Anxiety and panic
The body goes first: a tight chest, a mind that will not settle, a fear that arrives before the reason.
Therapy & coaching · Bristol
The same thoughts, on repeat.
I’m David Bowerman. I work with people in Bristol and online who are tired of the loop — anxiety, low mood, anger, stress, or a life that has stopped feeling like theirs.
- 4.9 from 95 Google reviews
- Bristol since 2014
- First consultation free
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Low mood
Anger
Addiction
Stress
Relationships
Trauma
Chronic pain
Work
01 — Who I help
It usually arrives as one thing. Then you find the others underneath.
You do not need to name it perfectly before we speak. These are the things people most often bring.
Low mood and depression
Not sadness exactly. More a flatness, a heaviness, a loss of interest in the things that used to matter.
Anger
A short fuse, or a quiet resentment that leaks out at the people closest to you.
Stress and overwhelm
Too much to hold, and nowhere to put any of it down.
Relationships
The same argument, the same distance, the same feeling of not being understood.
Addiction
Something that started as relief and has become the thing you organise your week around.
Trauma and the past
Something that happened, and the ways you learned to keep it from happening again.
Chronic pain and health
A body that no longer does what it used to, and the frustration and fear that come with it.
Work and career
A role that looks fine on paper and leaves you wondering what it is for.
Feeling stuck or unconfident
You can see the change you want. You cannot quite believe you are allowed to make it.
Coaching
Some people come for coaching rather than therapy — work, direction, a decision that will not settle. The conversation is much the same; the focus is on what you want to move towards.
Health & pain
I also work with people living with chronic pain and long-term health conditions — the frustration, fear and low mood that come with them.
02 — How it works
First a conversation. Then the work.
His very calm and sometimes humorous way of guiding sessions made me feel at ease completely.
Lily · Google reviewA free consultation
We speak before you book anything. You say what is going on, ask what you like, and get a feel for whether I am the right person to talk to.
Sessions
We meet at Picton Street or online. We start by understanding what is happening, then look at how your mind is making sense of it — and what changes when a thought is seen as a thought.
What changes
Not a technique I hand you. More a different relationship with your own thinking, so you spend less time in the loop and more time in your life.
Sessions are confidential.
03 — About
I came to this work through my own experience.
I trained at the Optimum Health Clinic in London from the start of 2012, qualified late in 2014, and was supervised by the clinic’s founder, Alex Howard. I have worked as a therapist in Bristol since 2014. I was also mentored by Dr Dicken Bettinger from 2014 to 2017, and by Dr Keith Blevens from 2017 to 2022. Through that work I have continued to deepen my understanding of psychology — particularly how to help people change how they think and feel.
I came to this work through my own experience of anxiety, panic and depression. That does not make me an expert on yours, but it does mean I am not easily shocked by it.
2014
In Bristol since
- Training
- Optimum Health Clinic, London — 2012 to late 2014
- Supervised by
- Alex Howard
- Mentored by
- Dr Dicken Bettinger, 2014–2017 · Dr Keith Blevens, 2017–2022
- In Bristol
- Practising since 2014
- Approach
- Clarity model · Three Principles · Health Realisation · mindfulness
- Also
- “A Bristol Happiness Champion”
04 — The hour
An hour that is yours.
You do not need to prepare anything. You do not need the right words. We start with what is happening now, and we go at the pace that makes it possible to stay honest.
10 Picton Street, Montpelier · or online by Zoom, Skype or phone
The sessions are warm, welcoming and insightful.
Photograph: Unsplash
05 — Reviews
What people say.
4.9
/ 5
06 — Fees
What it costs.
Fees on
enquiry.
The first consultation is free.
Ask about fees when you get in touch. I will tell you before you book anything.
In person
10 Picton Street, Montpelier
Online
Zoom, Skype or phone
07 — Bristol & online
Bristol, and wherever you are.
I see people at 10 Picton Street in Montpelier, and online by Zoom, Skype or phone. The work is the same; the room is different.
The room 10 Picton StreetMontpelier
Bristol BS6 5QA
08 — Questions
Before we speak.
A few things people usually want to know first. Anything else, just ask.
Book a free consultation01What happens in a session?
We talk, mostly. I will ask what has brought you and what you would like to be different, and I will listen for how your thinking is working. You do not need to prepare anything.
02How many sessions will I need?
There is no set number. We will look at it together as we go, and you can stop at any point.
03Is it confidential?
Yes. What you say stays between us, and where there are limits to that you will know them from the outset.
04Online or in person?
Either. I see people at 10 Picton Street in Montpelier, and online by Zoom, Skype or phone.
05Do I need to have had therapy before?
No. You do not need to have spoken to a therapist before, or to know how therapy works.
06What if I am not sure it is for me?
That is what the free consultation is for. We can speak before you decide anything.
09 — Contact
Start with a conversation.
The first consultation is free. Email or call, and we will find a time to speak — in Bristol or online.
- The room
- 10 Picton Street
Montpelier
Bristol BS6 5QA - Phone
- 07886 490369
A clearer mind, new perspectives.