Anxiety, Panic & Phobias
Therapy for Anxiety, Panic and Phobias
Anxiety can make everyday situations feel much harder than they appear from the outside.
You may find yourself worrying about what might happen, avoiding certain situations or experiencing sudden physical reactions that feel difficult to control. A particular fear or phobia may also begin to shape where you go, what you do or what you feel able to face. I am Genovieve Feasey, a therapist working with adults across Buckinghamshire and Kent. Depending on your needs, my approach may include EMDR, hypnotherapy, CBT and other integrative therapeutic work. We begin with what is affecting you now.
Professional Accreditations & Practice Standards
BACP Registered
CNHC Registered
2,000+
Fully Insured
What Anxiety Can Feel Like
You may recognise some of these experiences
Anxiety does not feel the same for everyone. You may notice:
- Thoughts that are difficult to switch off
- Worry about what could go wrong
- Feeling tense or on edge
- Difficulty relaxing
- Avoiding certain places or situations
- Feeling highly aware of physical sensations
- Trouble concentrating
- Repeatedly seeking reassurance
- Feeling uncomfortable with uncertainty
- Fear that anxiety itself will become overwhelming
- Difficulty doing things you used to manage more easily
You do not need to experience all of these, and these experiences can have different causes. Therapy begins by understanding your individual situation rather than assuming one explanation.
What Can Panic Feel Like?
Sometimes anxiety arrives very suddenly
Some people experience episodes of intense fear or distress that appear to come on quickly. You may notice physical sensations such as:
- A racing or pounding heart
- Changes in breathing
- Feeling hot or cold
- Shaking
- Tightness
- Dizziness or light-headedness
- Feeling disconnected
- A strong urge to leave
- Fear that something is seriously wrong
Medical advice
If you are experiencing new, unexplained or concerning physical symptoms, appropriate medical advice may also be important. Therapy does not replace medical assessment.
What About Phobias?
A particular fear can begin to restrict everyday life
A phobia can involve an intense fear connected with a particular situation, object or experience. You may find yourself:
- Avoiding the feared situation
- Planning around it
- Feeling anxious before it happens
- Thinking about it long in advance
- Relying on another person for reassurance
- Leaving situations quickly
- Feeling frustrated because part of you knows the reaction feels disproportionate
The goal of therapy is not to shame you into “just facing it”. We first understand what happens for you and what approach may be appropriate.
Do I Need an Anxiety Diagnosis?
No
You do not need a diagnosis before contacting me. You may already have spoken with a GP or another professional, or you may simply know that anxiety, panic or fear is interfering with your life. We can begin with questions such as:
- What happens?
- When does it happen?
- What situations feel difficult?
- What do you avoid?
- What helps?
- What would you like to be different?
This website cannot diagnose an anxiety disorder, panic disorder or phobia.
What May Be Happening?
Fear can affect thoughts, emotions, behaviour and the body
When something feels threatening, people can experience changes in attention, thinking, emotion and physical response. Sometimes the threat is clear. At other times, you may understand logically that you are safe while your response still feels powerful.
Avoidance can also become part of the pattern. Avoiding something may bring short-term relief, while the fear continues to influence future choices. Therapy can help us understand your particular pattern without treating it as a personal failure.
Anxiety can develop for many reasons. Past experiences may be relevant for some people. For others, anxiety may be connected with current stress, learned patterns, particular fears or other circumstances. I do not assume that every anxious response is caused by trauma. We explore what appears relevant to you.
How Therapy May Help
There is no single approach for everyone
My work is integrative. Depending on what you are experiencing, therapy may involve:
- Understanding triggers
- Recognising patterns
- Exploring thoughts and beliefs
- Noticing physical responses
- Developing ways to manage distress
- Working with relevant memories
- Exploring avoidance
- Building confidence around difficult situations
- Understanding what keeps a fear going
Different therapeutic approaches may be used at different stages.
Approaches I May Use
You do not need to choose between them before contacting me
EMDR for anxiety
For some people, anxiety or fear may be connected with experiences or memories that still carry a strong emotional response. Where appropriate, EMDR may form part of the therapy. Assessment and preparation may come first.
Hypnotherapy
May be considered for some people experiencing anxiety, fears or phobias. The work is adapted to the individual rather than presented as a quick fix, and you remain able to communicate and make choices throughout.
CBT
Helps explore what you predict will happen, what you notice in your body, how you interpret those sensations, what you do to feel safer and what you avoid.
Somatic work
Anxiety is often experienced through the body as well as through thoughts. Somatic psychotherapy may bring attention to tension, restlessness and changes in breathing.
Do We Start EMDR Straight Away?
Not necessarily
Before any direct processing work, we may explore what you are experiencing, what triggers the anxiety, relevant experiences, how you respond when anxiety rises, what helps you settle, your current circumstances, your goals and whether EMDR appears appropriate. You remain involved in decisions about the pace.
Will Hypnotherapy Remove a Phobia Quickly?
No fixed result or timeframe should be promised
People respond differently. The nature of the fear, how long it has been present, other experiences and the wider circumstances can all matter. I do not promise:
- A cure
- A one-session result
- A guaranteed outcome
- A fixed number of sessions
- A success percentage
We review the work according to your individual response. Hypnotherapy does not mean losing control or being made to do something against your wishes.
You Decide the Pace
Therapy should not feel like being pushed into the thing you fear
There may be parts of the work that feel challenging. That does not mean you lose control over the process. You can say:
- “Can we slow down?”
- “I do not want to do that today.”
- “I need a break.”
- “That feels too much.”
- “I do not understand.”
- “Can you explain why we are doing this?”
You do not have to arrive at your first session and immediately confront the situation you fear most. Where therapy involves approaching feared situations or experiences, the process will be discussed with you rather than imposed on you.
Anxiety and What Came Before
Sometimes fear is connected with something that happened earlier
After difficult experiences
You may notice that anxiety became stronger after a frightening experience, loss, a difficult relationship, a period of prolonged stress or another experience that changed how safe certain situations feel. If earlier experiences appear relevant, trauma-focused work may form part of therapy.
Around other people
You may experience anxiety around rejection, conflict, being judged, disappointing people, speaking up, setting boundaries, being left or getting close to someone. Where appropriate, therapy can also explore relationship patterns and earlier experiences connected with those fears.
Fear of another panic episode
After a frightening episode, you may begin watching closely for signs that it could happen again, then avoid places where you worry you would feel trapped, embarrassed or unable to get help. Therapy can explore that cycle and what currently keeps it going.
Fees
Anxiety, EMDR and hypnotherapy fees
Trauma / EMDR Psychotherapy
£100 per session
Hypnotherapy
£100 per session
Low-Income Therapy Place
£75 per session
Please ask when you enquire if you would like to know whether this may apply.
Not ready to speak with a therapist yet?
You may prefer to begin with something small. I have created a short Grounding Guide with practical ideas you can explore at your own pace. You do not need to book therapy to receive it. It is not therapy, a diagnosis or emergency support.
Where I Work
Anxiety therapy in Buckinghamshire, Kent and online
I work with clients across Buckinghamshire and Kent, and online.
Buckinghamshire
Sessions around High Wycombe, Marlow, Bourne End, Stokenchurch, Lane End and Cressex.
Online
Confidential video sessions from the comfort of your own home.
Genovieve Feasey • BACP, EMDR, CNHC
About Genovieve
Anxiety and trauma therapy with Genovieve Feasey
I am Genovieve Feasey. My work focuses particularly on trauma and EMDR therapy for adults, alongside approaches including hypnotherapy, CBT, somatic psychotherapy and counselling. I have completed more than 2,000 clinical client hours.
I am fully insured.
Common Questions
Anxiety, panic & phobia FAQs
If You Would Like to Talk
You do not need to know which therapy you need.
You may be interested in EMDR. You may be considering hypnotherapy. Or you may simply know that anxiety or fear is making everyday life harder. We can begin with what you are experiencing and discuss the options from there. You do not need to explain everything during the first conversation.