The Blog—Real-life riffs on anxiety, resilience, and being fully present
Looking for the blog? You found it—let’s dig in
I’m Victoria Wallace Schlicht—California-licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and certified Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner—something like a nervous-system whisperer minus the white cowboy hat..
I help anxious, high-functioning adults ditch the “I’m broken” story and find steadier ground. Let’s be honest, nearly everyone you know has either experienced high anxiety or brushed up against it—and how could we not? We’re living in a world that’s spinning faster than we were built to handle. Over-functioning is wearing us out.
We need better tools and a fresh perspective. Good news: I’ve got a stack of both, and I love to share them.
Welcome to my bully pulpit. Each post unpacks the science, stories, and somatic hacks that tame anxious spirals, increase self-regulation, and build real resilience.
Ready for deeper work? Get the scoop on my all-online California practice here.
Online Somatic Therapy for Men in California
Discover how secure online Somatic Experiencing® sessions help California men untangle anxiety, anger, and burnout, tap body-based resilience, and regain steady, authentic strength—no commute, just a private video call away.
Orange County • Secure Online Video Sessions Statewide
Key Takeaway: Men don’t have to tough it out alone—online Somatic Experiencing® therapy helps you tune into your body, release hidden stress, and regain calm, focus, and authentic strength wherever you are in California.
Originally published January 2019. Updated July 2025 to include new insights on well-being and online therapy.
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Is therapy “just for women”?
Hardly. In my 20+ years of depth-oriented practice—and nearly two decades of integrating Somatic Experiencing®—I’ve helped men quietly wrestling with burnout, anger, or grief discover they don’t have to tough it out alone.
Why Many Men Still Struggle in Silence
Feelings are off-limits. Boys learn early to bottle emotions. Cut off from body cues, many men only notice stress after it sparks anxiety, rage, or shutdown.
Support networks are thin. Heterosexual men often lean on one confidant—their partner. Divorce, widowhood, or relocation can leave them with no emotional first-responder.
Health pays the price. Unprocessed stress drives heart disease, reflux, chronic pain, depression, and insomnia.
Numbing is easy. Extra shifts, gaming marathons, alcohol, porn—anything to dodge sadness or failure. Over time the escape hatch becomes its own prison.
Trauma gets buried, not healed. Abuse, combat, accidents, surgeries, attachment wounds: the body remembers even if the mind “moved on.”
LGBTQ+ men face double burdens. Gay, bisexual, and queer men confront the same stoic expectations plus minority stress discrimination, family rejection, and higher trauma rates. (I work extensively with cis gay and queer clients; while I’m an ally to trans men, I refer to trusted colleagues when specialized gender-affirming care is needed).
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How Somatic Experiencing® Helps Men Reclaim Agency
Feel safely, not endlessly. Tracking body sensations lets you notice emotion in bite-size pieces, preventing overwhelm.
Build true resilience. Expanding your tolerance for strong states—joy and sadness—makes life richer and relationships steadier.
Resolve stored trauma. SE completes fight-flight-freeze loops so old shocks stop hijacking the present.
Channel intense energy. Anxiety, anger, or social discomfort are worked through gradually, giving you a reliable internal “container.”
Somatic means “body.” You have one—and it can become your greatest ally.
Ready to Get Out of Your Head and Back into Your Life?
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All sessions are secure online video, accessible anywhere in California—from Newport Beach to Napa. If you’re ready to trade tension for grounded strength, let’s talk.
Schedule a free 15-minute consult or call (Most men feel some relief after the first few sessions).
I help people who feel bad feel better. Let’s talk. Learn about online anxiety therapy in California.