Why You Still Feel It: Trauma, the Body, and Whether EMDR Can Help
You’ve been coming to therapy for a while. Talking about what has happened in the past, what continues to spark in your memory. You’ve been exercising, stopping drinking coffee, limiting alcohol, getting rest, spending time with friends, taking Instagram off your phone... doing all of the things and still….
Why does this $^%^&!! still affect me?
You might not even call it TRAUMA anymore.
You might call it stress.
Burnout.
Anxiety.
You’ve said in therapy… “It wasn’t even that bad.”
But you still can’t fully relax.
Your mind loops.
Your sleep is off.
You feel on edge or you feel nothing at all.
Trauma (and your response to it) is not a character flaw. It’s your nervous system’s response. And it doesn’t simply fade with time.
Ugh! I am having problems talking to my kid! Ways to improve communication with children and teens
Improving communication with children and teens is essential for fostering healthy relationships and supporting their development. It is not easy to do with busy schedules, long work days and long commutes. There are not enough hours in the day to be the kind of parent we want to be. And let’s be real, sometimes our kids get on our nerves! Especially when they are having growth spurts or when teens are going through the individuation process (when they begin to get a sense of themselves in the world separate from you) they can be hard to talk with. Here are some strategies that can help enhance communication:
Building Stronger Foundations: Working with Children and their Families
Family dynamics play a critical role in shaping a child's behavior and development. The family is often considered the primary social unit where children first learn about relationships, communication, and values. Children are highly influenced by the interactions and relationships within their families, and these dynamics can either promote healthy or problematic behaviors. For instance, a supportive and nurturing family environment can lead to positive behaviors in children, fostering qualities like empathy, cooperation, and self-confidence. Conversely, a family with a high level of conflict, neglect, or inconsistency can contribute to behavioral problems, such as aggression, anxiety, or poor social skills.
Why I Can’t See You and Your Partner for Individual Therapy
It's not uncommon for individuals to seek help for issues that affect their relationships. Relationship problems can indeed take a toll on one's mental well-being, and seeking therapy is a commendable step toward addressing these concerns. However, there is a crucial distinction between individual therapy and couples therapy, and it's important to understand why therapists often cannot see both partners individually when relationship issues arise. This recently came up for me, so I thought it would be helpful to share the reasons behind this practice and why it is essential for the effectiveness of therapy.
You and Your Body Go Together
Somatic therapy is a form of body-oriented therapy that explores the relationship between the body, brain and behavior. It is a process of discovery through feeling and discovering the innermost parts of ourselves. The goal of somatic therapy is to release trauma and stress which has been stored in our bodies, by shifting away from our survival instincts and toward a sense of ease in the body.