Anxiety Therapy NYC: “There Are Many Ways to Cross a Ravine” and Breaking Free from Closed-System Thinking

Trapped in thought loops: Closed-system thinking in anxiety can feel like wandering a maze with no exit. In Anxiety Therapy NYC, we explore how to break free from rigid, perfectionistic patterns.

Photo by Susan Q Yin; Uploaded from Unsplash on 4/7/2025.

When we’re anxious, our thoughts tend to spiral into what’s called closed-system thinking—where only one path seems viable, and all others are perceived as dangerous, irresponsible, or doomed to fail. This mental rigidity can leave us frozen, obsessing over a single slippery log bridge across a deep ravine.

I’m Eric Hovis, a licensed mental health counselor specializing in Anxiety and Stress Therapy in NYC. I work with LGBTQ+ clients navigating identity, relationships, and work stress—often while managing high-functioning anxiety rooted in deeper fears about failure, worth, and safety. Through EMDR Therapy, mindfulness, and Internal Family Systems, I help clients find a new sense of possibility and freedom in their internal world.

In this post, we’ll explore:

• What closed-system thinking looks like in everyday life

• How trauma and high-pressure environments reinforce this kind of thinking

• The metaphor of the ravine, and why it’s so powerful

• How mindfulness and therapy can help us shift into open-system thinking

• Why this shift can be life-changing—especially for LGBTQ+ clients in NYC

• And how Anxiety Therapy in NYC can support that transformation

What Is Closed-System Thinking?

When anxiety flares, the mind tends to contract. We lose our capacity to imagine possibilities. Everything feels urgent, high-stakes, and precarious. Closed-system thinking is a term used in systems theory to describe a system that operates in isolation—closed to new information or feedback. In a psychological context, this looks like believing there’s only one "right" answer, and any deviation spells disaster.

Examples of closed-system thoughts include:

• "If I don’t word this email perfectly, I’ll ruin my chances."

• "I have to stay in this job—I have no other options."

• "If I set a boundary, they’ll leave me."

When we’re caught in these loops, we’re not just having anxious thoughts. We’re in a rigid system that can’t receive new input. We may even know intellectually that there are other options—but it feels like there aren’t. That feeling is real. And it can be exhausting.

How Trauma and High-Pressure Environments Fuel Rigidity

Many LGBTQ+ clients I work with in Anxiety Therapy in NYC grew up in environments where deviation from the norm wasn’t just frowned upon—it was dangerous. Maybe it was a conservative religious background. Maybe it was a home where expressing difference led to punishment, rejection, or shame.

In those settings, doing things the "right way" was often tied to survival. Of course the brain learns to narrow in on a single solution. Of course we cling to control, or perfectionism, or overachievement. It’s protective. But over time, that strategy becomes stifling. We forget that we’re allowed to think bigger. Or that our nervous system even can.

The Ravine Metaphor: What If There’s More Than One Way Across?

What if there’s more than one way across? This ravine represents the fear-filled, high-stakes mindset that anxiety creates. Through Anxiety Therapy in NYC, we find grounded, alternative paths forward.

Photo by Josh Hild; Uploaded from Unsplash on 4/7/2025.

I recently caught myself in a closed-system loop while wrestling with a business decision. It felt like I was standing at the edge of a deep ravine. The only way across was a wet, slippery log. I was terrified I’d slip and fall. But I was equally terrified of not crossing at all.

Then, during a mindfulness practice, a new thought floated in:

There are many ways to cross a ravine.

That one sentence felt like a lifeline. I imagined a rope bridge. A ladder down and up. A group of friends helping. A zipline. Suddenly, the anxiety loosened its grip. I could breathe again. I wasn’t trapped. The log wasn’t the only way.

This is the heart of what I help clients reclaim in Anxiety Therapy in NYC—the ability to see more than one option. To imagine, to improvise, to choose. That’s the freedom of open-system thinking.

Open-System Thinking: The Antidote to Anxiety Loops

Where closed systems resist change, open systems respond to new input. They adapt. They grow. In therapy, this might look like:

• Questioning assumptions that once felt like facts

• Inviting curiosity about why a certain choice feels so high-stakes

• Listening to multiple parts of the self—not just the anxious one

• Creating space in the body for more than just fear or urgency

The shift from closed to open doesn’t happen overnight. But it’s possible. And it changes everything.

How Mindfulness Helps Us Break Free

Open-system thinking invites freedom: In Anxiety Therapy NYC, mindfulness helps clients move from tunnel vision to seeing many possible paths through life’s challenges.

Photo by Kristin Snippe; Uploaded from Upsplash on 4/7/25.

Mindfulness isn’t about clearing the mind—it’s about seeing clearly. When we pause, breathe, and observe what’s happening inside us, we create room for new awareness. We stop reacting and start noticing. We remember we’re not the anxious part—we’re the Self who can choose how to relate to it.

In my sessions, I often integrate simple mindfulness techniques that anchor clients in the here and now. From that grounded place, the nervous system can soften. The tunnel vision starts to widen. We move from "I have to do this perfectly or else" to "Maybe there’s another way." That’s not just psychological—it’s physiological. It’s healing.

A Prompt for Reflection

If you find yourself stuck in a decision or overwhelmed by a looming task, try pausing and asking:

What if there’s more than one way across this ravine?

You might even close your eyes and imagine the scene. The log bridge. The canyon. The fear. And then—other options. What if there’s a stone path? A climbing rope? A helping hand? What if staying put is a valid choice too?

This kind of imagery can unlock not just cognitive insight but nervous system relief. That’s where deep change begins.

How Anxiety Therapy in NYC Can Help

Anxiety isn’t just in your thoughts—it’s in your body, your beliefs, and your lived history. Therapy offers a space to unpack the rules you inherited about what’s "safe," what’s "right," and what’s "allowed." For LGBTQ+ clients, this often includes unpacking family expectations, internalized messages, and the double bind of wanting both belonging and authenticity.

In my work, I use a phase-oriented trauma model that includes:

• EMDR Therapy, which helps the brain reprocess distressing experiences and open to new possibilities

• Internal Family Systems, which helps us listen to different parts of ourselves with compassion

• Mindfulness, Experiential, and somatic tools, which help us feel more grounded and flexible and shift the deeper emotional learning that contributes to us feeling “stuck.”

When we do this work together, we don’t just think our way out of anxiety—we feel our way into new possibilities. We create systems inside us that are more open, adaptive, and resilient.

The Bigger Picture

The world often demands we pick a side, find the right answer, perform certainty. But healing isn’t about perfection—it’s about spaciousness. It’s about remembering that there’s almost always more than one way forward.

If you’re feeling stuck, anxious, or like your life is being run by an invisible pressure to get it "right," you’re not alone. And you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.

Anxiety Therapy NYC can help you move from survival strategies to spacious, intentional living. It’s not always easy work—but it’s liberating. And it starts with a simple shift:

What if there’s more than one way to cross this ravine?

Ready to explore what’s possible for you?
I offer virtual therapy for adults across New York and Connecticut, with a specialization in anxiety, LGBTQ+ identity, and complex trauma. Learn more by clicking the link below, or reach out to schedule a free consultation.

Let’s find your way across.