Trauma & EMDR- Part Five

The fact that traumatic experiences are encoded and stored differently in the brain explains why we can sometimes know things intellectually (in our head, in our logical brain), but we feel something entirely different (in our sensory responses and in our emotional brain). We may know intellectually that a person … Read More

Find the Right Light: How Lighting Can Affect Your Mental Health

Medical professionals emphasize the importance of daily sunlight exposure for our mental health, but did you know that indoor lighting can also have a significant impact on mental health? We tend to spend the majority of our day surrounded by artificial lighting, whether it be at the office, at school, … Read More

Trauma & EMDR- Part Three

Francine Shapiro, the creator of EMDR (I’ll explain EMDR later in the series), defines trauma as “any event that has had a lasting negative effect… When you lose your peace of mind, or if you never had it, there can be serious physical and psychological consequences no matter what the … Read More

Trauma & EMDR- Part Two

In Part one of this series on trauma and EMDR, we acknowledged that it’s not uncommon for us to have a hard time recognizing traumatic events in our own lives. The reason we may need to look carefully and honestly at our past is because traumatic incidents often hijack our current … Read More

A Buzzword Defined: What Does Trauma Really Mean?

woman sitting on a hill

We hear the word used conversationally—“that was so traumatic!”—and sometimes, it’s true. Yet, many forms of trauma don’t come up in conversation at all. What is trauma, really? In this series, we are going to take a closer look at what trauma means, its effects, and how we can move … Read More

Should You Maintain Holiday Traditions After Loss?

Grief is challenging enough to deal with during a normal time, but with the upcoming holidays, your loss may seem more profound. Often the questions arise with my clients as to whether or not to maintain holiday traditions. The truth is whether or not you do, the loss will be … Read More

Grief Part 2 – Stages of Grief

If you’re keeping up with our series on grief, today’s post may feel a bit contradictory. Although there is no set timetable or experience of grief for every person, two models exist that help explain what grief might look like. The stages of grief are not meant to be prescriptive, … Read More

Grief Part 1 – Connecting Grief with Joy

How many of you have ever lost someone? Had an unmet desire or longing? Experienced a heartbreak? Struggled with a medical diagnosis or injury? The reality is that grief is a central part of our daily lives. My first understanding of grief was small. I believed that grief occurred when … Read More

A Mindset of Successful Grieving

When there is a meaningful loss, grief is unavoidable. Whether it is the loss of a mate, a parent, a child, or even a dream, loss is a part of the human condition and, therefore, a universal experience. It is not a question of whether we will experience loss and … Read More