Anxiety Counselling Kelowna
Anxiety overestimates the threat and underestimates our ability to manage it.
Let’s Change That
How EMDR Can Treat Anxiety
If you’ve been stuck in cycles of overthinking, tension, or panic — even when nothing is “wrong” — you’re not alone.
Anxiety can feel like your nervous system is constantly scanning for danger, even when you're safe.
While traditional therapies often focus on coping strategies (like breathing techniques or reframing thoughts), EMDR gets to the root cause of anxiety — the unprocessed experiences and beliefs that keep your system on high alert.
Through Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, we work with your brain and body to:
Identify when and where your anxiety pattern began
Reprocess the fear, shame, or helplessness that got stuck there
Release it from the nervous system using gentle, guided bilateral stimulation
Create new beliefs like “I am safe,” “I can trust myself,” and “This feeling will pass”
EMDR helps you feel different, not just think differently.
Signs Anxiety Might Be Trauma-Related
Anxiety is often mislabeled as “just stress,” but many symptoms are the result of unresolved trauma responses. You might be dealing with trauma-linked anxiety if you:
React strongly to small triggers or feedback
Can’t relax, even when you’re tired or safe
Experience chronic digestive issues, muscle tension, or sleep problems
Feel constantly “on edge,” but can’t explain why
Struggle with perfectionism or fear of failure
Avoid situations that feel overwhelming, even if they seem normal to others
These are survival patterns — not personality flaws.
EMDR helps unwind them gently and restore a sense of safety in your body.
What To Expect in Anxiety Counselling
In sessions, we’ll start by building safety and nervous system tools before doing any processing. That might include:
Learning grounding and resourcing techniques
Exploring where anxiety shows up in your body
Identifying key memories or themes that keep your system activated
When you’re ready, we’ll move into EMDR reprocessing — always at a pace that feels manageable. There’s no pressure to “go deep” until you feel fully supported.
This is trauma-informed anxiety counselling — rooted in safety, respect, and collaboration.
Why Choose Heart Centered EMDR in Kelowna?
Ashlea Lawrenson is a Kelowna-based EMDR therapist with over a decade of experience supporting clients through anxiety, trauma, and emotional overwhelm. Her approach blends EMDR, somatic awareness, and deep compassion — offering you a space where nothing is “too much.”
Sessions are available both in-person at her calming Tutt Street office or virtually from anywhere in BC.
You're Not “Too Sensitive.” You're Wired to Survive.
If you’ve tried coping tools, meditation, or even therapy and still feel anxious — it’s not a failure. Your system may just need something different.
EMDR therapy for anxiety helps you feel safer in your body, trust your reactions, and show up in life without fear driving your choices.
