Vanessa Manes

One of the most common questions I hear in therapy is: How do I know if it's my intuition or my anxiety? The truth is, it can be difficult to tell the difference. especially if you've spent years navigating anxiety, trauma, or relationships that have taught you to question yourself. When fear has been driving the car for a long time, it can become hard to recognize the sound of your own voice. In my experience, anxiety tends to feel urgent. It wants answers right now. It tells us to prepare...

There are certain books I find myself coming back to again and again- both personally and in the work I do with clients. Not because they offer quick fixes, but because they help us understand ourselves more deeply. They give language to experiences we’ve felt but haven’t always known how to explain, especially when it comes to anxiety, trauma, relationships, and healing. Many of these books share a common thread: healing isn’t about fixing yourself-it’s about understanding yourself. Books...

There’s been a noticeable rise in conversations around trauma, anxiety, and healing on social media. And while I appreciate that mental health is becoming more normalized, I also see how much of this information is oversimplified and at times, misleading. As a trauma therapist, I often sit with clients who feel confused or discouraged because the tools they’ve seen online haven’t worked for them. They’ve tried the breathing techniques, the mindset shifts, the “quick fixes”… and still feel...