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Trauma can profoundly reshape a person's life
Life has changed in ways you might never have imagined. Trauma has a way of gripping your emotions, relationships, and worldview, reshaping them into something almost unrecognizable. It feels like you're constantly at battle, doing anything to avoid the painful memories—shoving them way down deep, just to get through the day. Connecting with your own body has become an uncomfortable and even frightening experience, leaving you feeling disconnected and alone.
Whether it was one big event or a series of smaller events, you may wake up to a life that isn’t the one you wanted. Maybe you’re not the person you know you could be. You have a feeling deep down that there has to be more than this. But you’re not sure how to get there.
Are you...
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Constantly Anxious, Always feeling on edge or worried.
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Reliving traumatic events unexpectedly or having to push away painful memories often
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Struggling with insomnia or nightmares.
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Steering clear of places or people that trigger memories.
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Feeling disconnected from emotions and loved ones, and even disconnecting from yourself
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Finding it hard to trust others, even close friends.
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Being overly alert and aware of surroundings.
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Experiencing headaches, stomach issues, or other stress-related ailments.
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Feeling alone and misunderstood by others.
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Constantly questioning one’s worth and abilities.
The human brain is absolutely
Did you know it has an to itself?
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When we go through traumatic or overwhelming experiences, these memories can sometimes get "stuck." Unlike other memories that are neatly filed away, these traumatic ones remain unresolved, making us feel like we're reliving them over and over again.
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Unprocessed traumatic memories can manifest in various ways:
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Feeling like you’re constantly reliving the trauma through memories or nightmares
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Experiencing strong emotions like fear, sadness, irritability, and loneliness
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Perceiving danger even when you are safe
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Feeling uncomfortable in your own body and the world around you
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Feeling irritable around others and wanting to isolate in your home where it feels safe
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You often people please to avoid the perceived danger of telling someone "no" or sticking up for yourself
EMDR can help!
EMDR Therapy was created to help people process unresolved trauma. This happens by using bilateral brain stimulation. Essentially, I will guide you to activate the right and left hemispheres of your brain by moving your eyes side to side, or tapping your shoulders with your hands first left then right.
By activating both sides of the brain, we can use the brain’s natural healing ability to help you process an unresolved traumatic memory. When the memory is processed you are able to remember the experience but you no longer feel the intense negative emotions around it. Instead, you can be at peace.
What happens in EMDR Therapy?
There are 8 phases in EMDR
01
Introduction
We take time to get to know each other! I learn about you, your life, what matters most to you, and things that you want to see change. I ask questions about different parts of your life, including your childhood and family relationships. This is the time I also will gage readiness and ability to manage your current symptoms.
02
Resourcing & preparation
We do activities to help you learn ways to feel calm when a difficult emotion rises up. I will show you a variety of techniques (including deep breathing, guided imagery, and a body scanning) so you can try them out and see which ones you like best. The preparation stage is very important, we are teaching your system what to do when we gently and carefully begin to process painful memories from your past.During this phase we are filling you up with resources and tools that will help you when it’s time to process your painful memory. We want to make sure you are ready to go there so the experience can be healing (and not harmful) for you.
03
Treatment Planning
This is where we select a painful memory to reprocess. I will guide you to select an image that represents the worst part of the experience, along with the emotions, beliefs, and body sensations that come up when you remember it today.
04
Reprocessing
We will apply the bilateral stimulation and your only job is to stay present, noticing what comes into your awareness. You don’t have to make anything happen - there’s no right or wrong - you just follow whatever comes into your attention. We notice those things together, and help the memory be “digested” in a new way. I’m here to help if you begin to feel stressed or uncomfortable.
05
Installation of Positive Thought
We will use identified positive cognitions and install them using bilateral stimulation to assist with creating a neutral or positive effect to the memory you have chosen to reprocess.
07
Closure
06
Body Scan
We will clear your body of any left over discomforts by using a simple body scan and more bilateral stimulation.
08
Re-engagement of Memory
Once your memory has cleared all avenues of discomfort and disruption, we will end the session with a resource or coping skill.
When you return for another session, we will discuss how you are feeling, if any new symptoms have come up, and what level of disruption the targeted memory is currently at. If needed we will go back through stages 3-7 to finish clearing out a memory, or choose another memory to work on.
My Specialties for EMDR Therapy:
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Sexual Traumas
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Veteran/Military Trauma
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Relational Trauma
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Grief
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Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Types of EMDR Therapy
2
EMDR Intensives
An accelerated format of therapy where we meet for 1-3 days of EMDR therapy. Each Intensive Day is a 3-hour session.
3
Adjunct EMDR Intensives
We meet for your chosen rate of intensive sessions while still seeing your current therapist.
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