Expat Psychologist

Anxiety disorders

Anxiety treatment at Expat Psychologist 

How to recognize anxiety problems?

Everyone is afraid sometimes. That’s a good thing, because fear warns people of imminent danger. However, you can also feel anxious when fear has nothing to do with a response to your surrounding. For example, you dare not to leave your house without checking six times if the gas is switched off or you perspire in the company of others. There is a chance that you will start to avoid such ordinary situations, because you associate them with fear. The avoidance will determine your life but not reduce anxiety. When the excessive fear is almost always present and hinders daily functioning, you may have an anxiety problem.

Possible symptoms of anxiety problems

  • you suffer from headaches or abdominal pain
  • you have trouble falling asleep or sleeping through
  • you have difficulty concentrating
  • you are concerned, irritable and nervous
  • you are afraid to die
  • you suffer from recurrent persistent thoughts (obsessive thoughts)
  • your daily routine is disrupted by actions that you perform because of anxiety (compulsions)

Possible physical symptoms during an anxiety- or panic attack

  • you suffer from palpitations
  • you have pain or discomfort in the chest
  • you gasp for breath and have a choking sensation
  • you are breathing rapidly and panting (hyperventilating)
  • you are dizzy
  • you sweat, you are shaking, blushing or trembling
  • you suffer from nausea or diarrhea
  • you experience tingling in your limbs
  • your world seems unreal, like watching a movie

Common anxiety problems

  • afraid to leave familiar surroundings; agoraphobia
  • afraid of rooms from which escape is difficult; claustrophobia
  • afraid of being criticized, fear of failure or fear of public speaking
  • fear of heights, fear of contamination, fear of flying
  • phobia of spiders, injections, lightning or dentist
  • afraid of diseases, illness fears

Treatment of Anxiety Problems at Expatriate Psychologist 

Fears can often be treated well. If you have anxiety problems I treat you with the aim to reduce or eliminate your fears. Because I strongly work from intuition, I am able to determine quickly, during the first session, which factors contributed to the onset of your symptoms with clear instructions for improvement. You learn to relax, to recognize and control your fears and to deal with problematic situations in a different way.

More information about the treatment of anxiety problems and other complaints at practice Expatriate Psychologist Bernadette van Wouw can be found under treatment.

Treatments at location Den Bosch and Zeist.