MIND BODY THERAPIES

The stories I hear from my clients tell about loss, neglect and abandonment, physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse.

 I listen to the ways my clients have sought to avoid/escape their pain, anger and fear. They may overeat, do drugs, smoke, drink, gamble, take anti-depressants, shop, keep busy. They feel lonely, disappointed, depressed, discouraged, anxious, stuck, and unhappy in their relationships and work. 

 They're Looking for help.             They Want To Be Happy.           They Want To Love And Be Loved.                                                                                                                      

                                                              What We All Want.

Most of us, were taught to shut down our emotions.

First by parents and other family members, then by teachers, friends, partners and employers. 

But repressing anger, sadness and fear doesn't heal trauma, it buries it, which results in making unhealthy choices - choices that mirror the wounds still inside.

Emotions and the physical sensations and thoughts that accompany them are a main focus of my work with people.

 You will be encouraged to tune into emotions and uncover their roots in your life experiences without judging them as good/bad, right/wrong.

We will work as a team with the power tools that release the stored emotional, mental, physical and spiritual imprints of life's upsets and traumas. 

.The first "power tool" I would like to introduce to you is call Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), developed by Psychologist Francine Shapiro in the 1990s. I trained and became certified in EMDR, Levels I and II in 2000, and have been using the technique with good results for most clients since.

Research shows that EMDR is rapid, safe and effective. EMDR does not involve the use of drugs or hypnosis. It is a simple, non-invasive patient-therapist collaboration in which healing can happen effectively.+

This powerful short-term therapy is highly effective for a wide range of disorders including chronic pain, phobias, depression, panic attacks, eating disorders and poor self-image, stress, worry, stage fright, performance anxiety, recovery from sexual abuse and traumatic incidents.

Many clients who have made slow progress in the past, or who have not benefited from more traditional therapies say that with EMDR they have finally found something that works for them!

What is EMDR?

The EMDR therapy uses bilateral stimulation, through right/left eye movement, or tactile stimulation, or sound, which repeatedly activates the opposite sides of the brain, releasing emotional experiences that are "trapped" in the nervous system. This assists the neurophysiology system, the basis of the mind/body connection, to free itself of blockages and reconnect itself.

EMDR allows a client to process an emotional experience that he/she cannot yet talk about, yet following a EMDR session find an ability to talk about it freely. Most importantly, it can eliminate stress surrounding the traumatic event, with the purpose of allowing new life in the once traumatized and emotionally difficult memory.

How Does It Work?

The therapist works gently with the client and asks him/her to revisit the traumatic moment or incident, recalling feelings surrounding the experience, as well as any negative thoughts, sensations and memories. The therapist typically holds her forefinger about eighteen inches from the client's face and begins to move it back and forth like a windshield wiper. The client tracks the movements with his or her eyes, as if watching ping pong. The more intensely the client focuses on the memory, the easier it becomes for the memory to come to life. As quick and vibrant images arise during the therapy session, they are processed by the eye movements, resulting in painful feelings being exchanged for more peaceful, loving and resolved feelings.

Feel free to share your questions and concerns about whether EMDR could help you.

MERIDIAN TAPPING

               "Where astonishing emotional relief leads to profound physical healings"

                                                                                                    Physician Approved

Psychologist Roger Callahan is credited as being the first to apply Meridian Science to healing emotional issues, which he named, Thought Field Therapy. One of Dr. Callahan's students, Gary Craig streamlined the procedure and incorporated additional components through his extensive practice and gave his method the name Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). There are many offshoot versions of Meridian Therapy  developed by Acupuncturists, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Psychotherapists, and Chiropractors, which use gentle tapping or touching the end points of the Major Meridians.  I began studying the various Meridian Therapies in 2000, and have attended many Trainings by leaders in this field, known as Energy Psychology. 

Meridian Tapping is a safe, gentle, noninvasive technique that can be used along with any medical treatment or other self-help method.  Numerous case reports by clinicians who have used Meridian with clients, and by individuals who have applied it to their own lives, have been published over a period of years in Gary Craig’s comprehensive newsletter.  These accounts indicate that many people who try EFT benefit from it, often in an impressive way. 

You can literally use Meridian Tapping for any Mental, Emotional and Physical Problem!

The internet has  many practitioner's reportorts of using the technique with their clients.

Do a search for EFT or Meridian Tapping for more information

Guided imagery is a program of directed thoughts and suggestions that guide your imagination toward a relaxed, focused state.

Guided imagery is based on the concept that your body and mind are connected. Using all of your senses, your body seems to respond as though what you are imagining is real. An example often used is to imagine an orange or a lemon in great detail - the smell, the color, the texture of the peel. Continue to imagine the smell of the lemon, and then see yourself taking a bite of the lemon and feel the juice squirting into your mouth. Many people salivate when they do this. This

demonstrates how your body can respond to what you are imagining.

What is guided imagery used for?

Guided imagery has many uses. You can use it to promote relaxation, which can lower blood pressure and reduce other problems related to stress. You can also use it to help reach goals (such as losing weight or quitting smoking), manage pain, and promote healing. Using guided imagery can even help you to prepare for an athletic event or for public speaking.

PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION TRAINING

Progressive Relaxation Training is a technique of systematically tensing and releasing your muscles, in order to create whole body relaxation.  By consciously letting o of tension from our bodies and creating an environment which is peaceful and quiet, our bodies go from an activated mode into a deactivated one.

Developing this skill is especially beneficial for clients who have difficulty soothing themselves when they become upset or anxious.

MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS

Meditation, or Mindfulness, as coined by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, a scientist who has spent many years studying the benefits of this practice on people with a range of issues from medical illnesses and behavioral problems to athletes looking for their best performance, is a verb.  It is a practice of concentration and paying attention in a particular way.  It involves being totally present in the moment with all senses heightened.  It's something we're all capable of doing, and by regular practice, can create an internal reservoir of stability and insight.

In the practice you may concentrate on your breath, a sound, object, visualization, movement, or sensations in the body.  The goal of meditation is to increase the sense of well-being, reduce stress, activate the relaxation response, and enhance personal and spiritual growth.

"Meditation is a way of being.   Meditation is not about trying to get anywhere else,  it is about allowing yourself to be exactly where you are and as you are, and the world to e exactly as it is in this moment, as well."

- Jon Kabat-Zin

POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS

Every thought and word is an affirmation.  Every thought has a physical counterpart.  When you choose to think thoughts that make you feel good, you create ease and comfort in your body.  When you choose to think negative thoughts of fear, anger, longing, lack, etc., you create dis-ease and stress in your body.

  If you want your life to be happier, more fulfilling, more loving, successful, creative, etc...the first step is aligning your thoughts with your goals.  Your thoughts are your power.

 You can choose to "wake up" and consciously create your life in ways that please and support you.

You will be coached and encouraged to recognize  your habitual thought and self-talk patterns, understand their negative or positive relationship to what you want to create in your life, and to replace those that are negative with self-supporting thoughts that create the "fertile ground" for the seeds of the life you want to grow. 

BEHAVIOR THERAPY

Behavior therapy is based on the principles that to be different, people must practice acting different, and to feel better, must change actions. When you want to increase effectiveness in a life area we look at the skills you may need.  Often clients are stuck in patterns of relating and behaving that were learned in childhood and are not optimal for success in the adult world.  

When there has been childhood abuse or exposure to the patterns typical in families with substance abuse and/or domestic violence, the blueprint for what is normal is distorted.  Therapy is a safe place to identify ineffective behaviors, learn and practice the more effective thinking and skills. 

Additional Cognitive Therapies/Rational Thinking, Physical Exercise and Cultivating Self Love and Acceptance are Key Aspects of the Counseling Experience.