What brings you back to therapy today, Blue America?<\/p>\n
Intense anxiety, you say. The conflict in the outside world is impacting your inner world? Is it hard to sleep?<\/p>\n
We are feeling the strain here in Santa Cruz, too. Sure, we can walk along West Cliff Drive, surf or go for a swim to clear our heads, and I would definitely recommend you do that while you are visiting us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But, I understand. These days, sand and salt may not be enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to shake the worry that our friends and neighbors may soon get swept up in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids<\/a>. Or that universities \u2013 including UC Santa Cruz \u2013 may lose more research funding, that Medicaid<\/a>, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/a>, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will get cut and that we won\u2019t have a Department of Education.\u00a0<\/p>\n I am glad you came to talk. I know our lovely Santa Cruz has been a haven for you, and I can give you off-the-beaten-path ways to relieve your tension while you are here. But first, let\u2019s talk about your anxiety.\u00a0<\/p>\n Your anxiety is important. It points to strong feelings about what you love and what you hate. Let\u2019s talk about the feelings, because identifying them will help you feel better.<\/p>\n Yes, I remember that you dislike emotions. I know your childhood history and the influence that the age of reason had on your development. I know rational thought is important to you.<\/p>\n What are you feeling now? Anger? That is usually the easiest one to access. Let\u2019s start with that.<\/p>\n You are describing anger and listing grievances, but try to feel it in your body. I know it is hard, but what do you imagine all that repressed anger is doing to your body?<\/p>\n What did you say? Oh, you think the feeling is rage? That makes sense. The betrayal is enormous. Promises, especially to the working and middle class, feel eroded. Many \u2013 except maybe the few very wealthy \u2013 are feeling betrayed by all the destruction. Many things you care deeply about like human rights, medical research and health care are being cut in order to give billionaires a tax break. Get in touch with your anger. Own it.\u00a0<\/p>\n I often tell my clients to do something physical like bicycling or dancing to help move the energy of those emotions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Santa Cruz has lots of options for that. Get a mountain bike and ride around Wilder Ranch State Park. The Tannery <\/a>has a load of fun, drop-in classes. I particularly recommend the 5Rhythms free form dance class on Monday nights. It\u2019s a type of dance therapy and a good place to dance out some rage to a beat. A teacher friend told me that \u201c5Rhythms is not a freestyle dance, it is a dance that sets you free.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n What is the matter? You look distressed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oh, you are worried that feeling things will make you emotional and irrational like many in the MAGA movement. Wow, no wonder you dislike feeling your anger.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a therapist, I\u2019ve been watching MAGA aggression with interest. Much is also disowned anger. It is disowned and projected onto people who are perceived as different. The disowned feelings also make people easy to manipulate, too. When you disown feelings, you can\u2019t think straight.<\/p>\n We all have ugly feelings. Smashing them down or projecting them onto others is unnatural. It makes us lose our instincts and ability to imagine new possibilities. And, it can make us cruel, as we have seen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Yes. I do think a lack of instincts and numbness has allowed us as a nation to get to this anxious place. We have been asleep while many people in America were suffering. But this is how change happens.<\/p>\n What are you feeling now?<\/p>\n Shame and hopelessness. Be careful, you could go into a collapse, which is not helpful. Stick with the anger a little longer.<\/p>\n Do you want some Kleenex? Tell me what the tears are trying to say.<\/p>\n You are afraid of climate change? The terrible Texas floods, the fire season. I hear you.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tears are a good sign. I see, your instincts are coming back to life. It is natural to love nature. It is instinctual to protect the young and the vulnerable and to respect life.<\/p>\n Getting in touch with your anger\/rage and other feelings will help the anxiety. Yet, you will also need a container to hold them. Religion, spirituality, therapy, close friends and nature can give you a container to process and address your strong feelings.\u00a0<\/p>\n Do you like meditation? Insight Santa Cruz<\/a>, located near Trader Joe\u2019s downtown, has a very skillful lead teacher, Dawn Neal. Most sessions are pay-if-you-want and open to all, without registration, so you can just drop in. They have sits on Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. that include a dharma talk and group discussions. I\u2019ve attended and can vouch for the quality. The Buddhists are no strangers to violence. Thich Nhat Hanh, the peace activist from Vietnam, wrote many books describing why people need time to recharge, think clearly and then act in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n Creativity can help take the edge off of anxiety because it activates a different part of the brain. Santa Cruz has always been a mecca for artists. If you can, come back this fall during Open Studios<\/a> and see more than 300 artists sharing their work. There are two wonderful printmaking spaces, Little Giant Collective<\/a> downtown and The Print Gallery<\/a>, and a high-tech maker space<\/a> in the Old Wrigley Building<\/a> on the Westside that might inspire you.<\/p>\n My favorite is The Fabrica<\/a>, which is a maker space for fabric artists on Pacific Avenue, next to the Bike Church. I send many of my college-age clients there and they often find good community and connection, along with a project. The volunteers will help you with whatever you are working on. There are sewing machines and donated fabric to work with. And there is a great courtyard so you can work on a project while sitting in the sun. Watsonville\u2019s Arte del Corazon<\/a> also has unique offerings worth checking out.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/urlhttp3A2F2Flookout-local-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com2Fc82F492F1b3f6ee74626958c480bf066b8082Fi97a52.jpeg\")
Santa Cruz\u2019s Tannery Arts Center is a therapeutic spot for many. Credit: Kevin Painchaud \/ Lookout Santa Cruz<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Lisa-Herendeen.jpg\")
Lisa Herendeen is a Santa Cruz therapist. Credit: Lisa Herendeen<\/p>\n