Danielle Enriquez, AMFT

I wonder if you could relate to the following scenario. Have you ever been going throughout your day, and then – what feels out of nowhere – you start to experience an overwhelming wave of anxiety and panic? Do you then start to notice various physical sensations and a stream of thoughts that all result in worst-case scenarios? If you resonated with any of the following, first and foremost, I want you to know that you are not alone. The emotions of fear, anxiety, and panic can elicit a variety of responses – especially for a person of faith. For example, I wonder if you have ever struggled with any iteration of the following thought before – “as a person of faith, I trust in God; why am I noticing these overwhelming feelings?” 

Right now, I want to encourage you to take a deep breath in and a deep breath out. If you are anything like me, reading that previous paragraph probably triggered your autonomic nervous system – aka your nervous system. There is no denying that anxiety-related symptoms can make functioning day to day difficult. However, that does not mean that individuals that struggle with symptoms of anxiety are not able to have fruitful and joyful lives. I am going to fill you in on a secret right now – anxiety protects you! That said, the goal is to not get rid of anxiety; instead, the goal that I have for you is to change the relationship that you have with your anxiety-related symptoms. 

I know that this is probably not ideal to hear, but I want to gently remind you that having a full range of emotional experiences is a good thing! Our emotions attempt to communicate to us that something needs our attention. To help my clients, I utilize a combination of modalities to help you change the relationship that you have with the symptoms that cause impairments in your overall functioning: acceptance, compassion, flexibility, and faith to name a few. Our God is such a good Father, and He does not want you to live in fear. He desires for you to have a life of abundance and peace. Please do not get me wrong, life will be filled with struggles, but – the truth is – it is not about the struggles but how we choose to respond to those struggles.

Henri Nouwen once said, “in our own woundedness, we can become a source of life for others.” Although I am a therapist, I am not immune to having wounds, so I also can attest to the healing that can arise from experiencing my own woundedness and brokenness. 

All of this to say, I hope to be your journey companion during this season of your life.