Arnold Bloch

For many years I have treated people with various levels and manifestations of anxiety. Anxiety is generally thought of to be part biochemical and part situational/learned. I would add that situational anxiety often has a strong cultural element. Our culture indoctrinates people very early to think of themselves as not being worth much until they have proven themselves to be so. The typical markers for success are wealth, recognition, status and even fame. Every day advertising signals to the human brain that who we are and what we have is not enough. No wonder anxiety is one of the most rapidly increasing disorders in the U.S.A.

It is possible, though not easy, to achieve a greater level of freedom from chronic anxiety by actively working against the cultural indoctrination I am speaking of. Books such as Eckhart Tolle’s, the Power of Now and Lao Tzu’s, Tao Te Ching, help us to reconsider the pressures we take upon ourselves. Through increased consciousness one can adopt a daily practice towards increasing freedom from anxiety by distancing oneself from the opinions of others; seeing oneself increasingly through ones own eyes than through the eyes of others. As the Tao Te Ching says: “Concern yourself with the opinions of others and you will be their prisoner.” Anxiety then can be seen as a type of over-accommodation to the pathological demands of our society and the opinions of others.

If you choose to work with me I will help you develop a more nurturing and self-accepting relationship with yourself, essential to anxiety reduction. In time you will discover that you are able to work towards the things that matter to you but without all the self-punishment and judgement that erode ones well-being. You will learn to be more patient with yourself and others as you slowly but surely improve your life.