Anxiety Disorders
What are Anxiety Disorders?
Anxiety disorders are a group of conditions that involve persistent and often overwhelming feelings of worry, fear, or unease. While anxiety is a natural response to stress, it can become difficult when it feels constant, intense, or hard to control.
For some people, anxiety shows up as ongoing worry about everyday situations. For others, it may involve sudden panic, specific fears, or concerns about health and physical symptoms. These experiences can affect how you think, feel, and function day to day.
Anxiety can also impact the body, leading to symptoms such as restlessness, tension, racing thoughts, or difficulty concentrating. Over time, this can become exhausting and affect confidence, relationships, and quality of life.
The aim of therapy is to help you understand your anxiety, reduce its intensity, and develop ways of responding that feel more manageable and supportive.
How anxiety can show up
Anxiety can present in different ways depending on the individual and the type of difficulty you are experiencing.
Generalised anxiety often involves persistent worry that feels difficult to switch off, even when there is no clear reason.
Panic can involve sudden and intense episodes of fear, often with physical symptoms such as a racing heart, dizziness, or shortness of breath.
Phobias are focused fears linked to specific situations or objects, which can lead to avoidance.
Health anxiety involves ongoing concern about physical symptoms and the possibility of illness, even when reassurance is given.
What causes anxiety disorders
Anxiety can develop for a number of reasons, often involving a combination of factors rather than a single cause.
Life experiences, including stress, uncertainty, or past events, can contribute to how anxiety develops and is maintained.
Patterns of thinking, such as anticipating the worst or overestimating risk, can also play a role.
Physical responses in the body, including heightened alertness or sensitivity to stress, can reinforce anxious feelings.
Understanding these factors can help make sense of why anxiety feels the way it does.
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Anxiety Disorders
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Anxiety Disorders
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Client feedback
Here’s what our clients say about their journey—from first steps to lasting change.
‘’I consulted Shireen when I was overwhelmed with trauma that went back many years. I didn’t know what to expect with both CBT and EMDR. Shireen made me very comfortable with her, there is a certain warmth in her that helped me open up with much ease. She worked through all the years of my trauma very slowly, systematically whilst explaining the process to keep me informed.
Her work had miraculous effects on my emotional stability. Each session helped me instantly recover from parts of my negative experiences and cognition. Her therapy gave me a completely new outlook towards life and moving forward. I feel very positive, confident and happier to take on life’s challenges for better.’’
“With over 15 years of therapy behind me with lots of different therapists, Shireen has been the one to make a difference and have a positive impact on my life.
She has a gentle and empathetic approach, listening intently to you, whilst at the same time equipping you with the tools and confidence needed to tackle difficult situations.
Combining EMDR and CBT therapy with Shireen has been revolutionary to allow me to heal and move forward from past traumas and create new ways of approaching people and situations going forward.”
Prior to seeing Shireen, I was very skeptical about therapy as I’ve not had much past success. Due to having ASD and ADHD, I always felt previous therapists never truly understood me. However, my sessions with Shireen have completely changed my perspective. I reached out to Shireen regarding trauma and PTSD and needed intense therapy.
I was recommended EMDR. Within 8 sessions, I’ve come out of this a completely changed man. Shireen’s professionalism, empathy, patience, cooperatism, amazing listening and understanding skills; clear explanations and safe environment allowed me to be more open minded and gave me the confidence to be able to put my trust in her to work through my trauma and mental health, which has left me in a much better place mentally and emotionally. She was fully invested in me and took the time to truly listen and understand how I was feeling, which allowed us to work together to find the correct solutions.
Her EMDR sessions were intense, however, because I grew to trust her in the sessions leading up, she gave me the confidence to power through a lot of these sessions and my emotions, no matter how hard it was for me emotionally. She has been an absolute star and words cannot thank her enough for the time and effort she has put in to get me into a better place. I cannot recommend her enough, 11/10.
‘’Working with Shireen has been a truly transformative experience. She created a safe space where I feel heard and understood. Her empathy, insight and gentle guidance have helped me gain clarity, build healthier coping strategies and feel more confident in navigating life’s challenges. I deeply appreciate her professionalism, patience and genuine care for my well-being.’’
‘’Shireen took the time to truly understand me, my life, and exactly what I wanted to get out of therapy. When I first started seeing Shireen, I was going through a new relationship, and she helped me navigate it without repeating patterns I might have fallen into in the past. Later, we did several sessions of EMDR therapy, which have already made a huge difference in my way of thinking. In our final session, we were able to conclude my therapy in a thoughtful way, and I was given practical tools to take forward with me.
I wanted a therapist who wasn’t afraid to tell me the truth and keep me honest during times when I was being unreasonable, and Shireen did exactly that. Thank you, Shireen!’’
‘‘DR. Shireen helped me overcome agoraphobia-related anxiety and panic during a particularly challenging period of my life.
What I valued most was that she didn’t just listen, she provided practical CBT strategies and targeted exercises that gave me the tools to manage my anxiety, regain confidence, and better understand myself. Through her support, I developed greater self-awareness and continued to grow both personally and emotionally.
I am incredibly grateful for her help and would highly recommend her to anyone seeking a skilled, caring, and effective therapist.’’
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