Let’s connect to talk about how I can help.
Call me at (720) 909-8008
Email me at jd@awakenedhopecounseling.org
It was six years ago
Six years ago, it happened, and up until recently you’ve done your best to move on, done your best to hold things together and be there for those you care about.
You’ve tried to tell yourself about all the things you’re grateful for. You’ve tried to tell yourself things shouldn’t bother you this much.
And today – hyper-alert
Your sleep sucks. And when you do sleep your nightmares are awful with themes of being
physically harmed or trapped. You wish it were much easier to be in crowded or unfamiliar
places, but when people stand too close and – God forbid – touch you, your whole body
reacts like an electric fence.
Angry and irritable
It bothers you that you get so irritable and want to leave.
“Why do I react like that? They’re just trying to be friendly,” you chastise yourself.
Sad and self-blaming
People tell you, “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself,” but self-blame comes easily. You
even find ways to blame yourself when those intrusive memories of what
happened flash into your mind like pinpricks of regret and sadness.
What you’re feeling is understandable
If your reading this, you likely relate to some or many of the experiences written above. A traumatic event is something that happens to you or to someone you know. It may be something that you witnessed (or learned about) happening to someone else. It may also be something that you caused and feel terrible about. These events are traumatic because they leave you feeling completely defenseless, helpless, and without adequate resources to cope with or manage the situation. While not everyone who experiences a traumatic event develops Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), some will go on to be really impacted by the experience(s).
Like a fire alarm that has been pulled and continues to ring long after the fire is extinguished, some may continue to feel really bothered by these memories and current cues that bring up memories of the event: people being loud, being touched, encountering people who look or behave similar to a former perpetrator, or hearing the song again that was playing during the crash, etc. It is common to continue to feel hyper-arousal (like anxiety or irritability) or hypo-arousal (like getting depressed or numb) until traumatic memories have been resolved or reprocessed.
EMDR is powerful and effective
EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy, is a well-researched and effective therapy process that integrates other therapy modalities like cognitive therapy and somatic therapy approaches. I am a certified EMDR therapist with more than 50 hours of training (a large majority of my work doing EMDR with individuals).
What you’ll experience with me
In my EMDR process, we will work together to create a safe and comfortable environment to heal past memories (or present struggles) that keep you feeling stuck and ineffective in your life. You’ll never feel forced or pushed into anything you don’t want to work on. You will help us decide the pace that feels comfortable for you. At times, we will process and talk through things verbally, and many other times the change and transformation will be happening within you. EMDR works because the body and mind have a way of working toward resolution. But a blocked and traumatic memory has a way of stalling or freezing the healing process. Like dirt and debris in a wound which can cause infection and impede healing, EMDR is a process that clears away the psychological debris and dirt and allows for new memories, ideas, and resources to rush in to support and uplift you.
So many of my clients have gone from constantly panicked to confident, from self-blaming and constantly angry to fun-loving and relaxed.
EMDR works, and I’d love to work with you and discover the life you’re looking for.
Don’t look for another reason to bury and avoid the painful past you’ve experienced. Together, let’s ELIMINATE the power and grip that these experiences have had in your life. FOR GOOD.
Let’s chat about how I can help.
Call me at (720) 909-8008
Email me at jd@awakenedhopecounseling.org
