Specialties
EMDR
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and uses eye movement or other forms of bi lateral stimulation (BLS/DAS) to kickstart your brain and body’s natural ability to heal by adapting and processing painful experiences, troubling memories, negative thoughts, and distressing bodily sensation.
Discovered in 1987 by Francine Shapiro, EMDR has grown into a robust evidence based practice that effectively reduces anxiety, depression, addiction, chronic pain, emotional distress, relational difficulties, and other symptoms experienced by survivors of trauma, abuse, and neglect.
EMDR is a powerful form of therapy that processes current and past distress while keeping one foot in the present moment. This helps to restore your sense of safety and control, while integrating the scary/harmful memories from your past. While EMDR doesn’t erase painful memories, it does activate the inherent adaptive information processing system in the brain to make new associations with those memories. This greatly reduces the likelihood that you will be triggered by old, unprocessed memories. Meaning nightmares, flashbacks, and disruptive emotional outbursts will be reduced, and positive beliefs and sensations will increase.
Moving through the the 8 phases of EMDR will include focusing on the here and now of your experience. We will begin by focusing on what’s bothering you, and trace those thoughts/sensations/images/feelings back in time to expose associated memories. We will then target and re-process those memories using sets of BLS/DAS.
In therapy you can utilize EMDR to:
Develop powerful resources for calming and grounding
Overcome phobias (i.e. getting shots, test taking, flying, etc)
Reduce intensity of recent trauma related symptoms like anxiety, depression, nightmares, flashbacks, irritability, fatigue, etc.
Establish a more congruent and integrated sense of self by targeting memories across your lifespan
Increase confidence for future events (i.e. sports game, live performance, giving presentations, etc)
Trauma
Living in the wake of trauma can be like returning home after a hurricane. You've survived the storm, but the cost is immense. Your life has been shaken to the very foundation, nothing looks or feels the same, and another storm is always threatening. This deep wounding is typically characterized by three "E's": an event or events with a threat of physical and psychological harm, your individual experience of the event(s) and it's severity, and the long term effects of the event(s), such as re-experiencing the threat (memories / nightmares / flashbacks) and avoiding the threat (self medicating / isolation / dissociation).
Even if you don't 'remember' or have a story to tell, you may often experience the fight/flight/freeze response because of exposure to high levels of traumatic stress.
Traumatic experience ranges from toxic levels of stress found in everyday events (i.e. work, financial, relationships, illness, loss of a loved one, etc), life threatening events (i.e. abuse, rape, auto accident, violence, warfare, etc), and long term exposure to stressful events (i.e. physical/sexual/emotional abuse, humiliation, neglect, food scarcity, poverty, political violence, etc).
In therapy you can change the way you relate to trauma by:
practicing skills to regulate distressing emotions
re-connecting with your sensations and emotions in a safe way
integrating past experiences and memories
experiencing post-traumatic growth and enhanced resiliency
Anxiety and depression
Anxiety and depression are two sides of the same coin.
On one side you feel keyed up, on edge, or maxed out. While some stress is tolerable, this anxiety is a high energy/low pleasant feeling that keeps your thoughts racing, your body on guard, and your worry out of control.
On the other side you feel unmotivated, disconnected, and pushed down. While it is good to be able to slow down, depression is the low energy/low pleasant feeling that keeps your negative thoughts on repeat and your sense of self-worth low.
Anxiety and depression are emotional, physical, cognitive experiences that keep you from enjoying your life in the present moment. In therapy you can:
Identify emotional triggers
Recognize and challenge problematic thoughts
Develop resources for calming
Learn to trust the wisdom of your body
Encounter your true self and voice
adolescents
The process of maturing from a child into an adult requires the long, often difficult journey of adolescence. Motivated by the desire to find yourself and become your own person, more and more of your energy is focused outside of the home. You want the freedom to focus on friends, school, and hobbies, yet the added responsibility can seem overwhelming.
It's hard for your parents to relate, and even when they try you don't feel like they understand. Maybe you disappear into your own inner world and take care of yourself. Maybe you get big and loud and fight for what you want.
If your experience of adolescence is marked by events like bullying, school violence, witnessing violence, grief, and/or family transitions like moving and divorce, traumatic stress can add to the feeling of isolation and despair.
In therapy you can work to:
Develop healthy, creative ways to express your emotions
Practice healthy strategies for creating safety and calm
Find your own voice and interests
Improve your relationships with peers and parents
Prepare emotionally and psychologically to become your own person in adulthood
