Oliver Drakeford Therapy

07/21/2025

Most anxiety advice treats anxiety like it's just one emotional process.

Give me a few minutes and I'll show you it’s really a two‑layer stack:

PREMOs – the vivid, catastrophic movie your mind plays before anything even happens.

Uncertainty Arousal – the restless buzz that lingers when you still don’t know how the story ends and your Need for Predictability is sky‑high.

If you’ve ever told yourself, “I know it’s unlikely, but I’m still on edge,” this is why. Watch to see how spotting both layers can turn endless reassurance‑seeking and planning into real relief—and get a preview of the therapy approach I use here in L.A.

07/17/2025

That exhausting feeling of needing to work twice as hard as everyone else 'just to make sure' it's because anxiety has convinced your brain that being "ready enough" isn't actually enough.
While others trust they can figure things out as they go, anxiety demands you create detailed plans, backup strategies, and contingency protocols for even simple tasks. This isn't being thorough - it's anxiety's way of trying to eliminate uncertainty from an inherently uncertain world.
The irony? No amount of preparation ever feels like enough when anxiety is in charge. You end up exhausted from over-preparing for situations that rarely require the level of planning you've invested.
What's your biggest over-preparation habit? Take the quiz to see which anxiety patterns might be secretly running your decisions. https://oliver-w4mh33xt.scoreapp.com

07/16/2025

When Social Anxiety Turns You Into Your Own Harshest Critic

That 74% statistic taken from our 10 Rules Of Anxiety Quiz data reveals something profound about how social anxiety operates in our daily lives - it doesn't just make us nervous in the moment, it hijacks our minds for hours afterward, turning ordinary conversations into evidence for an imaginary trial where we're both the defendant and the prosecutor.

What's actually happening in your brain during these post-conversation analysis sessions reveals something fascinating about how anxiety operates. Your mind isn't randomly choosing to torture you – it's following a specific anxiety pattern that mistakes social interaction for potential danger.

This mental reviewing process feels productive because anxiety convinces you that if you can just identify what went wrong, you can prevent future social "disasters." But here's the twist: this hypervigilant analysis actually trains your brain to scan for problems that likely don't exist. You become so focused on hunting for evidence of social failure that you miss all the signs of connection and positive response from others.

07/14/2025

You survived the party, but your anxiety is just getting started.

You know that feeling when you get home from a social event and suddenly your mind becomes a courtroom? Every conversation gets replayed. Every joke that didn't land perfectly becomes evidence against you. You lie awake cringing at things that probably nobody else even noticed.

This is what I call "The Social Anxiety Rewind Effect" — and 88% of people who take our quiz say they do this constantly.

Here's what most people don't realize: this isn't a character flaw or overthinking problem. You're following invisible rules that anxiety has programmed into you. Rules like "every interaction must be perfect" and "you must analyze every social mistake until you find the hidden disaster."

The post-event autopsy isn't helping you improve socially — it's keeping you trapped in anxiety's rigged game.

The real problem isn't what happened at the party. It's what happens in your head afterward.

But once you understand the rules anxiety is making you follow, you can start breaking them. That's exactly what we do in my anxiety treatment program here in Los Angeles.

Which slide hit closest to home? Comment the number below.
Ready to stop playing anxiety's game? Take our free Ten Rules of Anxiety Quiz to discover which rules are controlling your social life (link in bio).

07/13/2025

Most people think anxiety is just worry or stress. But after a decade of treating anxiety, I've discovered something different: anxiety operates like a rigged game with invisible rules you never knew you were playing.

These rules have one goal: keep you small, safe, and separate, it's a game that's got you thinking:

Every thought is an emergency 🚨
You're not good enough to handle anything 💀
Avoidance equals safety 🏃‍♂️
And 7 other rules designed to make you lose

The good news? Once you see the rules, you can start breaking them.
This is exactly what we cover in my anxiety treatment program here in Los Angeles. Instead of just managing symptoms, we dismantle the entire system that creates them.

07/12/2025

As an anxiety therapist, I see this daily: people convinced that worrying = problem-solving. But here's what anxiety doesn't want you to know—you're trapped in "The Worry Is The Solution Paradox."
Watch to discover:
✅ Why your brain tricks you into thinking worry is productive
✅ The difference between mental "junk food" and real solutions
✅ My simple "Stewing vs. Doing" technique that redirects anxiety into action

07/11/2025

The opposite of anxious isn't being relaxed, the opposite of anxious is being present.... think about it.

Hit follow and like overthinking and worry are stopping you from being more in the moment

Find the information on our anxiety audits here: https://www.oliverdrakefordtherapy.com/anxiety/anxiety-audit

Take The Ten Rules Of Anxiety Quiz is here
https://oliver-w4mh33xt.scoreapp.com

07/11/2025

Anxiety has a goal that I explain to my clients as the three S's - and they just make SO much sense - to me at least! Do you see your anxiety doing the same?

07/10/2025

Ambition without action becomes anxiety. The space between your goal and your next step can feel heavier than it needs to—break the cycle by choosing one small task and doing it now. What’s the first move you’ll make today?

Unfortunately, I only work with people in Los Angeles - if that's you - schedule a consultation here https://oliverdrakeford.clientsecure.me/

Find out more about my approach to anxiety therapy here https://www.oliverdrakefordtherapy.com/anxiety

07/09/2025

Anxiety is much more than just a feeling to manage—it’s a complex, self-reinforcing system that influences nearly every aspect of life, from thoughts and decisions to relationships and self-perception.

Unfortunately, I only work with people in Los Angeles - if that's you - schedule a consultation here https://oliverdrakeford.clientsecure.me/

Find out more about my approach to anxiety therapy here https://www.oliverdrakefordtherapy.com/anxiety

Find the information on our anxiety audits here: https://www.oliverdrakefordtherapy.com/anxiety/anxiety-audit

and the ten rules of anxiety quiz is here
https://oliver-w4mh33xt.scoreapp.com

07/08/2025

My approach to anxiety therapy is different from the usual focus on collecting more tools and coping techniques. After years of experience, I’ve learned that simply adding more tools doesn’t address the real issue and can actually reinforce the idea that anxiety is something to be feared or avoided. Instead, I believe in changing your relationship with anxiety, not just managing the symptoms. If you’re ready for real change, I offer clinical consultations to help you understand how anxiety is affecting your life and what you can do to shift it.

Unfortunately, I only work with people in Los Angeles - if that's you - schedule a consultation here https://oliverdrakeford.clientsecure.me/

Find out more about my approach to anxiety therapy here https://www.oliverdrakefordtherapy.com/anxiety

Find the information on our anxiety audits here: https://www.oliverdrakefordtherapy.com/anxiety/anxiety-audit

and the ten rules of anxiety quiz is here
https://oliver-w4mh33xt.scoreapp.com

06/18/2024

Example Blog PostSome of the post\'s content will appear here...
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6c9c80_774f780988a64458836108a406d75945~mv2.png

It starts with a website. Build on a platform that gives you the freedom to create, design, and grow online exactly the way you want.