Purposeful Exploration

I have extensive knowledge in several treatment modalities that address addiction.  I see substance use as an ineffective coping strategy and work with my clients to find a more effective way to manage what they are going through.

I have a masters level education in addiction and many hours of specialized training and experience including running both men’s and women’s inpatient treatment facilities for high-risk individuals, supervising outpatient treatment programs and with numerous individuals privately.  I use this work experience and education to facilitate client centered work and recognize their choice in how to approach this issue. 

I have worked with individuals, couples and groups.  I have supported clients through desire to be completely abstinent from all mind-altering substances and I have worked with individuals who use some form of harm reduction; including Medication Assisted Treatment.

What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a form of therapy that helps people heal from trauma or other distressing life experiences. EMDR therapy has been extensively researched and is an evidence based treatment.

I am EMDR trained by the EMDR Institute and have a Certified EMDR Consultant available for consultation on EMDR protocol.

About EMDR Therapy

Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not be processed without help. Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create feelings of overwhelm, of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories, and allows normal healing to resume.  The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.”

How is EMDR different from other therapies? 

EMDR therapy does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue, or homework between sessions. EMDR, rather than focusing on changing the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors resulting from the distressing issue, allows the brain to resume its natural healing process. EMDR therapy is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. Part of the therapy includes alternating eye movements, sounds, or taps.

Who can benefit from EMDR therapy?

Therapists use EMDR with a wide range of challenges:

• Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias
• Chronic Illness and medical issues
• Depression and bipolar disorders
• Dissociative disorders
• Eating disorders
• Grief and loss
• Pain
• Performance anxiety
• Personality disorders
• PTSD and other trauma and stress related issues
• Sexual assault
• Sleep disturbance
• Substance abuse and addiction
• Violence and abuse

Experiencing EMDR Therapy

After the therapist and client agree that EMDR therapy is a good fit, and begin to work together, the client will be asked to focus on a specific event. Attention will be given to a negative image, belief, and body feeling related to this event, and then to a positive belief that would indicate the issue was resolved. While the client focuses on the upsetting event, the therapist will begin sets of side-to-side eye movements, sounds, or taps. The client will be guided to notice what comes to mind after each set. They may experience shifts in insight or changes in images, feelings, or beliefs regarding the event. The client has full control to stop the therapist at any point, if needed. The sets of eye movements, sounds, or taps are repeated until the event becomes less disturbing.

A typical EMDR therapy session lasts from 60-90 minutes. EMDR therapy may be used within a standard talking therapy, as an adjunctive therapy with a separate therapist, or as a treatment all by itself.

Aaron Beck is considered the father of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  CBT is used with a wide range of issues and research supports its effectiveness in improving intended issues thus improving effectiveness in life.  CBT is often used to help treat depression, anxiety, addiction, and disordered eating, among other things.

The core principles of CBT are 1) our thinking causes all or some part of the issue that we want to change, 2) problem areas are caused, all or in part, by learned behaviors and 3) if you learned something, you can un learn it or change how you think about it which can help resolve the problem.  And, you can change how you think about something today without necessarily unearthing how we learned it in the first place, which can be very appealing.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy was created by Marsha Linehan.  It combines CBT and mindfulness practice and works off of the premise that the core of any disorder to address is emotion dysregulation. 

The goal is to balance opposing wants.  You can have two wants that are in opposition to each other and it is important to acknowledge these polarities and work on skills to manage dysregulation that is created.  DBT says that problems occur when you get stuck in one of the polarities and are not in balance.  An example might be wanting to walk outside for exercise and not wanting to walk outside for exercise because it is too hot outside or wanting to change something in a relationship and being fearful of the unknown if you bring it up.

DBT asserts that an individual has an emotional vulnerability AND the inability to manage emotions appropriately.  It is about problem solving, skills training, learning and applying new skills and changing your thinking.

There are four components of DBT: mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance and emotion regulation.  Mindfulness or staying in the present moment is the foundation for each of the modules. DBT works off of the primary belief that the person seeking services has the desire to change and grow.