Individual therapy
Anxiety therapy in Ho Chi Minh City
Therapy for adults who feel overwhelmed and stuck with worry, panic or fear. In English or Norwegian, in person in Ho Chi Minh City or online.
What it is
What is anxiety therapy?
Anxiety therapy helps when worry, panic or fear has started to shape your days. Together we work out what sets the anxiety off, how it shows up in your body, and how to stop it running your life. Sessions are 50 minutes and 90 USD, in English or Norwegian, at Saigon Pearl, Binh Thanh, or online.
Recognising it
When anxiety takes over
Anxiety is a normal part of being alive. It becomes a problem when it stays switched on, or when keeping it down starts to cost you more than it gives. You might recognise yourself here:
- Worry that won’t switch off. Your mind keeps running through what could go wrong, at work, at home and at 3 a.m.
- Panic attacks. A racing heart, a tight chest, feeling you can’t breathe or are about to lose control, sometimes out of nowhere.
- Social anxiety. Dreading being judged, at work or with people you don’t know well, and replaying conversations afterwards.
- Health anxiety. Worrying that every symptom means something serious, and checking or searching to calm down.
- A body that stays on edge. Tension, stomach trouble, headaches, poor sleep.
- Life getting smaller. Avoiding people, places or decisions because of how they make you feel.
- Anxiety about your past as much as your future, or feeling overwhelmed and stuck.
You don’t need to fit neatly into one of these. Many people come with anxiety mixed with grief, a big life change, or the strain of building a life in a new country.
How it works
How anxiety shows up, and what keeps it going
Anxiety moves between your thoughts and your body. It often starts with a thought that predicts the worst: “What if I lose control?”, “They’ll see I can’t cope.” The body reacts as if that were already true. People feel it in different places. For some it is tension in the muscles: clenched hands, tight shoulders, sighing. For others it goes to the stomach and gut, or brings on headaches. For others the mind goes blank or foggy. Then the body’s alarm feels like proof that something is wrong, which sets off more anxious thoughts, and the circle tightens.
Anxiety keeps itself going. Avoiding the situation, checking, or asking for reassurance brings quick relief. But because the fear never gets tested, it comes back stronger next time.
Anxiety is a circle of thoughts, body and habits, and you can learn to see it. Therapy works with all three.
The work
How therapy for anxiety works
Understanding what causes it
We look at when your anxiety shows up, what sets it off, and what it may be trying to protect you from. Often it makes more sense than it feels like, once we see where it comes from in your life.
Learning to manage it
You learn ways to calm your body when anxiety rises. You also learn to step back from anxious thoughts, so you don’t have to argue with them or obey them. Instead of fighting the feeling, you make room for it, and it tends to lose its grip.
Getting your life back
We get clear on what matters to you: the people, work and plans that anxiety has been pushing aside. Then you take small, steady steps towards them, even when anxiety comes along.
The aim is not a life without anxiety. It is anxiety that no longer runs your life.
Along the way
What to expect
- Sessions are usually weekly and last 50 minutes.
- How long it takes depends on how long the anxiety has been there and what lies underneath it. Ask me at the end of a first session and I will give you an honest estimate, then revise it with you as we go.
- Between sessions, you may notice your anxiety more for a while. That is usually a sign you are paying attention to it, not that things are getting worse.
Practical details
Formats and fee
Sessions are in English or Norwegian.
Questions
Questions people ask
No. Many people come without one, and some aren’t sure whether what they feel “counts” as anxiety. We start with what is happening for you, not with a label.
Yes. We can meet online by secure video, or in person at Saigon Pearl, Binh Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City. Sessions are 50 minutes and cost 90 USD either way.
It varies. Anxiety that started recently often needs less time than anxiety that has been there for years. Sessions are usually weekly. At the end of a first session I will give you an honest estimate, and we revise it together as we go.
They often overlap, and both can leave you tense, tired and unable to switch off. Burnout usually grows out of long-term pressure, often at work, and eases as the pressure and recovery change. Anxiety tends to follow you into calm periods too. You don’t need to sort this out before you come. We can work it out together.
You can start with a free 15-minute call, to ask questions and see whether working together feels right. The first sessions are about understanding what brought you, when the anxiety shows up, and what you hope for. You don’t have to explain everything at once.
Ready to talk?
A free 15-minute call is a simple way to see whether this is the right fit for you.
Schedule a consultation