Nearly everyone experiences something at some point in their life that exceeds their resources to cope.
When you experience something that exceeds your resources to cope, you might begin to develop feelings of toxic shame, anxiety, mood disruption, sleep disruption, isolation or avoidance of people or places or situations, impulsivity, irritability, aggressiveness, relationship problems, or feelings of un-safety in your relationships, in the world around you, and even within yourself.
I integrate concepts from Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB), Polyvagal Theory (PVT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to help you feel a sense of safety and connection and experience a shift away from negative things that you may believe about yourself towards more adaptive, positive beliefs about yourself and the world around you.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
WHAT IS EMDR?
EMDR therapy is an extensively researched method that helps people recover from trauma and PTSD symptoms. EMDR is also demonstrating to be very effective when applied to anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, and other distressing experiences. EMDR treatment can relieve emotional distress, reduce physiological arousal (fight or flight activation), and support more adaptive thoughts- this can lead to things like improved self-esteem, greater sense of empowerment, elimination of toxic shame or self-blame, and resolution of anger issues.
HOW DOES EMDR WORK?
It is consistently demonstrated through the application of EMDR that the brain naturally moves toward healing (adaptive processing) just like the body naturally moves towards healing. Because of the way this healing process works from the bottom up and inside out, it tends to be more efficient and more permanent. Imagine looking in the mirror at yourself and telling yourself something you WANT to believe. How many times will you have to tell yourself before you actually start to believe it? I often hear clients say, “Well, I logically KNOW _______ is true, but it doesn’t FEEL true.” No matter how much they try to “logic” themselves into knowing/believing something, it just doesn’t fully translate into their felt self. Now imagine if you could know the thing both logically AND in your felt self! No more arguments with yourself—you just…KNOW!
EMDR supports the healing process from the bottom up and from the inside out, resulting in more efficient and more permanent healing!
Polyvagal Theory
The Polyvagal Theory considers the ways a person's autonomic nervous system operates when the drive to survive competes with the longing to connect. Your nervous system is constantly looking for signals of safety or danger and interpreting whether to activate protective strategies vs allowing you to relax into the feelings of safety and connection.
When your nervous system interprets danger, chemicals and energy are released that allow you to fight or flee to get to safety. However, your nervous system was not designed to sustain this state for months, years, or a lifetime. The chronic activation of this stress pathway can lead to negative physiological and psychological effects, including anxiety and increased risk of health problems such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
When your nervous system interprets safety, you are able to feel calm and relaxed, present in the moment, connected to others and the world around you.
We will work together to increase flexibility in your nervous system so that you can feel safe, present, and connected with yourself, others, and the world around you!
Interpersonal Neurobiology
Interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB) offers a holistic approach to mental health that considers how the brain and mind develop in the context of relationships and interactions with other minds.
Destructive, insecure attachments have negative effects on your brain and body. Likewise, positive, secure attachments have positive effects on your brain and body. Because the brain continues to grow throughout life (a concept referred to as “neuroplasticity”), we can leverage a lifetime of healing benefits through relationship repair and the generation of healthy relationship attachments!
By employing IPNB concepts, I can help you heal from past traumas, increase your self-trust, and learn to facilitate healthy meaningful relationships that provide a sense of belonging, connection, and emotional support!
Discover something new in YOUR life!
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Discover something new in YOUR life! —