A physical sensation appears — a flutter in the chest, shortness of breath, a stomach ache — and suddenly your mind races ahead to worst‑case conclusions. You’re scanning your body constantly, Googling symptoms, or avoiding things that could trigger sensations altogether. Even when medical tests come back normal, the fear doesn’t always quiet.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not broken — you may have health anxiety.
What Health Anxiety Really Is
At its core, health anxiety isn’t about being dramatic or overly fearful. It’s about a nervous system that has learned to associate bodily sensations with danger. Often this pattern develops after:
- A medical scare or illness
- A period of intense stress or burnout
- Panic attacks or prolonged anxiety
- Trauma, loss, or chronic uncertainty
Once the body learns this association, perfectly normal sensations can feel threatening. The brain’s job is to protect you, but in health anxiety, it becomes overprotective, misinterpreting signals and keeping you in a loop of fear and reassurance‑seeking.
My Own Experience With Health Anxiety
I’ve experienced periods where my attention felt glued to my body, where sensations felt louder and more alarming than they used to. Even with knowledge and insight, my nervous system still needed time to recalibrate. What helped most wasn’t trying to “think my way out of it,” but learning how to relate differently to my body and fears about my health.
That experience deeply shapes how I work as a therapist. I know how real the fear feels. I know how frustrating it can be when reassurance doesn’t stick. And I know that healing doesn’t come from forcing anxiety away — it comes from creating safety within yourself again.
How Therapy Helps Health Anxiety
Therapy for health anxiety isn’t about convincing you that nothing is wrong or dismissing your concerns. Instead, it focuses on helping your nervous system relearn safety.
In our work together, we may explore:
- How your anxiety cycle operates — understanding what fuels it and what unintentionally keeps it going
- Your relationship with bodily sensations — learning to notice without catastrophizing or bracing
- Reassurance and checking behaviors — gently reducing reliance on them without increasing fear
- Underlying stress, trauma, or life patterns that may be keeping your system on edge
- Tools for nervous system regulation that actually work for your body
Rather than chasing certainty, therapy helps you build tolerance for uncertainty — and trust in your ability to handle discomfort without spiraling.
A Compassionate, Collaborative Approach
My approach is collaborative and grounded. Healing health anxiety is often gradual, and that’s okay.
We move at a pace that feels supportive, focusing on:
- Safety instead of pressure
- Curiosity instead of judgment
- Resilience instead of avoidance
Over time, clients often notice that sensations lose their charge, anxiety takes up less mental space, and life starts to feel fuller again — not because the body is perfect, but because fear no longer runs the show.
If you’re tired of living on high alert and ready to feel more at home in your body again, I’d be honored to support you. Contact me here for more information.
Empower Mental Wellness 