There are eight phases of EMDR. But do any of us fully know what they mean from a keyword search? Well, in this article I’m giving you a full rundown on what they are and what you should expect. In last week’s article, I answered the most commonly asked questions. The various tools the therapist …
8 Phases of EMDR: A Comprehensive Guide Read More »
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. You may wonder, what does the first half (eye movement) have to do with the second half? Well, when we are in a deep sleep, our eyes move back and forth, especially while dreaming. We call this REM (Rapid Eye Movement). The theory holds that we are …
EMDR: Everything You Want to Know Read More »
There’s no doubt that psychology has made great advances over the years. Many have contributed to how we view trauma and to creating more effective treatments. But research will always be ongoing, and on that we can also agree. So, when we forget that our leading contributors don’t have all the answers, we tend to …
Psychology’s Mainstream Narrative and its Major Problems Read More »
Trauma survivors need a trauma informed therapist. My last article supplied you with your “bill of rights” as a client and everything you should expect from this type of therapy. It reads like a series of green flags for great therapy. But not all therapists who claim to be trauma informed use the principles behind …
9 Red Flags for a Bad Therapist Read More »
Psychology has come a long way since the 1990’s. New research has brought a more compassionate approach to healing trauma survivors. Gone are the days of the one-size-fits-all treatment plan. Thanks to the trauma informed, we now have multiple treatment options. That’s because psychology today understands that we all have unique needs. And what works …
Trauma Informed Therapy: What You Need to Know Read More »
The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias in those who are overconfident in their knowledge and abilities. When we believe we know all there is to know about something, we also believe there is nothing new to learn about it. That’s just basic human nature. But in the Dunning-Kruger Effect, they tend to be dismissive …
The Dunning-Kruger Effect: A History Lesson of Psychology Read More »
Forgiving someone for a mistake is beautiful. It shows acknowledgement that we all make mistakes and we can relate to it in some way. However, a lifetime of intentional cruelty is not a mistake. If we cannot imagine treating others the way that someone treated us, forgiveness tends to feel like the F-word. The truth …
Toxic Forgiveness Stagnates the Healing Read More »
Sometimes thoughts get stuck in our heads and then we can’t think of anything else. We know this as ruminating, and it happens to everyone. But in complex trauma, it’s amplified. Not only does it happen more frequently, but the emotional overwhelm keeps us stuck there longer. That’s why ours is called looping in Trauma …
Looping: It’s Ruminating on Steroids Read More »
Repeated exposure to threats teaches us to be hyper-vigilant. When we have no control of these situations, they teach us that there is nothing we can do about it. In other words, learned helplessness. Our experiences teach us how we view ourselves and our outer world. And as par for the course, how much space …
Learned Helplessness: It’s the Fear of Thriving Read More »
Catastrophizing is what I refer to as False Prophet Syndrome. We imagine the worst case scenario and then it feels like a foregone conclusion. We lean into this prophecy, and give it our full attention. How could we not? There’s a threat up ahead! We see it so clearly in our mind’s eye. Terror grips …
Catastrophizing: Negotiating With Your False Prophet Read More »
