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Schedule Your Free 15-Minute Phone Consultation Today
Health anxiety (sometimes referred to as illness anxiety disorder) involves persistent worry about having a serious medical condition, even when there is little or no evidence to support that fear. This can happen whether you feel physically well, have unexplained symptoms, or already live with a diagnosed medical condition. Over time, the worry can become consuming and can start to shape decisions, routines, and quality of life.
At The Cohen Clinic, we provide therapy for adults in Toronto who experience health anxiety, including people who feel stuck in a loop of checking symptoms, seeking reassurance, researching online, or avoiding healthcare out of fear. Therapy can help you reduce the intensity of worry, respond differently to bodily sensations, and build a steadier relationship with uncertainty.
Health anxiety is a pattern of excessive fear and preoccupation with health. You may find yourself scanning your body for signs of illness, interpreting normal sensations as dangerous, or feeling unable to relax until you get reassurance.
Health anxiety can develop for many reasons, including a difficult medical experience, seeing a loved one become ill, loss, trauma, or frequent exposure to alarming health information. It can also be influenced by stress and the way anxiety affects the body.
Stress and anxiety can show up physically—often through gastrointestinal symptoms, headaches, dizziness, chest tightness, or changes in appetite and sleep. When the nervous system is activated, normal sensations can feel stronger and more alarming, which can reinforce the fear that something is medically wrong.
Health anxiety is often shaped by experiences that increase sensitivity to symptoms or uncertainty.
Health anxiety can show up in thoughts, behaviours, and physical stress responses.
Many people find the hardest part is the cycle: fear → checking/reassurance → short relief → fear returns.
Therapy can help you change how you relate to bodily sensations, worry thoughts, and uncertainty. The focus is often practical and skill-based.
At The Cohen Clinic, we support adults whose health anxiety is affecting daily life—whether it shows up through constant worry, repeated reassurance-seeking, avoidance, or fear of bodily sensations. Therapy is tailored to your specific patterns and goals, with a focus on steady, measurable progress.
Ph.D. (Psychologist, Supervised Practice)
If health anxiety is keeping you stuck in worry or disrupting your life, support is available. Therapy can help you step out of the checking and reassurance cycle, build tolerance for uncertainty, and feel more present day to day.
At The Cohen Clinic, we’re here to support you in managing health anxiety and improving your quality of life.
Book an Appointment today to begin your therapy journey.
