Anxiety Counselling in Singapore

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Some people describe anxiety as a sudden tightening in the chest—the world closing in until there’s barely room to breathe.
Others live with it as a constant hum, a background vibration they’ve learned to function through but never fully escape.

For some, anxiety arrives as thoughts that won’t stop: circling the same fears, reviewing the same possibilities, exhausting the mind.
For others, it shows up in the body—sleepless nights, eczema flares, stomach knots, an immune system that collapses under the slightest stress.

When someone tells me they’re anxious, I don’t assume I know what they mean.
I ask them to describe it.
Because the experience matters.

For many, anxiety comes as a wave of panic: the heart racing, breath tight and fast, a sudden sense of losing control.
The world narrows to one overwhelming sensation:

“Something's not right" or "I need to get out of here.”

Even when you know rationally you’re safe, your body reacts as if danger is imminent.

For others, anxiety lives primarily in the mind—spiralling thoughts, relentless worry, rumination, compulsive checking.
The mind becomes a tireless companion, always preparing for the worst.

Some experience anxiety as a subtle dread: a sense that something terrible is about to happen, that others are judging them, that they can’t relax.
The world feels unpredictable, unsafe.

The body keeps score:

• insomnia
• skin flares
• digestive issues
• weakened immunity 
• tension that never resolves 

Even when we ignore our distress, our bodies don’t.

Most of us find ways to manage anxiety long before we name it.

We scroll late into the night, letting the endless feed numb the thoughts.
We work compulsively—staying late, filling every spare moment—because stillness feels dangerous.
We exercise until exhaustion.
We turn to alcohol, cannabis, or medication to finally feel quiet inside.

These aren’t failures of character.
They are attempts at self-regulation—strategies that work just well enough to delay the deeper work.

If I’m honest, most people come to therapy because of anxiety-related symptoms.
They may not use the word anxiety.
They say they’re stressed, overwhelmed, stuck, unable to sleep.

But underneath, anxiety is often the figure trying to emerge.

• Depression can be the exhaustion of long-term anxiety.
• OCD uses ritual to manage terror.
• What we label as ADHD may include a chronically activated nervous system.
• Character patterns often develop around unprocessed fear and hypervigilance.
   

This isn’t reducing everything to anxiety.
It’s recognising that anxiety is often the signal that guides us toward what needs attention.

There is no single protocol in my practice.
Gestalt therapy is relational, experiential, and field-based.
We work with you, not a diagnosis.

Most people move through recognisable phases—though not always in this order.

Many people live with anxiety for so long that they stop noticing it until it overwhelms them.
Therapy begins with awareness: sensing the small shifts in the body, the patterns in thinking, the early signs of escalation.

Awareness itself can be regulating.

Anxiety is rarely alone.
Shame, guilt, frustration, and self-judgment often sit beside it.

We learn to distinguish these emotions, understand their messages, and soften the internal pressure to “just get over it.”

Psychoeducation supports this—not as advice, but as context that helps you make sense of yourself.

Gestalt therapy involves experimenting with new ways of being:

• speaking a boundary you’ve been afraid to set
• allowing anger that has been suppressed
• sitting with discomfort long enough to learn it won’t shatter you
   

This isn’t theoretical work.
It’s embodied, experiential, and relational.

Understanding fight–flight–freeze responses, practicing grounding techniques, and learning to identify activation states can offer powerful stability early in therapy.

Anxiety often has roots in experiences that were never fully processed.
As therapy deepens, we may work with trauma directly.
EMDR can be transformative when appropriate.

Some anxiety isn’t only personal—it’s relational, familial, intergenerational.
This is where constellation work can open insights that talk therapy alone cannot reach.

People often ask when they will feel better.

You might feel some relief after the first session: being heard is regulating in itself.
But anxiety counselling is not a quick fix.

The aim isn’t to eliminate anxiety.
It’s to help anxiety move from the foreground of your life to the background.

Most clients begin with weekly or biweekly sessions.
As things stabilise, sessions become less frequent—monthly check-ins, or as needed when life intensifies.

Therapy is not only treatment.
It is a process, a relationship, a place to return to when life becomes overwhelming again.

Over time, you develop a responsive relationship with your anxiety rather than a reactive one.

The goal isn’t to never feel anxious again.
It’s to:

• feel more at ease in your own body
• sleep better 
• support your immune system
• stay present with people you love
• respond rather than react
• feel more grounded in yourself
   

Healthy relationships require this kind of presence—not the absence of anxiety, but the capacity to stay engaged even when it arises.

You’re not broken.
The work is helping you return to yourself, again and again, even when anxiety tries to pull you away.

If you’re curious about what anxiety counselling might offer you, or if you’re ready to begin,
you can reach me at psychotherapist.sg.