I define trauma as any adverse experience that is less than nourishing and blocks growth. Unfortunately, this word is often stigmatized or even sometimes glorified. The reality is that trauma can be emotional, mental, or physical, and you are not “less than” for having any of it. You are simply human. If left misunderstood and untreated, trauma in any form can manifest as symptoms that create unmanageability in life. Using EMDR therapy, I help teach clients about the nervous system, maladaptive responses to unhealed trauma, and how to react more adaptively to things that activate trauma responses.

Anxiety can be a rational human reaction to a threat or an unknown. It can also be an ingrained maladaptive response to irrational fears and worries. It is not a question of whether or not we have anxiety, but in how we react to anxious symptoms and how much it blocks us from wholehearted living. Learning how to challenge anxiety, manage life with anxiety, and better tolerate distress is empowering. It takes courage, and I’m here to walk you through that.

The term “OCD” is often overused, which is frustrating for those who are formally diagnosed with OCD. Obsessive compulsive disorder is a debilitating psychological disorder that consists of obsessive thoughts, exhausting compulsions, or both. Obsessions and compulsions are extremely hard to resist, difficult to manage, and tedious to re-wire and heal. However, I provide use of several evidence-based practices for OCD treatment. There are many types of OCD, and the most effective forms of treatment are psychoeducation, CBT, and exposure response prevention. I have also found success in using EMDR to help treat anxieties around resisting the urge to follow through with OCD behaviors.

Addiction is often referred to as the opposite of connection. This is true because an addict or alcoholic experiences biological changes in the pleasure center of the brain that cause a drive for the substance and almost nothing else internally or externally. Lack of connection with self and others is progressive, and addiction is not a choice or a moral failing. It is an abnormality in the brain, and a manifestation of deeper core issues. I work with those who have longer term sobriety, whether in a 12-step program or not. I also work with families with loved ones in active addiction or active recovery.