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What is anxiety? Treating Anxiety: A Trauma‑Informed, Integrative, Polyvagal‑Informed Approach

Author: Carmel Therapy Network


Therapy for Anxiety in Indiana


Anxiety is one of the most common reasons people seek therapy.


At Carmel Therapy Network, we specialize in evidence‑based anxiety therapy for adults, teens, and children across Indiana and Michigan. Our approach is trauma‑informed and grounded in polyvagal theory, helping clients understand anxiety not as a flaw, but as a nervous‑system response shaped by life experiences. Anxiety can interfere with work, relationships, sleep, and physical health—but with the right support, it is highly treatable.


What Is Anxiety?

Before we define anxiety, often it can be the mysteriousness or helplessness that makes it feel so difficult to navigate. You might be wracking your brain trying to cognitively or logically think through it! Why does it show up? Why am I feeling anxiety in my body? It feels like my body is out of control!


Anxiety is a natural biological response designed to protect us from danger. That is right! It is suppose to keep us safe. While using Internal Family Systems or IFS therapy we might sometimes refer to anxiety as a protector part - even if it feels like a burden to us! Problems arise when the nervous system becomes stuck in a state of chronic threat, even when danger is no longer present.


Common anxiety symptoms include:

  • Persistent worry or racing thoughts

  • Panic attacks or sudden surges of fear

  • Muscle tension, headaches, or fatigue

  • Digestive distress or nausea

  • Difficulty sleeping or concentrating

  • Avoidance of situations or people

  • Feeling constantly on edge, hyper‑alert, or unsafe


Anxiety is not a sign of weakness. It is often a sign of a nervous system that has learned whether through stress, trauma, or unpredictability to stay on high alert.



Anxiety Through a Polyvagal Lens


Polyvagal theory is foundational to understanding the nervous system. A polyvagal Lens helps explain why anxiety feels so intense and physical. According to this framework, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) constantly scans for cues of safety or threat putting us in a sympathetic stress state. I like to call this energy with nowhere to go! Which can lead to a response.


When the nervous system perceives danger, it may shift into:

  • Fight or flight (anxiety, panic, racing thoughts, restlessness)

  • Freeze or shutdown (numbness, dissociation, exhaustion, withdrawal)


For many people with anxiety, the body remains stuck in sympathetic activation (fight/flight), even during everyday situations. As I mentioned before, this is a lot of 'energy' or activation in our body (preparing for threat). Anxiety treatment, therefore, is not about eliminating symptoms—it is about helping the nervous system regain flexibility, regulation, and a felt sense of safety.



Why Anxiety Develops

Anxiety often develops due to a combination of factors, including:

  • Early life stress or attachment disruptions

  • Trauma or adverse experiences

  • Chronic stress, burnout, or high responsibility roles

  • Health concerns or medical trauma

  • Neurodivergence or sensory sensitivity

  • Learned coping strategies that once helped but are no longer adaptive


From a polyvagal perspective, anxiety reflects a nervous system that adapted for survival. Polyvagal or Nervous system informed therapy helps update those responses in the present.


Our Approach to Anxiety Therapy


Carmel Therapy Network provides individualized anxiety therapy that integrates neuroscience, trauma‑informed care, and evidence‑based practices.


1. Establishing Safety and Regulation

Before deep therapeutic work begins, we focus on building nervous‑system stability. Clients learn skills to support grounding, emotional regulation, and bodily awareness.


2. Understanding Your Unique Anxiety Patterns

We explore how anxiety shows up in your thoughts, emotions, body, and relationships. This understanding reduces shame and increases self‑compassion.


3. Evidence‑Based, Trauma‑Informed Modalities

Depending on your needs, anxiety treatment may include:

  • Inference-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT)

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Somatic and body‑based therapies

  • Trauma‑informed approaches such as EMDR

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) or parts‑based work

  • Mindfulness, DBT and nervous‑system regulation skills

  • Attachment‑focused therapy

Treatment plans are collaborative, paced, and tailored to the individual.


4. Empowerment and Long‑Term Change

Our goal is not short‑term symptom control alone, but long‑term nervous‑system resilience, emotional flexibility, and improved quality of life.


Anxiety and Physical Symptoms

Anxiety frequently presents with physical symptoms because the nervous system directly impacts digestion, sleep, muscle tension, heart rate, and immune function.


Therapy often includes helping clients:

  • Recognize bodily cues without fear

  • Respond to physical sensations with curiosity rather than panic

  • Restore trust in the body’s signals

When appropriate, we may coordinate care with medical providers or integrate nutrition counseling and sleep support.


When to Seek Anxiety Therapy

You may benefit from anxiety therapy if:

  • Worry or fear feels constant or overwhelming

  • You experience panic attacks or avoidance behaviors

  • Anxiety is impacting work, relationships, or parenting

  • You feel exhausted from managing symptoms alone

  • You want a deeper, trauma‑informed approach rather than coping strategies alone

You do not need to be in crisis to seek therapy. Early support can prevent anxiety from becoming more entrenched.


What Healing From Anxiety Looks Like

Healing does not mean never feeling anxious again. Instead, clients often experience:

  • Improved nervous‑system regulation

  • Increased emotional flexibility

  • Greater confidence in handling stress

  • Reduced avoidance and panic

  • A more compassionate relationship with themselves


Anxiety Therapy at Carmel Therapy Network

Our therapists specialize in treating:

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder

  • Panic Disorder

  • Social Anxiety

  • Trauma‑related anxiety and PTSD

  • Health anxiety

  • Anxiety related to life transitions, parenting, or chronic stress

We offer both in‑person anxiety therapy and telehealth therapy throughout Indiana and Michigan.


If anxiety has been running your life, help is available. Contact Carmel Therapy Network today to schedule a consultation and begin anxiety therapy rooted in safety, science, and compassion.


 
 
 

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