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Trauma

Heather Edwards Mental Health Counseling / Trauma
EMDR therapy

EMDR: A Life Changing Choice

October 9, 2024
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Anxiety, EMDR, Lifestyle, Self Esteem, Trauma

Have you ever been stuck in a mental loop, replaying painful memories like a bad song on repeat? Or you've had moments where past trauma sneaks up on you, disrupting your present with anxiety, self-doubt, or emotional overload. If so, you're not alone—and there's a surprisingly effective tool that can help you break free from those patterns. EMDR: A life changing choice. What Exactly Is EMDR? EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Sounds technical, right? But don't worry, it’s not as intimidating as it seems. In essence, EMDR is a type of psychotherapy designed to help people heal from the symptoms and emotional distress caused by disturbing life experiences. The magic lies in how it helps your brain reprocess traumatic memories so they no longer...

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EMDR Therapy: Pandemic trauma

February 4, 2022
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EMDR, Trauma

Anger, fear, and powerlessness quietly pervade the consciousness of people around the world. Stress and burn-out, grief, loss and resentment abound. And what started as a temporary crisis has become a chronic problem with no end in sight. EMDR Therapy can clear the trauma of this crisis. For the past 2 years, the goal-post of safety and calm was jockeyed around. Just when a moment of respite was achieved, a tidal wave of existential threat emerged. So, how have you made it this far? You are resilient.  Leverage your resilience. Wake up the parts of you that provide nurturing, protection, wisdom, and peace toward yourself. Strengthen your inner resources. EMDR therapy is not only a form of exposure therapy, but it’s a strength-based resilience building process. Change your...

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anxiety

Anxiety and Lockdown

December 9, 2020
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Anxiety, Stress Management, Trauma

Anxiety is on the rise. As we approach another lockdown, you anticipate uncomfortable feelings.  You notice parts of yourself vying for attention - the ones that feel fear, loneliness, and shame. The anxiety of unfinished business from the past, beckons your acknowledgment and soothing.  Without the external distractions of work, shopping, and appointments, you are forced to sit with your internal world. There are many ways to distract yourself from this discomfort. You can go for a walk, watch a movie, call a friend, dance in your bedroom, or take a class online. It's a temporary "fix" but, will all this “doing” result in healing? What if this is the time to stop doing? What if all this doing has kept you stuck in unproductive being? And what if...

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EMDR

EMDR Therapy: Rewrite your story

September 29, 2020
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Trauma

EMDR Therapy opens windows in the mind. Imagine rewriting your story. One where YOU decide who you are, how you can be, and how life's challenges affect you.  Take a moment to notice how you view yourself in the world. Complete the statement, ”I am_____”. Is your belief negative, such as, “I am unworthy.”, “I am powerless.”, or  ”I am unsafe.”? If so, that core belief may be tied to earlier unprocessed memories.  What if you could believe something else? What would you rather believe about yourself? I am strong, safe, capable, worthy, lovable, smart…  People decide to start EMDR therapy because of anxiety, depression, or pervasive negative beliefs. Francine Shapiro, the originator and developer of EMDR therapy stated that often these experiences are the result of unprocessed memories. When...

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trauma, emdr, therapy

Dear Trauma: EMDR changes lives

February 5, 2020
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Anxiety, Stress Management, Trauma

Dear trauma, I don’t need you anymore. You served a purpose and kept me safe in the face of danger. But now you’re getting in my way. I got this. Yours truly. When trauma happens, your central nervous system reacts in one of 4 ways to protect you:  Fight - physically defending yourself  Flight - running away Freeze - if I don’t move, they won’t see me - think deer in headlights Faint - playing dead It’s involuntary and automatic. It’s your body‘s way of protecting you in the moment. So, thank your body for doing that - and let it know you’re safe now. In the case of PTSD and limiting beliefs, it’s not enough to know you’re safe. Your body's protective mechanisms get frozen in time...

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tattoo trauma

Tattoos for healing?

July 11, 2019
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Trauma

Tattoos date back to neo-Paleolithic times, serving purposes both for good and for bad. They have been used to record history, brand prisoners and slaves, express self-identity, and reclaim control over one’s own body. For many today, clients are claiming trauma recovery benefits. This intriguing Psychology Today guest blog by Heather Edwards combines insight about what tattoos can mean to folks, along with an interview with an artist in the craft, Paul Booth.  The notion of a mark on oneself is as ancient as the Mark of Cain, after murdering his brother, Abel in the Book of Genesis.  Nathaniel Hawthorn’s Puritan-era “Scarlet Letter” may not have been a tattoo–it was sown to one’s clothing–but it did mark the community’s condemnation of an adulterer. Not surprisingly, there is another side to...

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trauma

Trauma & A Path to Wholeness

October 29, 2018
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Trauma

Trauma floods the news. Politics, religion, and a quest for power fuel horrific acts that forever impact victims and witnesses. They send a wave of trauma across the nation. Because of the Kavanaugh hearings, a shooting at a synagogue, or pipe bomb mailings to Political leaders, along with the little “t”’s (trauma’s) of daily life - such as, being bullied at work, losing a loved one, or having a financial crisis - your sense of peace and safety gets blocked. Trauma rocks your central nervous system causing physiological changes in your body that feel like stress, anxiety, panic or worse - a very real sense of being in mortal danger. Prolonged, it can lead to unhealthy patterns in your behavior affecting relationships, work, or wellbeing. Eventually, it can...

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