Anxiety, Stress & Emotional Overwhelm
Find Relief from Inner Pressure So You Can Feel Calmer and More in Control
When Your Mind Won’t Switch Off and Your Body Stays on Alert
You may long for a moment when your mind finally goes quiet. Yet even when nothing urgent is happening, you may feel tense, unsettled, or unable to relax. Your thoughts replay what happened, scan ahead or prepare for what might go wrong.
You may wake at 3am with your thoughts racing, feel a surge of anxiety before a meeting or difficult conversation, or notice your heart pounding and your body shaking when you need to speak.
From the outside, it may look as though you are coping. Inside, holding everything together can leave you mentally and physically exhausted.
Does Any of This Feel Familiar?
Perhaps you:
Wake in the early hours with your mind racing and struggle to settle again.
Replay conversations, analyse what you said and worry that you got something wrong.
Rehearse what to say before meetings or difficult conversations, then freeze or lose your words in the moment.
Hesitate to ask questions or express a different point of view because you fear being judged, exposed or seen as not knowing enough.
Check emails, Slack or Teams long after work because you are afraid of missing something or letting someone down
Move from one worry to the next, while anxiety shows up physically through a racing heart, shaking, sweating, nausea, tightness or the urge to escape.
May keep working, caring for others, and getting things done while privately feeling exhausted by the effort it takes to hold everything together.
I Understand Professional Pressure
I spent more than 20 years working in demanding corporate technology environments, so I understand the pressure to keep performing, stay responsive, and appear in control - even when anxiety builds beneath the surface.
You may keep meeting deadlines and supporting others while your mind races, your sleep suffers, and you check messages long after work, afraid of missing something or getting it wrong. From the outside, it can look like dedication. Inside, it can leave you unable to switch off.
I offer a calm, confidential space where you don't have to perform, explain everything perfectly, or have all the answers. Together, we can understand what may be keeping the anxiety active and work towards a steadier way of feeling and responding.
“More than one in three workers would not feel comfortable telling their manager if they were struggling.”
— Mental Health UK, Burnout Report 2026
Why Anxiety Can Be So Difficult to Switch Off
Anxiety is part of your mind and body’s natural protective response. When something feels threatening, your system prepares you to respond, sometimes before you have consciously understood what feels unsafe.
The threat does not have to be physical. It might be making a mistake, not knowing an answer, disappointing someone, facing conflict or feeling judged. Even when your logical mind knows that you are not in danger, your body may still respond with a racing heart, tightness, shaking, nausea or the urge to escape.
You may then check, rehearse, overprepare, seek reassurance or avoid the situation altogether. These strategies can bring temporary relief, but they may also reinforce the message that the situation was dangerous and that you needed protection. This is one way the anxiety cycle can continue.
The Cycle That Can Keep Anxiety Going
Phase 1.
An uncertain situation or trigger appears.
Phase 2.
Your mind predicts a threat: “What if I get this wrong?”
Phase 3.
Your body reacts as though the threat is already happening.
Phase 4.
You check, rehearse, overprepare, seek reassurance or avoid.
Phase 5.
You feel short-term relief, but your mind learns that it must stay alert.
The cycle makes sense as a form of protection. The difficulty is that it can keep you responding to the present through the expectations of the past.
What Are You Really Afraid Might Happen?
Beneath the worry, you may fear what a mistake, disagreement, or uncertain situation would say about you.
You might fear that:
if you ask a question, people will discover that you are not good enough;
if you make a mistake, you will lose respect or control;
if you disappoint someone, you will be criticised, rejected or abandoned;
if you relax, something will go wrong, and you will be unprepared.
At a deeper level, the message may sound like:
“I am not safe.”
“I cannot trust myself.”
“I have to stay alert.”
“If I get this wrong, something bad will happen.”
You may have become very good at reading the room, anticipating other people’s reactions, avoiding mistakes or making sure you never give anyone a reason to criticise you. Perhaps that began through experiences of criticism, bullying, exclusion or unpredictability, when being careful felt safer than being fully yourself.
If so, it makes sense that part of you may still be on guard. What once helped you cope may now appear as anxiety, overthinking or a constant need to get everything right.
I help you work with your subconscious mind and what is sitting underneath the anxiety - the beliefs, emotions and protective responses that may still be influencing how you feel today. We discover the source of these beliefs, so you can release their hold and ultimately feel calmer, safer and more in control.
Social Anxiety and the Fear of Being Judged
You may feel comfortable with people you know, yet tense in groups, networking situations or around unfamiliar people. Introducing yourself, joining a conversation or simply knowing when to speak can suddenly feel difficult.
While everyone else appears to be chatting naturally, you may become increasingly self-conscious - wondering how you look, whether you are being too quiet and what other people might be thinking of you. You can become so focused on finding the right thing to say that you lose track of the conversation.
From the outside, it can look as though you have gone quiet or zoned out. Inside, you genuinely want to join in, yet you struggle to find the right words or a natural opening quickly enough. By the time you think of something to say, the conversation may have already moved on.
Afterwards, you may replay the interaction, wishing you had contributed more or worrying that others thought you were awkward, boring, or uninterested.
This can feel incredibly frustrating and lonely. You want to connect, contribute and be part of the moment, but anxiety keeps pulling your attention back onto yourself. Over time, you may begin avoiding invitations or stepping back from opportunities, even though you long to feel relaxed, natural and free to be yourself around other people.
Even if this has been part of your life for a long time, it does not have to keep limiting you. With the right support, you can begin to feel more at ease around others, trust what you have to say and join in without analysing every word.
If this affects you most during presentations, meetings or moments when you are visible at work, you may also find my Public Speaking page helpful.
You Are Not Alone
“An estimated 470 million people are living with an anxiety disorder - making anxiety disorders the world’s most common mental disorders.”
— World Health Organization, updated September 2026
A Personalised Approach to Anxiety and Overwhelm
There is no single explanation for anxiety and no single approach that is right for everybody. I begin by understanding your experience: what triggers the anxiety, how it affects your work and life, what you have already tried, and how you would like to feel instead.
Depending on your needs, I may recommend RTT®, hypnotherapy, EMDR or a combination of approaches within a more supported programme. You do not need to know which approach you need before contacting me - we can explore that together during your discovery call.
RTT® and Hypnotherapy
RTT® and hypnotherapy can help you work with the subconscious beliefs, emotional associations and automatic responses that may be contributing to anxiety.
In a focused session, I guide you into a deeply relaxed state in which we can explore relevant experiences and patterns, understand the meaning your mind may have attached to them, such as “I am not safe,” “I have to be alert,” “I cannot cope”, or “I have to get everything right”. We can then work to reduce this emotional hold and develop a calmer, more supportive way based on how you want to feel and act today.
Following an RTT® session, you will receive a personalised hypnotherapy recording to listen to for 21 days, helping you reinforce and integrate the changes made during the session
EMDR Therapy
EMDR may be appropriate when anxiety is connected to particular memories, distressing experiences or present-day triggers that still carry a strong emotional or physical response.
Through a structured process, EMDR supports you in working with what still feels unresolved, aiming to reduce current distress and help the experience feel more like something that happened in the past rather than a threat happening now.
You do not necessarily have to describe every detail of an experience. I work at a pace that respects your readiness, stability and sense of safety.
Focused Support or a More Supported Programme
A single RTT® session may be suitable when there is one clear, focused pattern you would like to address.
When anxiety is woven through several areas—such as confidence, relationships, work, sleep or long-standing beliefs—a more supported series of sessions may be more appropriate. This creates space to work with different layers of the pattern, build on each session and support the changes as they begin to show up in your everyday life.
The number of sessions is shaped less by the label “anxiety” and more by your personal history, how long the pattern has been present, how many areas it affects and the level of support you may need.
During your discovery call, I can recommend whether a focused individual session or a more supported programme will suit you best. There is no pressure to make a decision during the call.
From Worrying to Feeling Calm
“Before my RTT session, I constantly felt anxious in social settings — nervous, overthinking, convinced people were talking about me.”
“I avoided social gatherings and would spend hours worrying if I had to step out the door. But after my session, something changed. I feel calmer and more like myself. Now when I walk into a room, I feel relaxed and at ease, and for the first time in ages, I actually enjoy being around people, and I feel comfortable in my own skin”
- Peter, Demand & Planning Manager
Imagine Feeling Calmer,
Clearer and More in Control
Imagine being able to:
leave work behind at the end of the day without mentally replaying everything;
sleep more peacefully instead of waking with your thoughts racing;
speak in meetings, ask questions and express your point of view without over-rehearsing;
handle uncertainty or last-minute changes without your body moving immediately into alarm;
feel more at ease in social situations and less preoccupied with how you are being perceived;
trust yourself to respond when something unexpected happens;
have more energy for your relationships, interests and life outside your responsibilities.
Anxiety is a natural human response. The aim is not to promise that you will never feel anxious again, but to help it stop dominating your thoughts, decisions and behaviour.
As the underlying patterns begin to lose their hold, you can have more choice in how you respond and more space to be yourself.
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself as I am, then I change.”
— Carl Rogers, psychologist
From Anxious to Feeling Free
Excerpt from a verified Google review.
I went to Nerissa for support with anxiety that had started to take over my life. I had lost a lot of confidence and was waking up most days feeling tense and on edge.
After my RTT session, I experienced a genuine shift. I now feel more relaxed, lighter and at ease within myself. My confidence has grown significantly, and I feel able to trust myself and be authentic.
Nerissa was kind, attentive and deeply invested in my progress. She checked in regularly and followed up after the session, which made a real difference.
Aine, Marketing Executive
Excerpt from a verified Google review.
I came to Nerissa feeling completely overwhelmed, with so many issues that I didn’t even know where to start. I had lived like this for so long that I thought it was just how I would always feel, but I was deeply unhappy.
During our session, we focused on the root of these feelings: a deep sense of not being good enough. I worried about being judged, compared myself to others and felt uncomfortable in my own skin.
After one RTT® session and listening to my personalised recording, I noticed a real shift. I feel much more at ease with myself and better able to manage my thoughts and emotions.
Social situations feel easier, and I’ve even found myself enjoying being around people again.
Nerissa is incredibly genuine and has a unique way of making you feel supported and understood.
Angharad, Marketing Manager
From Overwhelmed to Confident & at Ease
Feeling Clear, Calm & In Control
Before my EMDR session, I would feel extremely nervous introducing myself to business peers and former colleagues. My heart would race, and I constantly worried about making a mistake or saying the wrong thing. It was like my body had a mind of its own.
Now I feel calmer, more confident and more grounded. I can introduce myself without any issues.
Aisha, Sales Manager
Anxiety FAQs
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Yes, RTT® and hypnotherapy can help with anxiety by helping you explore and change beliefs, emotional associations and learned responses that contribute to anxiety. Everyone’s experience is different, but anxiety can help you feel calmer, more relaxed and in control.
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EMDR may be helpful when anxiety is connected to distressing memories, earlier experiences or specific situations that continue to trigger a strong response. It can also be used with certain fears and anticipatory anxiety when there is a clear target to work with.
Suitability depends on your history, current stability and individual needs, which we will discuss before beginning the work.
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RTT® incorporates hypnotherapy and other therapeutic techniques to explore the beliefs and meanings beneath a current problem and support a new response.
EMDR uses a structured process and bilateral stimulation to help you work with distressing memories or triggers that still feel emotionally present. You remain awake and aware throughout both approaches.
I will explain the options clearly and recommend an approach based on your needs rather than expecting you to choose a therapy method yourself.
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This depends on what you want to work on and how connected the anxiety is to other areas of your life.
Most people who see me for anxiety feel calmer after one session, sometimes two; it depends on the person. Long-standing or layered patterns may benefit from The Freedom Path, which offers more time and support.
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RTT® works in the subconscious—accessed through a safe, relaxed, focused state similar to meditation (theta brainwaves). In this state, your mind becomes more open to exploring the root cause of emotional or behavioural issues —not just managing symptoms. Using the principles of neuroplasticity, RTT® helps you rewire limiting neural pathways and install empowering new beliefs. You achieve freedom from what was holding you back and you’re able to move forward with positive momentum.
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While Rapid Transformational Therapy® and hypnosis can be incredibly effective, they’re not the right fit for everyone. RTT is not recommended for those who:
Are currently experiencing severe mental health crises (like active psychosis or severe bipolar episodes)
Have untreated epilepsy or certain neurological conditions
Are unwilling or unable to engage in the process openly and honestly
Expect a quick fix without commitment to the journey of change – listening to the audio for 21 days consistently
If you have any concerns or complex mental health issues, it’s important to speak with a healthcare professional first. RTT® works best when you’re ready to take an active role in healing and growth.
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No. You remain in control of what you share, and I will never ask you to disclose more than feels appropriate. I will need enough information to work responsibly and understand what support may be suitable, but some approaches - particularly EMDR - do not require you to describe every detail of an experience.
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Yes. I work with clients online, as well as in person in Reading, Berkshire. For online sessions, you will need a private space, a reliable internet connection and somewhere you can sit or lie down comfortably without being interrupted.
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Anxiety can be experienced physically, including a racing heart, shaking, sweating, nausea, dizziness or tightness. However, physical symptoms can have many possible causes. If they are new, severe, unexplained or concerning, you should speak to your GP or another qualified healthcare professional.
Therapeutic support may then help you work with anxiety patterns and triggers where it is appropriate to do so.
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They can overlap. Anxiety often involves fear, anticipation and a state of alertness. Emotional overwhelm can feel as though the demands, thoughts or feelings you are carrying have exceeded your capacity to manage them. You do not need to choose the perfect label before asking for help.
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The discovery call is a free 30-minute conversation. You can tell me what you have been experiencing, what you would like to change and what support you have already tried. I will answer your questions, explain how I work and give you an honest view of whether I believe I may be able to help.
There is no therapy during the call and no pressure to book a session. If another type of support would be more appropriate, I will let you know.
You Don’t Have to Keep Managing This Alone
Book a free discovery call to talk through what you are experiencing, ask questions and explore whether RTT®, hypnotherapy or EMDR may be a suitable next step.
Sessions are available online and in Reading, Berkshire.