What is EMDR Therapy and Who Can Benefit from It EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a psychotherapy method that uses two-sided stimulation to help people overcome emotional distress linked to PTSD and other mental disorders. EMDR is based on several psychotherapy theories, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It was developed in…
Somatic Psychotherapy: The Importance of the Mind-Body Connection The mind and body are inextricably linked. Our emotions and thoughts have the power to produce physical reactions in our bodies. As a result, a traumatic or very stressful event in your life may cause mental and physical symptoms that can feel overwhelming or hard to contain. …
Imposter syndrome (IS) involves the belief that your success is due to luck or other external factors and not your competencies and qualifications. People who experience imposter syndrome struggle with chronic feelings of incompetence and inadequacy, thinking that they are as not skilled as other people see them be. The term “imposter syndrome” was introduced…
What is Self-Compassion and How to Practice It? I was first introduced to the practices of mindfulness and self-compassion about ten years ago by my therapist. I found the work to be powerful tool I utilize a lot in my life, and with clients. Mindful self-compassion is one of the essential aspects of self-care and…
If you have never seen a therapist before, you may have questions about the process. Here is what you can expect: Like a doctor’s visit, you will have to fill out paperwork before you begin the therapy session. These forms will include a medical history, insurance and HIPAA forms, a therapist-patient services agreement, and a…
If you are one of the 264 million people worldwide who suffer with anxiety, you are probably working to build a toolkit of strategies that can help reduce anxious feelings and mitigate triggers. Women are even more affected by anxiety, with 23.4 percent of women reporting anxiety-related issues, compared to 14.3% of men in the…
“Burnout is the feeling that you’ve hit the wall exhaustion-wise, but then have to scale the wall and just keep going. There’s no catharsis, no lasting rest, just this background hum of exhaustion.” Anne Helen Peterson What is burnout? The original 1975 definition by Herbert Freudenberger had 3 components: 1) Emotional exhaustion (the fatigue of…
Myths about therapy are everywhere. If you’ve never been in therapy, you may have a picture in your head about what it’s like. Some of this comes from the (usually, REALLY inappropriate) depictions of therapy in TV shows and movies. Some of this comes from the improving-but-still-there societal stigma around having mental health challenges or…
Have you ever wondered why you keep seeking out similar patterns in relationships, when logically you know they might not be the healthiest for you, but in your gut, something deeper is pulling you towards a person who elicits certain feelings in you? I have found that in my work as a therapist, relationships are…
It’s difficult to navigate anxiety day in and day out. The symptoms can make it hard to go to work or school, spend time with our families, and even get out of bed in the morning. Sometimes anxiety can be an incapacitating force and interfere with our ability to live a happy life. In fact,…