Health Anxiety (Hypochondria): Understanding the Cycle of Fear and Reassurance

Hypochondria Explained: Symptoms, Cycles, and Treatment

Many people worry about their health from time to time. A new symptom, an unusual sensation, or a concerning headline can naturally trigger concern. But for some, these worries don’t pass—they intensify, repeat, and begin to shape daily life. This experience is often referred to as health anxiety, sometimes known as hypochondria.

At Downtown Psychological Services, we work with individuals across NYC who feel stuck in cycles of health-related worry, body scanning, reassurance-seeking, and fear. Understanding how health anxiety works is the first step toward relief.

What Is Health Anxiety?

Health anxiety is characterized by persistent fear of having or developing a serious medical condition, even when medical evaluations are normal or reassuring. While the term hypochondria is still commonly used, clinicians now often refer to Illness Anxiety Disorder or somatic-focused anxiety.

Health anxiety is not “imagined” or “all in your head.” The physical sensations are real—but the meaning assigned to them is shaped by anxiety.

Common features include:

Frequent checking of bodily sensations (heart rate, breathing, pain, digestion)

Interpreting normal sensations as signs of serious illness

Repeated medical tests or doctor visits with temporary relief

Excessive Googling of symptoms

Difficulty tolerating uncertainty about health

Anxiety that worsens after reassurance fades

How Health Anxiety Becomes a Cycle

Health anxiety tends to follow a predictable and self-reinforcing loop:

A bodily sensation appears (e.g., tight chest, headache, dizziness, digestive discomfort)

Catastrophic interpretation (“This could be cancer.” “What if this is a heart condition?”)

Anxiety response The nervous system activates, increasing physical sensations like tension, nausea, or rapid heartbeat.

Reassurance-seeking behaviors Googling symptoms, checking vitals, asking loved ones, or seeing a doctor.

Temporary relief Anxiety decreases briefly—but the underlying fear remains.

Return of doubt A new sensation or thought restarts the cycle.

Over time, this loop trains the brain to stay hypervigilant to the body, making anxiety feel constant and exhausting.

The Role of the Nervous System

Health anxiety is deeply connected to the fight-or-flight response. When the nervous system is chronically activated, the body produces sensations that can feel alarming—muscle tightness, GI changes, shortness of breath, dizziness, or fatigue.

Ironically, the more we monitor the body for danger, the more sensations we notice.

This is especially common in individuals who:

Have experienced medical trauma or serious illness (personally or in family)

Live with chronic stress or burnout

Have a history of panic attacks or generalized anxiety

Are highly attuned, responsible, or perfectionistic

Have experienced trauma that disrupted body trust

Why Reassurance Isn’t Enough

Many people with health anxiety feel confused or frustrated: “Why doesn’t reassurance help if nothing is medically wrong?”

The reason is that health anxiety is not driven by lack of information—it’s driven by intolerance of uncertainty and fear of vulnerability. Each reassurance-seeking behavior unintentionally reinforces the belief that danger must be ruled out again.

Therapy focuses not on eliminating uncertainty (which isn’t possible), but on increasing your capacity to live with it.

Therapy for Health Anxiety in NYC

Working with a therapist can help interrupt the cycle of health anxiety and restore trust in your body. At Downtown Psychological Services, therapy is collaborative, compassionate, and tailored to your unique experience.

Depending on your needs, treatment may include:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to address catastrophic thinking

Somatic and body-based approaches to reduce nervous system hyperarousal

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) for reassurance-seeking behaviors

Mindfulness and interoceptive work to change how you relate to sensations

Trauma-informed therapy when health anxiety is rooted in past experiences

The goal is not to dismiss your fears—but to help you feel safer in your body and more confident in your ability to cope.

You’re Not Weak—Your System Is Overworked

Health anxiety often shows up in people who are thoughtful, caring, and deeply invested in their wellbeing. This is not a personal failure—it’s a sign that your nervous system has learned to protect you by staying on high alert.

With support, that system can learn a new way.

Get Support at Downtown Psychological Services

If health anxiety is interfering with your peace of mind, relationships, or daily functioning, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Downtown Psychological Services offers individual therapy for anxiety in NYC, with clinicians experienced in health anxiety, somatic symptoms, and trauma-informed care.

Reach out today to schedule a free 10-15 minute call with a member of our intake team to learn more about how therapy can help you break the cycle and reconnect with a sense of safety in your body.

When Your Body Doesn’t Feel Safe: Relearning Body Signals After Trauma

Interoception and Trauma: Relearning Your Body’s Signals After Trauma

Trauma doesn’t only live in memory or emotion—it also lives in the body. Many people who have experienced trauma find themselves disconnected from bodily sensations, overwhelmed by them, or unsure how to interpret what their body is trying to communicate. This process of noticing, interpreting, and responding to internal body signals is known as interoception, and it plays a crucial role in trauma recovery.

At Downtown Psychological Services, our NYC-based group psychotherapy practice integrates trauma-informed, somatic, and evidence-based approaches to help individuals reconnect with their bodies in safe, meaningful ways. Understanding interoception can be a powerful first step toward healing.

What Is Interoception?

Interoception refers to the brain’s ability to sense and interpret signals coming from inside the body. These signals include:

Hunger and fullness

Heart rate and breathing

Muscle tension or relaxation

Temperature

Pain or discomfort

Emotional sensations (such as butterflies in the stomach or tightness in the chest)

Healthy interoception allows us to recognize our needs and respond appropriately—resting when we’re tired, eating when we’re hungry, or seeking support when we’re overwhelmed. Trauma, however, can disrupt this internal awareness.

How Trauma Impacts Interoception

After trauma, the nervous system often remains in a state of survival. For some people, this means heightened sensitivity to bodily sensations, where even minor physical cues feel intense or alarming. For others, it means numbness or disconnection—an adaptive response when sensations once felt unsafe or overwhelming.

Common trauma-related interoceptive challenges include:

Difficulty identifying emotions or bodily needs

Chronic tension, pain, or gastrointestinal issues

Panic attacks or anxiety triggered by bodily sensations

Dissociation or feeling “out of” one’s body

Ignoring hunger, fatigue, or pain cues

These patterns are not signs of weakness; they are protective responses shaped by the nervous system to help someone survive.

Why Relearning Body Signals Matters in Trauma Therapy

Reconnecting with interoception is a cornerstone of trauma-informed therapy. When clients learn to notice and interpret body signals safely, they gain:

Increased emotional regulation

Greater sense of agency and control

Improved ability to self-soothe

Stronger mind-body connection

Reduced anxiety and trauma symptoms

Rather than forcing awareness, effective trauma therapy helps clients gently rebuild trust with their bodies at a pace that feels safe.

Interoception and the Nervous System

Interoception is closely tied to the autonomic nervous system, which governs our fight, flight, freeze, and rest responses. Trauma can keep the body stuck in states of hyperarousal (anxiety, panic, agitation) or hypoarousal (shutdown, numbness, exhaustion).

By improving interoceptive awareness, individuals can begin to recognize early signs of nervous system activation and respond with grounding, regulation, or support before becoming overwhelmed.

How Trauma Therapy Can Help Restore Interoception

At our NYC group therapy practice, our clinicians use a range of evidence-based and somatic approaches to support interoceptive healing, including:

Somatic therapy to increase body awareness and regulation

Trauma-informed care that prioritizes safety and consent

Mindfulness-based practices adapted for trauma survivors

EMDR and other trauma-focused modalities

Cognitive and relational approaches that integrate body-based insights

Therapy may involve learning to track sensations, differentiate between past and present danger, and develop compassionate curiosity toward the body’s responses.

Rebuilding Trust With Your Body After Trauma

Healing interoception is not about “pushing through” discomfort or forcing body awareness. It’s about:

Moving slowly and intentionally

Noticing sensations without judgment

Learning which signals belong to the present moment

Developing tools to regulate distress

Reclaiming the body as a source of information, not danger

Over time, many people find that their bodies become allies rather than adversaries in their healing process.

Trauma Therapy in NYC

If trauma has impacted your relationship with your body, you are not alone—and support is available. At Downtown Psychological Services, our diverse team of clinicians offers trauma-informed therapy for individuals, couples, and families in NYC. We integrate somatic approaches, relational therapy, and evidence-based modalities to support deep, sustainable healing.

If you’re curious about how therapy can help you reconnect with your body and restore interoceptive awareness, please reach out to schedule a free 10-15 minute consultation call with our intake team.