Anxiety Therapy in Santa Monica: How Trauma-Informed Modalities Can Help
Many of us are feeling quite a bit of anxiety at this moment in time. There are many stressors associated with modern-day living, and our nervous systems can become easily aroused as we attempt to navigate all that is coming at us. Anxiety can also stem from the trauma we’ve experienced. We have all experienced varying levels of trauma, both single event traumas and well as complex trauma.
Franics Weller says - Trauma can arise in our psyches, not so much from an event, but through erosion; the slow wearing away of the sense of trust, security and worth through prolonged exposure to neglect, abandonment or shaming.
This kind of trauma can be called developmental, slow or complex trauma.
Understanding Anxiety from a Trauma-Informed Perspective
Anxiety is more than just excessive worry or stress; it often has deep roots in past experiences, unresolved trauma, and patterns of nervous system dysregulation. Trauma-informed anxiety therapy espouses the perspective that anxiety is not just a cognitive issue but a physiological and emotional one, and therefore incorporates mindfulness and somatic practices that support the release of stored trauma and allow for nervous system unwinding and healing.
To help clients who are dealing with anxiety, I work from a trauma informed perspective utilizing the wisdom of a number of different modalities, including depth psychology, polyvagal theory, as well as Somatic Experiencing and Hakomi.
The Power of Polyvagal Theory in Anxiety Treatment
Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, Polyvagal Theory helps us understand how the autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a critical role in anxiety. The vagus nerve, which runs from the brainstem through the heart, lungs, and digestive tract, regulates our fight-flight-freeze responses.
When someone experiences chronic anxiety, their nervous system may be stuck in sympathetic overdrive (fight-or-flight) or dorsal vagal shutdown (freeze response).
Polyvagal-informed anxiety therapy can help you recognize when your nervous system is dysregulated, and fortify you with tools to shift into a parasympathetic state, so you can achieve feelings of safely
By working with Polyvagal Theory, clients can learn how to feel safer in their bodies, reducing the persistent states of fear and the hypervigilance that come with anxiety.
Somatic Experiencing: Releasing Anxiety Stored in the Body
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-based trauma therapy developed by Dr. Peter Levine. It is designed to help individuals release stored trauma and reset the nervous system. Unlike traditional talk therapy, which focuses on processing thoughts and emotions, SE works directly with the body’s innate ability to heal itself.
SE is particularly effective for those whose anxiety is rooted in past traumatic experiences or chronic stress. Instead of getting stuck in repetitive anxious thought loops, clients learn to connect with their bodies and release stored energy in a gentle, titrated way.
Somatic Experiencing can help clients:
Identify and track bodily sensations associated with anxiety
Complete unprocessed fight-flight-freeze responses
Cultivate body-based resources to self-regulate
Hakomi: Mindfulness-Based Somatic Therapy for Anxiety
Hakomi Therapy is a mindfulness-based, body-centered approach to healing anxiety. Developed by Ron Kurtz, Hakomi combines somatic awareness, mindfulness, and gentle inquiry to help clients uncover unconscious beliefs and patterns that drive anxiety.
Because Hakomi is gentle and non-invasive, it is especially helpful for individuals with high sensitivity or those who feel overwhelmed by traditional cognitive-based approaches. Through this process, clients develop a deeper sense of self-awareness and self-compassion, leading to profound healing.
Hakomi can help clients experiencing anxiety:
Explore how their bodies hold anxiety through posture, tension, and movement
Use mindfulness to observe how certain thoughts and emotions trigger physical responses
Uncover core beliefs that may be reinforcing anxious patterns
Depth Psychology: Addressing the Unconscious Roots of Anxiety
Depth Psychology, rooted in the work of Carl Jung and other psychoanalysts, explores how the unconscious mind shapes our experiences, emotions, and behaviors. Anxiety often has deep-seated roots in unresolved unconscious material, childhood experiences, and archetypal patterns.
By integrating Depth Psychology with somatic and mindfulness-based modalities, therapy becomes a holistic process that not only alleviates symptoms but also leads to deeper self-understanding and transformation.
Depth Psychology helps clients struggling with anxiety, identify unconscious patterns that contribute to chronic worry or fear, work with dreams and imagery to uncover the deeper meaning behind their anxiety, and develop a greater sense of self-awareness and empowerment.
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About Michele LoBosco: Michele is a trauma-informed anxiety therapist based in Santa Monica.
My approach is relational, trauma informed, somatically oriented, and non-judgmental. I offer an open mind and heart, along with evidence-based tools, to help individuals face the human challenges of grief, depression, anxiety, life transitions, isolation, and complex trauma. I hold a master’s degree in clinical psychology with a specialization in Spiritual and Depth Psychology, and have training in a wide variety of modalities including Somatic Experiencing, Hakomi, Internal Family Systems (IFS), mindfulness, and Ecotherapy. The work I do addresses the whole person, weaves somatic and mindfulness-based approaches, and incorporates creative practices that align with each client’s core values. I work from a trauma informed lens and draw from somatic, humanistic, depth and transpersonal models of psychology. In addition to individual psychotherapy services, I also offer process groups and women’s circles.
I currently have openings for in-person clients in my Venice/Santa Monica office, as well as openings for virtual clients throughout California.
