Therapy for Anxiety & Overwhelm in Oakland, CA

Somatic therapy to support your nervous system needs.

You Don’t Have to Live in Survival Mode

Maybe your mind never stops. You find yourself overthinking, worrying about things before they happen, replaying conversations, or feeling responsible for everything and everyone around you. Even when life is going relatively well, it can feel like your nervous system never gets the message that you’re safe.

You may feel:

Constantly stretched too thin
Emotionally reactive
Unable to relax
Exhausted an unable to refill your cup
Disconnected from yourself and your relationships
Like your functioning well on the outside while privately feeling overwhelmed, depleted, or on the verge of burnout

Anxiety is exhausting. Life can be overwhelming. You don’t have to bear it alone.

Anxiety Is More Than Racing Thoughts

While insight can be helpful, anxiety is also a felt experience that shows up in the body and nervous system. You may notice anxiety showing up as:

Feeling on edge or a constant sensation of bracing for something
Difficulty getting a deep, full breath in
Trouble sleeping & difficulty relaxing
Perfectionism
Neck and shoulder pain and headaches from constant tension
Digestive issues and trouble connecting with hunger cues and sensations of fullness
People pleasing & difficulty setting boundaries
Irritability or emotional rollercoasters
Feeling disconnected from yourself and sources of joy & pleasure
Burnout and chronic stress

These are not signs that something is wrong with you. Often they are signs that your nervous system has been working hard for a very long time to protect you.

How Somatic Therapy in Oakland, CA Can Help

Somatic therapy recognizes that lasting change happens when we include the body in the healing process. Instead of fighting against your anxiety or force yourself to think differently, we’ll work together to better understand how your anxiety shows up in your nervous system and what it needs in order to feel cared for.

Through greater awareness of your body’s early signals, emotions, and patterns you can begin to:

Feel calmer and more grounded
Reduce chronic overwhelm
Build trust in yourself
Set and honor healthier boundaries
Respond rather than react
Feel more present in your daily life
Reconnect with yourself and your needs

The goal isn’t to eliminate every anxious thought. The goal is to help you feel less controlled by anxiety and more connected to yourself. As a somatic therapist I combine traditional talk therapy with body-based awareness and nervous system support. Let’s use therapeutic tools to help you understand what your anxiety is trying to communicate and create space for new experiences of safety, choice, and self trust.

Therapy can’t remove life’s challenges, but it can help you feel more resourced, grounded, and connected as you navigate them.

Frequently Asked Questions

You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy. If worry, overthinking, tension, perfectionism, people pleasing, or overwhelm are taking up more space in your life than you’d like, therapy can help. You might also simply feel exhausted from holding everything together and want a place where you don’t have to.
Somatic therapy works with both the mind and body. Along with talking about what you’re experiencing, we’ll pay attention to how anxiety shows up physically—through tension, restlessness, shallow breathing, shutting down, or feeling constantly on alert. Over time, this awareness can help you recognize what your nervous system needs and develop new ways of responding to stress.
Yes. Sometimes trying to “think your way out” of anxiety only creates more thinking. Somatic therapy offers another way in by helping you notice what’s happening beneath the thoughts and reconnect with your body. This can make it easier to interrupt cycles of worry and feel more grounded in the present.

Yes, but our work goes beyond simply learning coping skills. We can explore practices that help you feel more grounded in moments of anxiety while also becoming curious about the root cause of your anxiety and what your anxiety is trying to communicate to you. The goal is to build a deeper sense of safety, capacity, and trust in yourself—not to make you responsible for perfectly regulating yourself all the time.
Yes. I offer teletherapy for clients throughout California, allowing you to attend sessions from the privacy and comfort of your own space. Somatic therapy can translate beautifully to virtual sessions because the work centers on developing awareness of your own body, emotions, and internal experience.
You’re not starting over. You may already have insight into why you feel the way you do but still notice that your body reacts as though it’s under threat. Bringing somatic and nervous system work into therapy can offer a different approach—one that builds on what you already know while helping you experience change on a felt level.

How to get started with therapy for anxiety in Oakland, CA

1. Reach out

Fill out the short form on the “contact me” page of this website. Tell me a bit about what brings you to therapy at this time and some good times to reach you. I typically respond within 24-48hrs during business days.

2. Book a consultation call

I’ll confirm a time based on your availability. On this call I can answer questions you may have. We will also discuss fee, availability, and your therapeutic needs to see if working together feels like the right fit.

3. Schedule your session

If you feel ready, we can go ahead and get that first session scheduled on the consultation call. If you need some time, you can email me afterwards to get your first session on the books.