I will work with you as the unique person you are. As we spend time together in session and explore your experience of your life situation and get clarity about your goals I will encourage you to understand and follow the path of your own inner knowing. We will create a custom designed program especially for you. I will adapt the techniques I have learned to suit your unique process and needs. I consider it a sublime honor to support you on your path. Together we will work toward discovering the steps that make your healing journey unique.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma. When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound. If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes. The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. For more information on EMDR, visit EMDR Institute, EMDR International Association or EMDR-Humanitarian Assistance Programs.
Guided Imagery
Guided imagery uses guided words and music to evoke positive imaginary and scenarios. It is a gentle but powerful technique that focuses and directs the imagination. It involves more than just the visual sense. It involves all of the senses, and almost anyone can do it and the effectiveness of guided imagery has been increasingly established by research findings that demonstrate its positive impact on health, creativity and performance. Because of the brain structures involved, it will often heighten emotion and openness to spirituality, and intuition.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is sometimes described as “paying attention on purpose.” It is described as a mental state achieved by focusing the totality of one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, and is used as a therapeutic technique as well as a skill to practice. One technique is to practice paying attention to the present moment by using the 5 senses. Noticing what we see, hear, feel, taste or smell has the calming effect of keeping us in the present moment.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy or DBT
DBT presents skills (including the use of mindfulness) to reduce the experience of painful emotions, increase distress tolerance and improve communication and interpersonal problem-solving skills.
Meditation
Meditation is the practice of staying in the present moment. It requires that we still the mind, neither thinking about the future (anxiety), nor the past (regret/sadness). In the present moment (here and now) most people experience a feeling of being centered and calm. There are many different meditation techniques. One vehicle to achieve present centered awareness to focus the mind on the breath and to follow the entire inhale inward into the body, and to follow the entire exhale out again. Placing the mind on the breath and focusing on the cycle of breath and on the sensations it produces in the body. When the mind wanders away from the breath, we notice that happening and re-focus back on the breath. The mind will wander frequently in the beginning of this practice, but diligently bringing it back will actually create new patterns in the brain.
Psychological Kinesiology
PSYCH-K™ was originated in 1988 by Robert M. Williams, M.A. It was a response to the frustration that came with the realization that typical counseling techniques, which rely almost exclusively on “insight” and “motivation,” sometimes failed to create real and lasting changes. It deals with the part of the mind called the subconscious, which is capable of creating dramatic and lasting changes quickly and easily. Changing subconscious beliefs that may be sabotaging plans is similar to reprogramming a personal computer. The goal is to increase “cross-talk” between the two brain hemispheres, thereby achieving a more “whole-brained” state, which is ideal for changing subconscious beliefs. In addition, when right and left hemispheres of the brain are in simultaneous communication, the qualities and characteristics of both hemispheres are available to maximize your full response potential to life’s challenges. This unique process is a blend of various tools for change, some contemporary and some ancient.
Art Therapy
I received training in art therapy when I realized the amazing potential in art making. Images are the language of the soul. Making and engaging with images improves self-awareness and self-esteem and uses imagery to communicate feelings that cannot be expressed by words alone. The creation of art accesses the right brain, the domain of color, space, and emotion. When the narrative, left brain, story is unclear, or words are not available for dialogue, art therapy allows self-expression and discovery. Most are surprised by how much they feel better and how much art reveals about their situation. Through metaphor and symbol, we can extend the meaning to other aspects of life. Best of all, you don’t have to be an artist to do art therapy. In my private practice clients might create images as a visual response to what goes on in the mind or body. Those images often come from the unconscious and hold important personal meaning. The images produced externalize and resolve internalized fears, conflicts and blocks. The creative process and the reflection on the art help you express and understand feelings and patterns of behavior. You do not need any art experience. I am specially trained to promote change through involvement in art making within the context of a therapeutic relationship. By providing a safe environment and unconventional means of exploration people of all ages can work through conflict, grow by facing life’s challenges and accept themselves.
Yoga
My presentation of yoga is not religious; it is trauma-sensitive. Trauma-sensitive yoga is a way to safely experiment with body/mind awareness. I offer a safe, supportive, non-judgmental environment and encourage students to take care of themselves and listen to their bodies. I emphasize self-awareness and self-regulation by using yoga techniques such as deep, mindful breathing, a strong physical core, an upright, well-supported spine, and guided imagery. My main objectives are to help clients experience the present moment, make choices, take effective action and create rhythms. In addition to the many physical benefits, practicing yoga poses and breath awareness has been proven to help people feel more comfortable in their bodies, to learn self-regulation skills, calm the flight or flight response, and to improve their ability to direct attention away from ruminative thought processes.
The Psychology of Yoga or Chakras
The chakras are the psychology of yoga and offer a wonderful framework for psychological exploration. The Sanskrit word chakra means “wheel.” Chakras are energetic wheels in our bodies that are hubs for life energy that runs from the base of our spine to the crown of our head. According to the traditional writings there are 88,000 chakras in the human body covering basically every area in the body. The majority of them are small and insignificant. The most significant ones are the Seven Main Chakras located along the central line of the body, from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Yogis believe that a person’s physical illnesses often first manifests in the energy center before the physical body. By understanding how each chakra affects a particular body function and life issue, it is possible to identify where a chakra is out of balance.
Focusing
In the 1960’s Dr. Eugene Gendlin wondered why some people undergoing therapy got better and others did not. He found that therapy was most successful when clients owned and allowed their feelings to express hidden felt meanings. He called these more embodied meanings “felt senses” and discovered tangible steps that could facilitate this process. He called this new approach, “Focusing.” Focusing teaches you how to turn your attention inside your body to listen, so the energy of your life can be freed to move forward. Focusing is a special way of coming home to yourself and is sometimes the key to addressing issues especially when talking, thinking and planning fail to create results.
