Panic Disorder, OCD, & Specific Phobias

PANIC DISORDER

Your body isn't betraying you. Its alarm system is just stuck on high.

If you've ever had a panic attack, you know how convincing it feels: racing heart, tight chest, dizziness, the certainty that something is terribly wrong. Over time, the fear of the next attack can become its own trap, shrinking your world as you avoid places, activities, or sensations that might set one off. I have additional training in treating panic disorder, and I help clients understand what's happening in their nervous system so those sensations feel less like a threat and more like something they can ride out.

I combine EMDR with CBT-based tools to work on panic from two directions. EMDR helps your brain reprocess the earlier experiences and stored distress that keep the alarm sensitized, and CBT builds practical skills for managing symptoms in the moment. Whether your panic is recent or something you've lived with for years, we'll work at a pace that feels safe and build toward getting your life back.

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER

You are not your intrusive thoughts, and you don't have to fight them alone.

OCD can be exhausting and isolating, especially when the thoughts feel shameful or the compulsions take up hours of your day. It's also widely misunderstood. It goes far beyond handwashing and tidiness, and it often shows up as intrusive thoughts, mental rituals, reassurance-seeking, or a constant need for certainty. OCD is one of my clinical specializations, and I bring additional training in treating it in a way that is compassionate, nonjudgmental, and free of shame.

My work draws on CBT-based approaches, including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), alongside EMDR. EMDR can help reprocess the earlier experiences and fears that fuel the cycle, and your treatment plan can include both approaches depending on what fits you best. Many of my clients are neurodivergent or have co-occurring anxiety or trauma, and I tailor the work to your whole picture rather than treating OCD in isolation.

SPECIFIC PHOBIAS

Fear that makes sense to your body but not to your brain can change.

Specific phobias, such as flying, driving, medical procedures, needles, heights, animals, or vomiting, can quietly run your life. You may know the fear is out of proportion and still feel powerless against it, and the avoidance that keeps you "safe" often makes the fear stronger. I have additional training in treating phobias, and I'll never push you to confront something before you're ready.

EMDR is well suited to phobias because it works with the way your brain stored the fear in the first place, whether that was a single frightening moment or a pattern built up over time. By reprocessing those memories and the sensations tied to them, many clients find the fear loosens its grip. I pair this with CBT & ERP strategies for facing feared situations step by step. Together we'll build a plan that gets you back to the things you've been avoiding.