Understanding Anxiety from an ISTDP Perspective

Anxiety is more than a problem to be gotten rid of—it’s a signal from within. Anxiety as the body’s way of alerting us to buried emotional truths that we’ve been unable or afraid to face.

Here’s how ISTDP understands and works with anxiety:

• Anxiety is a physiological response to emotional conflict.
  It's what happens when our true feelings (like anger, grief, or love) are blocked by internal defenses.

• Avoiding emotions fuels anxiety.
  The more we avoid painful or complex feelings, the more anxiety builds in the body—often showing up as muscle tension, GI issues, racing thoughts, or even panic attacks.

• Defenses cause suffering.
  We develop psychological defenses to protect ourselves from overwhelming emotion, especially in childhood. Over time, these defenses become automatic—but they often create more pain than protection.

• Anxiety is a doorway, not a dead end.
  Instead of suppressing anxiety, ISTDP uses it as a guide to uncover what the body is trying to express but the mind has been blocking.

• Healing happens by facing what was once intolerable.
  With the right support, you can build the capacity to feel previously avoided emotions and release the anxiety bound up in avoiding them.

• Change is not just insight—it’s felt experience.
  In ISTDP, healing occurs through real-time emotional breakthroughs, not just intellectual understanding. These moments reduce anxiety and restore vitality.