LIVE TO THRIVE COUNSELING

EMDR: TRAUMA, ADDICTION AND DYSFUNCTIONAL PATTERNS

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

Used to treat PTSD, developmental trauma, "little t" traumas, and substance or alcohol use disorder, EMDR is effective in reducing the long-lasting effects of distressing memories by engaging the brain's natural adaptive information processing mechanisms. It reconciles negative self-beliefs that clients developed in the past with what they know to be true about themselves now. For instance, victims of childhood abuse may have grown into competent adults but still be haunted by feelings of powerlessness that reduce their emotional experience and quality of life. Compared to classic psychotherapy, EMDR is expeditious. The therapy uses an eight-phase approach that includes having you recall distressing images while receiving one of several types of bilateral sensory input, such as side-to-side eye movements. This has the effect of neurological reconsolidation, aligning the "emotional charge" of a past trauma with the more valid and current reality of a person, thereby neutralizing triggers, reducing nightmares and hyper-vigilance while restoring a healthier sense of self. EMDR does not cause anyone to forget past events and is used in conjunction with other techniques used in talk-therapy.

ANXIETY AND LIFE TRANSITIONS

Anxiety is fear about the future intensified by catastrophic thinking.  Fear is a natural protective agent that stimulates our fight-flight-freeze response when confronted with danger.  We humans are all hardwired for fear, which is a good and necessary thing; without it, we would be reckless and compromise our survival.  Sometimes, though, fear oversteps its boundary, "locks in" and overwhelms, becoming a liability rather than an asset. This can exacerbate unhealthy resistance to change and the transitions of our lives, which are often unavoidable, if not desirable. So, instead of committing fully to thriving as we move from one phase of our lives to another, be it from student to professional, single to partnered and parenting, from in a committed relationship to alone again, or from younger to older, we anxiously expend our energy resisting change. This is often exhausting and unproductive.  Therapy will help you examine your resistance while supporting you as you decide on the concrete steps you can take to address your current problems.  Therapy will help you soften the edge of anxiety and restore it to an appropriate measure so you can gain greater clarity.

MINDFULNESS THERAPY

A Happier, Healthier You

Used in conjunction with other treatment modalities, Mindfulness Therapy is an invitation to self-inquiry with dignity and grace.  Its tools and practice is what allows us to expand that space between the stimuli of our lives and our reactions to them. When we allow ourselves the time to pause we can begin to identify the resistance we put up against our circumstances.  It begins with the breath, which helps connect our thoughts to the awareness of our physical bodies.  Breath grounds and anchors us to this moment, helping to extricate us from our narratives of stress and worry. These need to be honored, but they are not all of who we are. Mindfulness does not stop your feelings.  Instead, it allows us to know them as they arise, to let them be and then decide how we want to respond to them.
​​The practice of mindfulness has endured for thousands of years because it works. In its relatively recent embrace of this time-honored wisdom, the West has begun to validate its efficacy in numerous empirical studies, showing practical applications and positive outcomes in most mental disorders.  The beauty of mindfulness is that not only does it work, but the practice does not conflict with any of the major religions. Its beneficial effects are available to anyone.

CAREGIVING AND DEMENTIA

From Chaos to Peace

"Life does not unfold according to our wishes. It is not predictable. It does not follow a smooth and comfortable path. It offers beauty and love mixed with transience and loss, creating a marvelous melancholy--a blend of pleasure and pain that brings intensity and mystery to existence. In the midst of such complexity, the ability to give care to one another is an essential part of a meaningful and compassionate life." (From the Tao of Caregiving by William and Nancy Martin) And yet, in caring for others, we must not neglect ourselves lest we slip into sadness, isolation and depression. Balancing caregiving and self-care is a delicate task made easier with the help of someone who understands the sometimes subtle, often raw immediacy of caring for a beloved who is tragically and inexorably letting go of identity and function. Caregivers need the support of practical counseling when faced with having to make decisions in the absence of open communication with the person they are caring for. Decisions such as how to manage the changing roles in the relationship and the irrational behavior of your loved one, how to modify the house for safety, when to take the car keys away and, one of the hardest of all, is it time for longterm care? In the midst of these chaotic changes, caregiving can be a lonely heartache where the self in former, happier times is lost and longed for. It is essential to speak of this, to feel free to express the depths of your feelings and find relief so that you can continue to give care and begin to take up the things that once nourished and helped you thrive.