Health Anxiety

Talking therapies for Health Anxiety in Cardiff, Carmarthen and online via video.

Health anxiety involves an excessive preoccupation with illness or physical symptoms. Individuals may worry about having a serious medical condition despite reassurance or normal test results. This cycle of fear often leads to frequent checking, seeking reassurance, avoiding certain activities, or misinterpreting bodily sensations. Health anxiety can become overwhelming and significantly impact daily life. Talking therapies provides a safe, structured environment to understand these fears, challenge unhelpful thoughts, and develop healthier responses to uncertainty and physical sensations.

Common Symptoms of Health Anxiety

• Constant worry about health or physical symptoms
• Frequently checking the body for signs of illness
• Seeking reassurance from doctors, family, or online sources
• Misinterpreting normal sensations as signs of serious illness
• Avoiding situations, activities, or information related to illness
• Difficulty relaxing or controlling anxious thoughts
• Heightened awareness of bodily sensations

Therapy for Health Anxiety

Talking therapies is a highly effective approach for managing health anxiety. Therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), exposure-based techniques, and psychoeducation help individuals challenge unhelpful thought patterns and reduce reassurance-seeking behaviours. At iTT, our therapists support clients in understanding the roots of their anxiety, managing uncertainty, and building confidence in their ability to cope with normal physical sensations.

Talking therapies for health anxiety includes:

• An initial assessment to explore symptoms, triggers, and patterns of worry
• Challenging catastrophic thoughts and health-related fears
• Reducing body checking, reassurance seeking, or compulsive behaviours
• Developing tolerance for uncertainty and physical sensations
• Building long-term coping strategies and emotional resilience