this way, and even harder when part of you believes you should be able to handle it better.

Emotional Overwhelm Doesn’t Fit In A Single Category

Emotional overwhelm does not fit neatly into one label. It might look like anxiety one day, sadness the next, or something you cannot even name. No matter what you call it, it can feel incredibly heavy and hard to manage.

You may have moments when emotions hit suddenly and intensely. You might find yourself shutting down or pulling away without fully understanding why. Maybe you get stuck in your head, replaying conversations, imagining worst case scenarios, or searching for reassurance. Or maybe you have the opposite experience, where everything goes flat and numb, and you feel disconnected from yourself altogether.

You are not broken for having these reactions. You are human, and your emotional system has been trying to make sense of something that has felt confusing, overwhelming, or too much to handle alone.

You Don’t Need The Right Label To Get Support

Most clients I work with come in saying some version of, “I don’t know what this is, but something feels off.” You don’t need a perfect diagnosis to start therapy. You just need the awareness that what you’re feeling has become difficult to manage and the willingness to explore your emotional patterns in a compassionate, structured way.

I use a research supported, transdiagnostic approach called the Unified Protocol that focuses on the emotional processes that cut across many types of struggles. In simple, human terms, it helps you understand your emotions more clearly, tolerate them more effectively, and respond to them in ways that create more freedom and less suffering.

Therapy is about slowing down, noticing what is happening inside, understanding reactions that once felt confusing, and beginning to respond to your emotions with curiosity rather than fear.