Therapy for Anxiety: Healing with ISTDP
Specialized Therapy for Anxiety in Arlington, VA
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) is a rapid, evidence-based treatment designed to help you release the hidden emotional blocks behind anxiety, depression, and self-criticism.
Understanding Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)
Go Deeper Than Symptom Management
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) is a powerful approach for anyone who has tried behavior therapy, CBT for anxiety, or medication but still feels stuck. ISTDP helps you uncover and process the emotions behind anxiety, stress, and negative thinking, so your symptoms – like panic attacks, avoidance, or physical tension – can naturally reduce over time.
ISTDP is different from traditional psychotherapy because it doesn’t just talk about feelings.
ISTDP will teach you to:
Recognize the ways you block or avoid feelings.
Understand the anxiety signals your body sends.
Access and process emotions that have been stuck for years.
Benefits of ISTDP for Anxiety Disorders
Connect With Your True Emotional Self
People who try ISTDP often describe it as life-changing because it helps them connect to their true emotional selves.
Here are some benefits you may notice:
-
Deeper Emotional Awareness
Understand what you’re truly feeling beneath anxiety or anger.
-
Reduced Anxiety and Physical Tension
Calm the body by addressing what’s really underneath.
-
Improved Relationships
Communicate more honestly and connect authentically.
-
Greater Self-Compassion
Move from self-criticism to understanding.
-
Faster Progress
Many clients make more progress in months of ISTDP than in years of talk therapy.
ISTDP is particularly effective for those experiencing severe anxiety, compulsive disorders, panic disorder, social anxiety, separation anxiety, and other mental disorders where emotions have been suppressed.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED THERAPY FOR ANXIETY?
Recognizing the Symptoms & Finding the Path to ISTDP
Deciding to seek therapy for anxiety is a brave first step. Often, people realize they need support when their "coping mechanisms" no longer feel like they are working. People with anxiety disorders often experience a combination of emotional, cognitive, and physical symptoms that disrupt daily life:
-
Persistent Worry or Fear
Thoughts that spiral and cause stress or avoidance.
-
Panic Attacks
Sudden surges of fear with physical symptoms, like sweating, shaking, or racing heart.
-
Intrusive Thoughts
Unwanted, repetitive thoughts that cause distress.
-
Avoidance
Staying away from situations that trigger anxiety.
-
Physical Tension
Muscle tightness, stomach discomfort, or headaches related to stress and anxiety.
-
Sleep Disturbances
Difficulty falling or staying asleep due to anxiety.
How ISTDP Works
Step-by-Step Emotional Exploration
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) is an active, focused, and collaborative form of therapy. Rather than just talking about your challenges, we pay close attention to what’s happening in the moment, your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations.
Together, we explore how your mind and body react when emotions begin to surface. Many people have learned to push feelings aside to stay safe or in control. Over time, these habits – like overthinking, people-pleasing, or detachment – can create tension, anxiety, and a sense of being stuck.
Through gentle curiosity, we begin to notice how your body signals distress – a tight chest, a racing heart, a knot in the stomach. These sensations point toward emotions waiting to be felt. As awareness grows, you learn to regulate anxiety, face emotions that once felt overwhelming, and connect more deeply with yourself.
ISTDP is structured yet deeply human. Step by step, it helps you slow down, tune in, and discover that your emotions are not threats, but powerful sources of clarity and connection.
The ISTDP Process
Identifying Defenses
We begin by noticing how you protect yourself from discomfort – through pleasing, analyzing, or shutting down. Understanding these defenses reveals what they’re guarding.Understanding Anxiety
We look at how your body responds when emotions arise. You learn to recognize symptoms of anxiety, physical tension, and panic signals. A racing heart or stomach tension often signals that a feeling feels unsafe. Together, we help your body calm so you can stay present.Accessing Core Emotions
Once it feels safe, we approach the emotions beneath anxiety – like anger, grief, or love. Feeling these emotions fully helps you reconnect with your authentic self.Processing and Integrating
As you experience and understand these emotions, old avoidance patterns begin to release. You gain relief, insight, and a stronger sense of inner balance.
Is ISTDP Right for You?
Signs You Might Benefit
ISTDP may be a great fit if you:
Feel “stuck” despite trying other kinds of therapy or treatment options.
Struggle with anxiety, panic, stress, depression, or relationship patterns that repeat.
Avoid conflict, numb out, or overthink when things get emotional.
Want to understand why you feel the way you do, not just manage symptoms.
Even if you’ve tried medication, behavioral interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy, or acceptance and commitment therapy, ISTDP can offer a deeper path to recovery.
FAQs
Answering Your Questions about Anxiety Relief with ISTDP
-
ISTDP has been shown to help with a wide range of types of anxiety disorders. Some of the most common include:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – Persistent worry and tension that interfere with daily life.
Panic Disorder – Sudden, intense episodes of fear or panic attacks, often accompanied by physical symptoms like racing heart, shortness of breath, or stomach discomfort.
Social Anxiety / Social Anxiety Disorder – Fear of judgment, embarrassment, or interacting in social settings.
Separation Anxiety Disorder – Distress when separated from loved ones, common in both children and adults.
Specific Phobias – Irrational fears of objects or situations, like heights, flying, or spiders.
Agoraphobia – Fear of leaving safe spaces or being in crowded places.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – Anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and hypervigilance following trauma.
By understanding the underlying emotions driving these disorders, ISTDP helps clients process them rather than just mask symptoms with medication or surface-level behavioral interventions.
-
While every person is different, many people experience significant progress in a few months. Sessions are often weekly, and the approach is designed to make therapy efficient without rushing emotional work.
-
It can be emotionally focused, yes! But always at a pace that feels safe for you. I will guide the process with care, helping you build emotional capacity gradually.
-
Traditional therapy often explores thoughts and stories about your feelings. ISTDP focuses directly on the experience of emotion, helping you feel and process it in real time.
-
Yes. Because anxiety is felt in the body, ISTDP often helps relieve physical symptoms linked to emotional avoidance.
-
While ISTDP is powerful on its own, combining it with other treatments for anxiety can optimize results:
Medication – Antidepressants or anxiety medication may complement therapy.
CBT for Anxiety – Helps restructure cognitive distortions and negative thinking patterns.
Behavioral Interventions – Exposure exercises for phobias and social anxiety.
Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques – Support emotional regulation and reduce physical tension.
Interpersonal Therapy – Strengthen relationships that contribute to stress and anxiety symptoms.
This combined approach is especially effective for people with anxiety disorders who have not fully responded to standard therapy sessions or medication alone.
-
That’s completely okay. Many people start therapy disconnected from their emotions. ISTDP helps you safely reconnect, step by step.
-
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy for Functional Somatic Disorders: A Scoping Review
The efficacy of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for depression: A meta-analysis update
Short‐term psychodynamic psychotherapies for common mental disorders
Short-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Somatic Disorders
IEDTA (International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association)
Michelle May LPC, LLC – Author of “What I Couldn’t Tell My Therapist”
Have questions about my practice in general? Check out my FAQs page.
Your emotions are trying to reach you. Let’s listen together.
You don’t have to keep fighting your feelings or living with constant tension. ISTDP can help you move past defense and anxiety—and toward clarity, confidence, and peace.
Please reach out for a free consultation with me.
Email: ben@benorlandocounseling.com
Phone: (571) 721-1950