EMDR FOR THE DRIVEN & STRONG WOMAN
In person in Chico, California & virtually throughout California
When Understanding Isn’t Enough.
You can experience deeper healing with EMDR.
When understanding isn’t enough, you can try the power of EMDR.
Sometimes understanding where your patterns came from brings relief.
You can finally see why you're so hard on yourself. Why you have trouble trusting people. Why you learned to keep your feelings inside. Why being vulnerable can feel so risky.
You don't even need therapy to learn some of this. You can learn it on your favorite social media platform or by reading a self-help book. I love a good self-help book!
But sometimes information isn't enough. Insight isn't enough.
When your past is still showing up in your present
You may know that your childhood experiences affected you. You may even understand why you became so responsible, independent, self-critical, or focused on taking care of everyone else.
But understanding doesn't always make your body stop reacting.
You may know you're safe now and still feel anxious.
You may know you don't have to please everyone and still feel guilty when you say no.
You may know your husband's response isn't a reflection of your worth and still feel rejected when he doesn't respond the way you hoped.
You may know you deserve rest and still feel selfish when you take it.
Sometimes your mind understands something long before the rest of you does.
That's one of the reasons EMDR may be helpful.
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and is an eight-phase therapy approach designed to help you process experiences that continue to affect you.
You don't have to understand all eight phases before getting started.
I'll explain the process as we go, answer your questions, and make sure you feel prepared before we begin reprocessing.
You won't be thrown into the deep end.
Before we begin reprocessing, we'll develop resources and coping skills to help you feel grounded and supported.
When you're ready, we'll gently work through the experiences that are still affecting you.
I'll be a knowledgeable yet gentle guide throughout the process.
HOW DOES EMDR WORK?
How EMDR can help
EMDR may be helpful if painful or overwhelming experiences are still affecting:
the way you see yourself
your relationships
your ability to trust
your emotional reactions
your sense of safety
your ability to rest and care for yourself
the way you respond to stress
You don't have to have one single, obvious traumatic event for your experiences to matter. Although EMDR can help with those, too.
EMDR can be done through weekly 55-minute sessions or through 3-hour intensives, which give us more time and space for the work. We'll talk together about what makes the most sense for you.
Imagine What It Would Feel Like to Finally Exhale
Imagine not automatically assuming you did something wrong.
Imagine saying no without spending the rest of the day feeling guilty.
Imagine knowing that you are enough—even when you aren't accomplishing, fixing, helping, or holding everything together.
Imagine being able to have an uncomfortable conversation without replaying it in your head for hours afterward.
Imagine being able to care about other people without taking responsibility for their feelings.
Imagine trusting yourself instead of constantly second-guessing yourself.
That’s the hope.
Not becoming a different person.
Not becoming less caring, less capable, or less ambitious.
Becoming a woman who can finally be there for herself, too.
Through EMDR, we can begin to work through the experiences and beliefs that have kept you stuck in the cycle of overthinking, self-criticism, people-pleasing, and feeling like something is wrong with you.
So you can spend less time trying to prove that you’re enough…
and more time actually feeling like you are.
EMDR isn't automatically the right approach for everyone, and you don't have to know the answer before you come to therapy.
We'll talk about what you've experienced, what you're struggling with now, and what you hope will change. If trauma or painful experiences are continuing to affect the way you see yourself, your relationships, or the way you respond to everyday situations, EMDR may be something we consider.
I'll explain how EMDR works and why I think it may—or may not—be helpful for you.
We can take our time deciding together. You won't be pressured into doing EMDR before you're ready.
How do I know if EMDR is right for me?
Do I have to talk about everything that happened to me?
No. You don't have to tell me every detail of your trauma for us to begin meaningful work.
We'll work together to determine what feels appropriate and what you need. I'll explain the process and make sure you feel prepared before we begin reprocessing.
You are never expected to share more than you're ready to share.
I'm nervous to try EMDR. What if digging up my trauma makes me feel worse?
It's completely understandable to feel nervous about this.
Before we begin reprocessing, we'll spend time building resources and developing coping skills so you have ways to feel grounded and supported. I'll explain what we're doing and why, and we'll move at a pace that feels appropriate for you.
You are in control of the process.
My goal isn't to make you relive your pain. It's to help you process experiences that are still affecting you so they don't continue to have the same hold on you.
The free 20 minute consultation is a great way to talk about EMDR and if it’s a good fit for you.
I don't believe you're broken.
I believe your patterns make sense when we look at the bigger picture and understand where they came from.
I believe you learned how to cope with your experiences in the best ways you knew how—and that those strategies may have helped you survive something you weren't equipped to handle at the time.
But what helped you survive then may not be helping you live the life you want now.
That's where EMDR can help.
We can gently process the experiences that shaped you, understand the ways you've learned to relate to yourself and other people, and begin creating something different.