What is PPPD?
PPPD is an ongoing feeling of unsteadiness—rocking, swaying, floaty, “on a boat”—that lingers after a trigger such as a vertigo episode, a migraine spell, a concussion/whiplash, a health scare, or a stressful life event. It isn’t classic spinning vertigo. Instead, the brain’s balance network (ears, eyes, body sensors) doesn’t fully settle back to baseline. The nervous system stays “on guard,” so everyday sights and movements feel too loud.
Typical patterns people describe:
- Rocking/swaying/floating most days, especially when upright
- Symptoms louder in busy visuals (supermarkets, traffic, crowds, patterned floors, screens)
- Better when resting or lying down
- A tug-of-war with anxiety, fatigue, brain fog, and constant body-checking
Your experience is real—even if tests are “normal.” PPPD is best understood as a learned over-protection that can be un-learned.
Why PPPD sticks
After a trigger, your system becomes hyper-alert. You feel wobbly → you brace and worry → the “alarm” gets louder → you feel even wobblier. Visuals and motion get tagged as threats, so you avoid them. Avoidance briefly helps but teaches the brain, “Yes, this is dangerous.” The loop continues. The way out is not willpower; it’s gentle retraining small, repeatable experiences of safety that turn the volume down.
Who We Help
You’ve had appropriate medical checks and still feel “boat-like,” especially in busy places or on screens.
You’re ready for a skills-based, education-first approach that meets you where you are and grows your capacity week by week.
You want support that respects both mind and body and fits alongside your clinician’s advice.
Our Approach (Mind–Body Support, Not Physio or Medical Care)
We don’t provide vestibular physiotherapy, canalith repositioning, diagnosis, or prescribing. Instead, we specialise in the emotional, psychological, and nervous-system patterns that keep PPPD “turned up,” even after medical checks are clear. We work alongside your GP/ENT/neurology/vestibular physio plan.
What sessions can include
Education & reassurance
Plain-English explanations of PPPD so fear drops and confidence rises. When you understand what your body is doing, the alarm settles.
Psychotherapy & hypnotherapy
Gentle, skills-based work to update subconscious protection habits (catastrophising, scanning, bracing) and rebuild trust in movement and visuals.
Breathwork & nervous-system calming
Practical tools (longer exhales, soft gaze, pacing) to regulate the body’s alarm and reduce symptom spikes day-to-day.
Supportive counselling
A safe space to process the impact on work, relationships and identity, then make simple, doable plans for living well during recovery.
Mind–body integration
We blend everything into a step-by-step plan: tiny visual/motion exposures, kinder self-talk, sleep and routine anchors, light strength/conditioning—so progress is steady and repeatable.
We focus on “process over perfection”: tiny daily wins, short exposures you can repeat tomorrow, and real-life re-engagement.
Disclaimer
DizzinessTherapy.com provides hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, counselling and breathwork as supportive therapies. We do not diagnose, prescribe, or perform repositioning manoeuvres. Our services are designed to complement medical care, not replace it. If you have red-flag symptoms (sudden severe headache, slurred speech, facial droop, one-sided weakness/numbness, chest pain, fainting, new hearing loss with severe vertigo, high fever with stiff neck, or head injury), seek urgent medical care.
What Progress Looks Like
More “forgetting” your body during normal life. Shorter recoveries after busy days. Supermarkets/screens become tolerable, then boring. Confidence returns: walking, driving, travel, work, and play feel possible again not perfect overnight, but steadily more you.
How We Complement Medical Care
- Break the anxiety–symptom loop
- Desensitise to busy visuals and movement with bite-sized, confidence-building steps
- Regain trust in your body and rebuild everyday routines
- Develop resilience so spikes become practice windows, not setbacks
Sessions & booking
In-person in Brisbane
Start with a free 30-minute consult to map your next steps
Online Australia-wide & internationally
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.