Anxiety therapy
When Anxiety Shows Up in Your Body, Talk Therapy Isn’t Always Enough
Online somatic therapy for anxiety in Florida and Illinois
Bringing the Body Into Anxiety Therapy
You may be looking for anxiety therapy that brings the body into the work because you’re ready for something different from what you’ve tried so far. You may understand yourself well and have ways of coping that genuinely help, but anxiety can still take over quickly.
Your chest tightens. Your stomach drops. Your thoughts race. You might feel restless, overwhelmed by uncertainty, or find yourself avoiding things you wish felt easier.
Somatic anxiety therapy includes these physical responses alongside your thoughts and emotions. We can talk about what's happening in your life and explore the patterns that have shaped you, while also slowing down to notice and work with what's happening in your body in real time.
This can help shift some of the automatic responses that keep anxiety going, giving you more capacity to handle what comes up and more freedom in how you live your life.
Meet Amy Hagerstrom, LCSW, SEP
Hi, I'm Amy Hagerstrom, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner specializing in anxiety therapy for adults. My approach draws on advanced training in Somatic Experiencing, the Safe and Sound Protocol, and the Rest and Restore Protocol.
My own experience also shaped the way I work. Understanding what was happening intellectually was helpful, but I began to notice a different kind of change when I started paying attention to what was happening in my body too.
I bring that perspective into my work with clients. I’m interested in understanding what anxiety is doing, what may be underneath it, and how your thoughts, emotions, body, and earlier experiences connect. I tend to be active and engaged in sessions, while also paying close attention to pacing and what feels workable for you.
How We Work Together
Sessions begin with whatever feels most important that day. You might come in wanting to talk about a difficult conversation, a stressful week, a relationship, or something that has been bringing up more anxiety.
As we talk, I’m paying attention to patterns and how your thoughts, emotions, and body are responding. At times, we may slow down and bring more attention to what you’re noticing in your body, such as tension, a change in your breathing, an urge to move, or another physical response.
From there, we get curious about what your body might need or what may be wanting to happen. Sometimes that means finding more grounding or physical support so you can stay present with feelings that are coming up. Other times, we might follow an impulse to move, push against something, squeeze your hands, or allow another physical response that helps the anxiety begin to shift.
The somatic work is woven into the conversation and emotional processing. As we explore what is happening in your life, earlier experiences and deeper patterns may also begin to make sense in a new way, while we continue paying attention to how they are showing up in your body now.
And there’s room for levity and laughter along the way. Even when we’re working with difficult things, therapy doesn’t have to feel heavy all the time.
My Mind-Body Approach to Anxiety therapy
Somatic Experiencing: The foundation of my work, helping us work with how anxiety shows up in the body and the responses that can keep you tense, overwhelmed, or bracing for what might happen.
A developmental lens: My background helps me understand how earlier experiences can continue to shape anxiety, relationships, and responses to stress and uncertainty.
When appropriate, I may also integrate the Safe and Sound Protocol or Rest and Restore Protocol.
Looking Beyond the Symptoms
Anxiety isn’t always just about what’s happening today. The way you respond to stress, uncertainty, relationships, or feeling out of control may also be shaped by earlier experiences.
You don’t have to know exactly where your anxiety comes from or search for a particular memory. As we work with what is happening in your life now, earlier experiences and patterns often begin to make sense in new ways.
You may notice this in things like:
Feeling tense or unable to relax even when things are going well
Becoming overwhelmed more quickly than you would like
Worrying about things you know you can’t control
Feeling especially activated by conflict, uncertainty, or other people’s reactions
Holding yourself back because something feels too risky or overwhelming
As these patterns become clearer, we can work with both what shaped them and how they show up in your mind and body now.
What Begins to Shift When Anxiety Softens
As we work together, you may begin noticing changes in how anxiety shows up and how quickly it takes over. You might catch yourself pausing before reacting, recover more quickly after stress, or find that situations that once felt overwhelming become more manageable.
But the changes aren't always limited to feeling less anxious. As you develop more capacity to stay present with uncertainty, discomfort, and strong emotions, you may begin approaching parts of life differently too. Decisions that once felt too overwhelming may feel possible. You may speak up more freely, take meaningful risks, pursue things you want, or find yourself more willing to step into situations you might once have avoided.
This can create room for your life to become bigger. Not because anxiety disappears, but because it has less influence over what you believe you can handle and what you allow yourself to pursue.
Many people also notice greater steadiness in relationships, more confidence in their ability to navigate challenges, and a growing sense that they can meet what comes without organizing their lives around avoiding discomfort.
Online Anxiety Therapy in Florida and Illinois
I offer somatic therapy primarily, working with clients throughout Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach. Meeting virtually allows us to do this work from the comfort and privacy of your own space.
I am also licensed in Illinois and work with clients online in Chicago and across the state.
Anxiety therapy FAQs
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From a nervous-system perspective, anxiety involves both the mind and body. You might experience racing thoughts or worry alongside muscle tension, changes in breathing, restlessness, a sense of urgency, or difficulty settling.
Your nervous system responds to stress, uncertainty, relationships, and experiences based partly on what it has learned in the past. Sometimes those responses can become more intense or persistent than the present situation calls for.
In therapy, we can work with these responses as they happen, helping you develop greater flexibility and capacity rather than simply trying to make the anxiety go away.
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Talk therapy can include insight, emotional processing, coping strategies, and many other ways of working with anxiety. Somatic therapy brings additional attention to how anxiety is showing up in your body in real time.
Alongside talking about your thoughts, emotions, and experiences, we may slow down to notice tension, changes in breathing, sensations, impulses, or other physical responses. From there, we can work with what your body may need, whether that’s more support or grounding, movement, or another way of responding to what you’re noticing.
Including the body gives us another way to work with anxiety, particularly when insight and the strategies you’ve already learned haven’t been enough to create the change you’re looking for.
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I work with adults experiencing chronic worry, overthinking, panic, social anxiety, physical tension, nervous system overwhelm, and anxiety connected to stress, relationships, uncertainty, or earlier experiences.
Many of the people I work with understand their anxiety well but still find that it takes over in ways that are difficult to change. They may feel tense or overwhelmed, become reactive, shut down, or find themselves holding back from things they want to do.
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Most people notice some shifts within the first few months of weekly therapy. The timeline depends on what brings you to therapy. Some concerns may shift relatively quickly, while more complex or longstanding patterns often unfold over a year or more as deeper change and growth take place.
I work with clients in weekly sessions, since consistency gives us the opportunity to build on what we’re doing from one session to the next.
My work isn’t focused only on reducing anxiety symptoms. We’re also building greater capacity and flexibility so you can respond differently to stress, relationships, and uncertainty, while having more room for growth, new experiences, and the things you want for your life.
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I work with clients online throughout Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach. Somatic therapy can work very well online, and we can still pay close attention to what’s happening in your body as we talk.
I’m also licensed in Illinois and work with clients online throughout the state, including Chicago.
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Sessions are $200 for 55 minutes. I accept credit or debit cards, HSA, and Zelle.
I don’t accept insurance, but I can provide a superbill that you can submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement.
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) and Rest and Restore Protocol (RRP) are additional services with separate pricing.
Anxiety Therapy That Supports Real Change
Anxiety can be exhausting, especially when you understand what's happening but still find yourself caught in the same reactions.
In our work together, we'll make room for both what you're thinking and what your body is doing, while exploring the deeper patterns that may be shaping your anxiety. The work can help you respond with greater steadiness, flexibility, and choice in the parts of life that matter to you.
If this approach resonates with you, a free 10-minute consultation is a chance to connect, talk briefly about what you’re looking for, and see whether working together feels like a good fit.
