Ideas, Inspiration, and Hope
The Surgeon General’s Warning: Overwhelmed and Under-resourced Parents
There are immeasurable joys of parenting. And I’d love to write about that, but right now it feels more important to acknowledge an advisory made by the surgeon general declaring parental mental health an urgent public health issue. What most parents everywhere already know: Parenting is overwhelming. It's stressful. It's exhausting. And sometimes, it feels like we're just barely holding it together.
Beyond the Trauma: How Trauma Can Affect Your Mental Health and Wellbeing
Heart Hurts? Try Connecting Directly with your Heart During Periods of Grief, Sadness, or Anxiety..
Connecting with our heart space can provide emotional support and help cope with grief, sadness, anxiety, disappointment and frustration. Here a few brief somatic practices for connecting with the heart.
6 Practical Ways for Parents with Toddlers to Practice Self-Care
It’s hard to focus on ourselves when there’s so much else we are needing to pay attention to
Parents of littles often primarily focus and attend to ‘the others’ in their lives, right? It’s easy to form a habit of neglecting oneself in the process. And it can feel like a giant leap to try and prioritize your own needs and make time for yourself. The days are full to the brim with activity, energy, and little hands with never ending requests. Yet, taking care and tuning into personal needs is necessary for continuing to show up for our children and everything else we care about.
Holistic Healing: Combining EMDR Treatment with Trauma-Sensitive Yoga
EMDR Therapy and Yoga have been shown effective in working with a range of mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and more. It’s widely understood that a regular yoga practice offers a range of benefits, both physical and mental. But what about the benefits of including trauma-sensitive yoga with EMDR Therapy? By incorporating the benefits of yoga, individuals may be better able to access and process traumatic memories and emotions, and integrate insights from the EMDR, leading to more effective healing and recovery.
6 Reasons Trauma Therapy Should Include the Body
Most of us are familiar with focusing on our thoughts, emotions and behaviors in therapy, rather than paying attention to our physical states. And yet, I’ve also heard from many individuals experiencing disappointment after engaging in years of talk therapy without achieving the desired changes. You may relate and feel like you’ve tried everything. But think about this for a moment, the mind is not the only factor that contributes to personal growth and transformation. In fact, neglecting the body's role in the therapeutic process can create a barrier to change.
8 Phases of EMDR Therapy
As an EMDR Therapist many people come to me eager to address past trauma, tired of being in pain and looking for relief. Sound familiar? Here’s the thing: with any trauma informed care, building a supportive therapeutic relationship in addition to other preparation, is crucial for treatment to be successful. There are important steps prior to jumping into deeper trauma work which is why EMDR actually has 8 phases of treatment. Here I will walk you through each phase of EMDR therapy.
How EMDR Can Help You Get Unstuck and Reclaim Your Life
Are you finding yourself stuck in a cycle of negative thoughts and behaviors that feel impossible to change? Do you often wake up feeling on edge, unable to shake off feelings of restlessness and anxiety? After experiencing traumatic, overwhelming experiences (including ongoing insecurity in attachment with a primary caregiver in early childhood), it’s common to feel lost, scared and uncertain of the future. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of psychotherapy that has been shown to be highly effective in treating trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
A Brief Intuitive Movement Practice
Only have a few minutes to move your body? Try this brief intuitive movement practice that helps you slow down, check in and connect with your body through movement. Help build physical and emotional connection with yourself and your body.
How Practicing Yoga Can Complement Somatic Psychotherapy
I’ve been thinking a lot about the benefits of incorporating a yoga practice, especially intuitive movement and restorative practices, alongside of somatic psychotherapy and wanted to share some of them with you.