EMDR
Paper cranes symbolize peace and healing.
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Structured & Collaborative Sessions
Maybe you have seen therapy in the movies or been in your own therapy where you (or the movie client) spends the bulk of the time venting about life stressors at a mile a minute. The therapist nods, validates and occasionally asks piercing questions to challenge any irrational thoughts. That way of working is unsustainable for me, and by extension, you. My style is more interactive. In order to get to the underlying issues that keep you stuck in unhealthy habit patterns, we’ll work collaboratively and with purpose. The way I orient to the work is that I have valuable expertise in using EMDR for trauma healing and you have expertise in your lived experience.
What does healing look like?
I use Relational and Somatics informed EMDR, a structured and flexible phased approach to healing that goes beyond talk therapy and has proven to be effective in treating trauma. Prior to our first intensive session, you’ll complete a few questionnaires to help me get a sense of where you’ve been and how that’s shaped who you are today. I’ll also take a general history to help us identify unjust or stressful experiences within institutional systems, family, and work. We’ll identify recent experiences or childhood memories related to current struggles.
Then, you’ll learn new ways to cope with stress. Many of these skills involve mindfulness, mind body exercises, and expressive arts. Once you’ve demonstrated your readiness for processing, we'll move on to safely reprocess memories of adverse experiences. Then we’ll process current triggers so that you will no longer have to avoid reminders of the traumatic experience. Finally, we’ll create a template for how you want to move forward and engage fully with your life, recent losses and all. You’ll rehearse how you’d like to respond to upsetting events or reminders . Your goals will drive the process. Some folks come through sensing their own resilience and worthiness. Others reclaim a sense of belonging or inherent worthiness.
If you are doing an intensive, I’ll recommend the number of days to book to focus on a single issue. We move at a pace that is safe and effective. So, do bear in mind that while Intensives are accelerated EMDR, I cannot guarantee the completion of a target.
Learn More About EMDR
What does EMDR stand for?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. To learn more about EMDR view the video courtesy of EMDRIA.
Video Courtesy of EMDR International Association