Sarah Kate Wilder, LMFT
Hello,
I'm Sarah Kate Wilder (pronouns she/her/hers), trauma and anxiety specialist, long-time FL beach lover, now CO mountain adventurer, and forever ocean documentary enthusiast.
Why I Became an Anxiety and Trauma Specialist
Growing up in a religious space is a nuanced experience. While I have many positive memories, I was also taught that there were scary consequences to believing or doing the wrong things. Without knowing it, I adopted the "I'm not good enough" belief as a child and that became a driving force in my life.
After several turning points as an adult that caused me to question my worldview, I began to feel the weight of shame that message carried. I also became aware of the anxiety I was holding.
For me, it was terrifying to deconstruct my belief system. But I was between a rock and a hard place- try to go back to what I was taught and that not enough message or face the terror of going down an unexplored path onto a new view of myself and the world.
After years of feeling stuck, I took a shot at counseling in the hopes that I wouldn't feel so anxious. This was my turning point. My counselor created a safe space and named the anxiety I was experiencing. This led to braving my past and giving myself permission to deconstruct and evolve.
I learned how to be with the anxiety. I began to sit with the existential questions that arose from my beliefs changing. Many of the shame messages I was taught no longer feel true and I know how to do the continual work of addressing my own religious trauma, fear, and shame. I know how to shift away from that "I'm not good enough" message to a place of self compassion that even in my messiness "I am worthy, right here, right now".