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Anxiety

Anxiety: Beneath the Surface

Anxiety is one of the most common reasons people come to therapy, and yet it can feel incredibly personal and isolating. In psychoanalytic thinking, anxiety isn’t just a symptom; it’s a signal. It’s the mind’s way of saying, “Something inside needs attention.”

Freud believed anxiety arises when different parts of our inner world pull in opposite directions (Freud, 1926/1959). The instinctual part of us wants one thing, the moral part wants another, and the part trying to keep us functioning in everyday life gets caught in the middle. Even if you don’t use Freud’s language, most people recognise that feeling of being torn.

From a counselling perspective, this is where things get interesting because anxiety often points toward something meaningful, something worth exploring.

Three Kinds of Anxiety (and Why They Matter)

Freud described three types of anxiety:

• Reality anxiety: the kind that shows up when something genuinely threatening is happening

• Neurotic anxiety: the fear that our impulses or emotions might overwhelm us

• Moral anxiety: the guilt or shame that comes from feeling we’ve broken our own rules

Even though they feel similar in the body- tight chest, racing thoughts, dread they come from different places. Modern neuroscience backs this up: different parts of the brain activate depending on whether the threat is external, emotional, or moral (LeDoux, 2015; Porges, 2011).

In therapy, part of the work is gently teasing apart which kind of anxiety is showing up, and why.

How We Cope: Defence Mechanisms

When anxiety becomes too much, the mind steps in with what Freud called defence mechanisms — unconscious strategies that protect us from emotional overwhelm. These might look like avoiding certain conversations, minimising feelings, over-explaining, or disconnecting from our bodies altogether.

Defences aren’t “bad.” They’re creative solutions we developed when we didn’t have better options. But over time, they can keep us stuck. Therapy helps you notice these patterns with compassion, not judgement, and slowly build new ways of responding (Cramer, 2015).

Jung’s View: The Parts of Us That Clash

Jung agreed that anxiety comes from inner conflict, but he described it through archetypes. For example:

• The Persona — the version of ourselves we show the world

• The Shadow — the parts we hide, fear, or feel ashamed of

When these two collide — when who we think we “should” be clashes with who we actually are — anxiety often follows (Jung, 1933).

This framing can be incredibly validating for clients who feel they’re living two lives: the one others expect, and the one they long for.

In Everyday Life of Therapy.

People might struggle with panic attacks linked to work and relationships. Together, we can explore their internal world using both Freud’s and Jung’s ideas.

Through a biopsychosocial lens, they may begin to see:

• the id as their basic needs and impulses

• the superego as internalised expectations from parents, teachers, and doctors

• the ego as the part trying to keep the peace

From a Jungian angle, their Persona — the high-achieving, generally capable self - is maybe in conflict with their Shadow, which could hold fear, anger, or unmet needs.

As we talk, the conflict can become clearer. Their anxiety is no longer random; it has meaning. It is a message.

Over time, they can become less defensive, more open, and more at ease with vulnerability: personal growth is possible.

What Modern Psychology Adds

While Freud and Jung gave us the language of the unconscious, contemporary research deepens the picture:

• Anxiety often comes from implicit emotional memory stored in the body (Schore, 2019)

• Trauma can leave “somatic imprints” that trigger anxiety without conscious memory (van der Kolk, 2014)

• Early attachment patterns shape how we regulate fear and stress throughout life (Fonagy et al., 2002)

• The nervous system’s threat responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) operate automatically, outside conscious control (Porges, 2011)

All of this reinforces a simple truth: anxiety isn’t a personal failure. It’s a human response.

If You’re Struggling With Anxiety

You don’t have to navigate this alone. Anxiety often softens when it’s explored gently, with someone who can help you make sense of what’s happening beneath the surface.

If you’re noticing patterns that feel confusing, overwhelming, or out of proportion, therapy can offer a safe place to slow down, understand what’s driving them, and find new ways forward.

If you’d like support in exploring your own experience of anxiety, you’re welcome to reach out. Together, we can make sense of what’s happening inside and help you move toward a calmer, more grounded way of being