Common Vestibular Issues
Understanding Dizziness and Vertigo
Dizziness and vertigo are more common than many people realise. Research suggests that up to 30% of adults and around 10% of children experience dizziness or vertigo at some stage in their lives.
For some, it may appear as a brief unsettling episode. For others, it can be ongoing and disruptive to daily life. Many people describe feeling:
- As though they are rocking, swaying, or floating
- A spinning sensation (vertigo) even while sitting still
- Lightheadedness or near-fainting
- Veering to one side when walking, or feeling “drunk”
- Brain fog, fatigue, or nausea connected to dizziness
- Eye floaters or snowy eyes.
These experiences may sometimes be linked to vestibular system conditions (such as the inner ear and balance pathways in the brain), but they can also be made worse by stress, trauma, or fatigue.
Common, workable causes
Inner-ear triggers (often short-term).
Brief spins when rolling in bed or looking up (often BPPV), a strong vertigo spell after a bug/virus, or episodes with ear pressure/ringing. These are typically assessed and treated by medical or vestibular physio teams.
“Alarm turned up” dizziness (functional/neural-circuit).
Ongoing unsteadiness made worse by busy places, patterns, screens, stress or tiredness often called PPPD. It’s real, common, and highly recoverable with education, gentle exposure and nervous-system calming.
Related patterns include visual dependency (relying too much on your eyes) and post-travel rocking after boats/planes (MdDS-like).
Migraine-related dizziness (with or without headache).
Light and sound feel harsh, screens and motion are “too loud,” head pressure comes and goes. Calming the system and steady routines help.
Body basics.
Neck, jaw & posture.
Tight shoulders, jaw clenching and long screen stares add “noise” to the balance system.
Circulation/sugar swings.
Standing up fast, low iron or blood pressure, or long gaps between meals can feel light-headed usually solvable once identified.
Conditions Often Associated with Dizziness
While we do not diagnose or medically treat vestibular disorders, many people come to us after receiving a diagnosis, or when their symptoms continue after medical care. Some of the conditions people may bring with them include:
Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD)
ongoing rocking or swaying sensations, often worse in busy or stimulating environments
Vestibular Migraine
migraine-related dizziness or vertigo, sometimes with light and sound sensitivity
Mal de Débarquement Syndrome (MdDS)
rocking or swaying after travel, such as being on a boat or plane
Ménière’s Disease
episodes of vertigo combined with hearing symptoms (managed medically, but often supported emotionally here)
Labyrinthitis / Vestibular Neuritis
dizziness following an inner ear infection (clients may still seek emotional or nervous system support afterwards)
Other vestibular-related balance challenges
such as age-related imbalance, post-viral dizziness, or stress-exacerbated symptoms
Why dizziness can stick around (even after normal tests)
Your system is trying to protect you. After an illness, a scare, or a stressful patch, the brain can start over-checking motion and visuals like a smoke alarm that goes off for toast. You feel woozy → you worry and brace → the alarm gets louder. That loop is powerful, and also trainable.
When to seek urgent care
Our Approach (Mind–Body Support, Not Physio)
We’re not a physiotherapy or medical clinic. We don’t do vestibular exercises, canalith repositioning manoeuvres, diagnosis, or prescribing. We work alongside your healthcare providers by addressing the emotional, psychological and nervous-system patterns that often keep dizziness “turned up” even after medical checks are clear.
What sessions can include
Education & understanding
plain-English explanations that reduce fear and give you a simple roadmap.
Hypnotherapy & psychotherapy
gentle, skills-based work that updates subconscious protection habits (scanning, bracing, catastrophising).
Breathwork & nervous-system calming
practical tools (longer exhales, soft gaze, pacing) to “turn down the alarm.”
Supportive counselling
space to process the impact on work, relationships and confidence—then build workable plans.
Mind–body integration
we blend the above into a step-by-step plan: tiny exposures to motion/visuals, kinder self-talk, sleep and strength basics.
How we guide change
- Reassure & explain (fear down = symptoms down)
- Re-expose gently to motion and visuals (the brain relearns by doing)
- Regulate the alarm (breath, sleep, pacing, light strength)
- Re-engage with what matters now (confidence follows action)
Your sensations are real and your system is changeable. We’ll help you replace fear with know-how, one steady step at a time.
We Care About Our Customers Experience Too
Working with Riaz has been absolutely transformational. He is kind, with a heart of gold. He helped me navigate through my childhood trauma and he gave me a road map to healing
Relief from Dizziness
A life-changing experience.
You can feel the change from the first session.
Highly recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions!
What’s the difference between vertigo and dizziness?
Is dizziness dangerous?
Once a clinician has ruled out urgent causes, the sensations are usually uncomfortable, not unsafe. They feel dramatic because the balance/threat system is loud. When a wave hits: pause, feel your feet, pick one steady object to look at, and breathe out longer for 60–90 seconds. Let it pass like a swell in the ocean. Then gently continue what you were doing.
Will panic attacks ruin my progress?
No. They’re intense but temporary—like a thunderstorm. When one hits, name it: “My body alarm is loud, but I’m safe.” Sit or stand with support, look at a still object, and ride the wave with longer exhales. When it settles, do one small, normal action (wash a cup, step outside). That teaches your brain you don’t have to hide from life.
Should I join dizziness forums?
Community can help but choose carefully. Spaces that collect worst-case stories can spike fear and compulsive checking. Look for solution-focused groups where wins are shared, progress is measured in tiny steps, and people talk about living not just symptoms. A practical rule: if you leave the forum more anxious than you entered, unfollow for a month. Replace scrolling with five minutes of skill practice or a text to a supportive friend. Curate your inputs like your diet.
How long does recovery take?
It varies. Some feel meaningful change in weeks, others over months. What predicts faster progress? Consistency over intensity, tiny daily exposures, process focus, and kinder self-talk. What slows it? All-or-nothing goals, constant body-checking, and waiting to “feel ready” before living. Compare only with yesterday-you. If you’re doing the right things, improvement can be sneaky: more normal moments, longer stretches of “forgetting,” fewer meltdowns after busy days. Those are the real markers.