Anxiety and stress can show up in different ways.
You might recognise yourself in one of these conditions that I work with:
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
Social anxiety
High-functioning anxiety
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Phobias
Panic disorder and panic attacks
or maybe just plain old stress!
While these can look quite different on the surface, they often share the same underlying patterns in the brain and body.
The Anxiety Loop
Deep inside your brain is a small structure called the amygdala.
Its job is simple:
keep you safe!
If it perceives a threat, it sounds the alarm. This triggers your body’s stress response - your heart races, you breathe fast, muscles and stomach tighten - you are ready to run!
This is incredibly helpful if you’re in real danger. But in anxiety sufferers, this system can become over-sensitive. It’s a bit like having a smoke alarm that goes off when you make toast.
Your mind and body are bouncing off each other in an ever worsening anxiety spiral. Your amygdala works much faster than your thinking brain, which is why anxiety can feel so out of control.
The Good News - Your Brain Can Change
Anxiety is not a life sentence.
It’s not who you are—it’s a pattern your brain has learnt.
And because it’s learnt… it can be unlearnt.
Your brain is constantly adapting. This ability is called neuroplasticity.
When you calm your body physiologically, retrain your thoughts to rewire neural pathways and resolve the original trauma that started the loop in the first place, you are sending your brain a new message:
“This is safe.”
Over time and with repetition, the “smoke alarm” becomes more accurate again.
How Empower Therapies Can Help
The Switch® programme is a great choice for people struggling with anxiety.
Across four days, in a small, supportive group, you’ll learn how to:
- Understand the mind body connection with anxious thoughts
- Use simple techniques to retrain your brain and your thoughts back to safety
- Release past trauma and limiting beliefs that may still be driving anxiety
- Build habits and lifestyle patterns that support calm and balance
- Rebuild trust in yourself and your ability to handle life
If you don't feel ready for The Switch®...
You can start with our Calmness webinar series (the First Steps webinar is free). It introduces hyper- and hypo- arousal, understanding the different sub-types of anxiety, and gives you simple techniques you can start using straight away.
For some people, this is enough to create meaningful change. For others, it becomes the first step towards doing the full Switch® programme.
How can you help yourself?
- Reconnect with hope - Watching recovery stories or learning that change is possible can, in itself, help calm the stress response and shift your mindset.
- Calm your body regularly - Practices like meditation, slow breathing, gentle movement, or time in nature can help bring your nervous system out of “high alert.”
- Gently redirect your thinking - When you notice yourself getting caught in anxious thoughts, see if you can shift your attention — for example, by focusing on something you’re grateful for or something steady and reassuring in your life. With repetition, this can help your brain form new, calmer patterns.
- Reassure your brain - When you notice yourself worrying, gently remind yourself that you are safe and that the situation is manageable. Over time, this can help your amygdala become less reactive.
Or Contact Us!
If you're feeling overwhelmed and unsure about which course to choose, contact us to discuss your situation. We understand how difficult decision-making is when you're anxious and we are happy to talk through your options with you and help you to choose what is best for you.
Research Insights into Anxiety
Research suggests that brain retraining approaches based on Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) can help reduce anxiety and phobias, often in a relatively short period of time.
Research into neuroplasticity shows that the brain can change in response to new experiences and repeated patterns. Utilising these principles from the research, The Switch® was created to help people rewire neural pathways by changing repetitive thoughts, releasing past trauma and physiologically calming the nervous system.
While more high-quality research is still emerging, the existing evidence — alongside clinical experience — suggests these approaches can be a practical and effective way to support change. There are not yet any RCT trials on The Switch®, however all clients fill in surveys before and after the course, and outcomes are measured for one year. You can view some of our statistics here.
NLP and application in treatment of phobias
(Karunaratne, 2010, Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice)
This paper reviews evidence that Neuro-Linguistic Programming is a successful and time efficient treatment for phobias.
Effect of NLP on Anxiety: Literature Review
(Nompo et al., 2021)
The studies indicate that NLP can help reduce anxiety and can promote changes in a person’s behaviour patterns, self-management and mental health.
Social anxiety and training in NLP
(Konefal & Duncan, 1998)
Participants of a 21 day brain retraining programme showed clear improvements, reporting less fear and less avoidance of social situations both after the training and at follow-up.
