› Couples Therapy
› EMDR/Trauma Recovery
› Anxiety & Depression
› Spiritual Growth
› Addiction & Codependency
Many of us are held back in our lives because of the lasting effects of some kind of trauma. Some trauma is obvious like childhood abuse (physical, sexual, spiritual or emotional), an abusive relationship, or a traumatic event (like a car accident or other violent experience, sexual assault, loss of a loved one, or military combat). Some trauma is subtle, like hearing messages (directly or indirectly) over and over again that you are unworthy, unlovable, not good enough, or somehow defective or shameful. This can happen in childhood or adulthood, and often we don’t recognize how harmful these messages are when internalized. Many of us have tapes that play constantly in our minds that are riddled with these unhelpful and untrue beliefs.
EMDR and other body-centered approaches help heal these experiences directly and powerfully. In an EMDR session, a traumatic experience or belief is processed using bilateral stimulation to the body, which engages both hemispheres of the brain. The result is that the emotional charge associated with the trauma decreases, and is replaced by a more rational, calm, adult view of the experience. For example, a woman who experienced childhood sexual abuse might go from feeling panic and shame when thinking about having sex, and having the belief “I’m damaged,” to having the belief instead that, “I’m fine, it was my abuser who was damaged” and being able to have a healthy sexual relationship.
EMDR is a technique that has been in practice for over 20 years and its effectiveness is highly documented in the literature. It is even supported by the government for use with combat veterans with PTSD.
- Experience relief from nightmares, flashbacks and dissociation
- Overcome fears (fear of flying, performance anxiety, phobias)
- Let go of limiting beliefs (eg, “I’m not good enough”)
- Learn to trust again and want to connect with people again
- Overcome depression, isolation and anxiety
- Feel safe in the world again
- Develop a healthy sexual relationship
- Find the freedom to express who you really are
- Replace your anxiety and fear with joy and peace
Peter Levine,
Waking the Tiger
