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Vertigo, PPPD & vestibular migraine
Therapy for Vertigo and Vestibular Patients
Vestibular disorders are real, physical conditions, and they can be complex and slow to diagnose. Living with dizziness, imbalance or vertigo affects work, relationships and confidence, and it deserves care that takes your symptoms seriously.
Your symptoms are real
Many people with vestibular conditions have been told, directly or indirectly, that their symptoms are "just anxiety." That isn't our view. Vestibular disorders involve the inner ear and the brain's balance systems, and they need medical evaluation and often vestibular rehabilitation or physical therapy.
Therapy works alongside that care. It focuses on what it's like to live with these symptoms: the uncertainty, the activities you've had to give up, the fear of the next episode, and the strain on relationships and work.
When anxiety and dizziness interact
Dizziness is frightening, and the body naturally responds to it with stress. Over time, that stress response and the focus it brings can sometimes amplify how intense symptoms feel, or make it harder to return to activities. This doesn't mean anxiety caused your condition. It means there may be a cycle worth addressing.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help you understand the relationship between thoughts, feelings and physical sensations, and research has shown CBT can produce lasting improvements in anxiety. Alongside vestibular rehabilitation, it can help you gradually return to the things that matter to you.
What therapy can and can't do
Therapy doesn't diagnose a vestibular condition or treat its medical cause. It can help with what often comes with it: distress, fear of symptoms, avoidance of activities, and adjusting to life with a chronic condition.
For some conditions, psychological treatment is part of recommended care. For example, the UK's NICE guidelines recommend psychological approaches, including CBT, for tinnitus-related distress. For PPPD, CBT and vestibular rehabilitation are commonly used, but research on PPPD treatments is still limited, so your clinician will talk with you about what's known and coordinate with your medical team.
Conditions we support
- Vertigo and chronic dizziness: spinning, swaying or unsteadiness from a range of causes
- Vestibular migraine: a migraine condition that can cause episodes of vertigo or dizziness, with or without headache
- Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD): ongoing dizziness or unsteadiness, often following an initial vestibular event, that can worsen when upright, with motion or in busy visual environments
- Tinnitus: ringing or other sounds in the ears, which can accompany some vestibular conditions
- Other vestibular conditions, alongside the care of your medical team
Experience with vestibular disorders
Psychologists in the collective have experience helping people with vertigo, vestibular migraine, tinnitus, PPPD and other vestibular conditions. Dr. Kassouf has particular expertise in vestibular disorders and trains other clinicians to provide body-aware care.
Clinicians who offer therapy for vertigo and vestibular patients
Where we offer therapy for vertigo and vestibular patients
In person
- Therapy for vertigo and vestibular patients in Berkeley
- Therapy for vertigo and vestibular patients in Kensington
- Therapy for vertigo and vestibular patients in the East Bay
- Therapy for vertigo and vestibular patients in Sonoma
Online
- Online therapy for vertigo and vestibular patients in California
- Online therapy for vertigo and vestibular patients in Florida
- Online therapy for vertigo and vestibular patients in Virginia
- Online therapy for vertigo and vestibular patients in Hawaii
San Francisco residents can meet online or in person in the East Bay; in-person sessions in San Francisco are coming soon.
Related reading
Questions about therapy for vertigo and vestibular patients
Does therapy treat vertigo?
Therapy doesn't diagnose or medically treat the cause of vertigo; that needs medical evaluation and often vestibular rehabilitation. Therapy can help with the distress, fear, avoidance and life disruption that often come with it, and for some conditions, such as tinnitus-related distress, psychological treatment is a recommended part of care.
Is online therapy possible if screens make me dizzy?
Yes. Telephone sessions are also available.
Where is therapy for vestibular patients offered?
In person in Berkeley and Kensington, outdoor sessions in Sonoma, and online in California, Florida, Hawaii and Virginia.
Schedule your free consultation
Book in real time with any available clinician in the collective.