Our minds can get caught in time travel - going too far into the future with worries about things that haven’t happened, or back to the past ruminating on things that are already over. This time traveling, as I call it, will always spike anxiety…

This all made me a think a lot about codependency - an unhealthy relational pattern in which one person is controlled by the needs or problems (usually addiction or mental health issues) of another. Codependent patterns and relationships are often what drives someone - typically the codependent person managing all of the responsibility in the relationship - to seek therapy.

Maybe you have this internal conflict like so many with anxiety do - a part of you wants to be rid of it for good, but a part of you feels like you need it to be at your best. This can feel so frustrating, the internal battle between needing a break from anxiety, but at the same time fearing what could happen in the absence of anxiety.

Sometimes our thoughts can be so all or nothing They can go full blast. They can change the entire temperature of our emotional state. All or nothing thinking, catastrophizing, and worst-case-scenario thought spirals can all get so strong that they overwhelm us, raising anxiety past the point that it feels manageable.

I recently saw a clip of a CIA agent talking about anxiety from the perspective of how it's a strength and an asset that can be leveraged. He went on to say... "Most people who suffer from anxiety feel like they're inadequate in some way. But in reality, they are hyper-adequate. They are more than adequate. The CIA wants people who carry a certain level of anxiety because when you carry anxiety you naturally" ...

Ordinarily the specific events that we target with EMDR process to a point of resolution where they feel neutral, and then they stay that way - stored as a memory that wasn't good but that no longer carries a strong emotional charge in the present. Memories or triggers that we've processed to this point of neutrality do not tend to resurface with distress again, the results are usually lasting.

Unexpectedly about a month ago, Imposter Syndrome made an appearance in my mind about my work. I've been in practice as a therapist long enough and heard enough stories and participated in enough healing journeys that I'm usually more focused on finding ways to solve problems in therapy than I am on my own insecurities, and this tends to keep Imposter Syndrome at bay. However, all at once…

Why do I have so much anxiety during (insert any number of situations)? Why do I react with such strong emotion when certain things happen that intellectually don't seem like that big of a deal? Why do I feel so much tension or nervousness in my body at the sight/sound/smell of certain things? Why do I sometimes feel like I'm in fight, flight, or freeze in the course of normal day to day life? The simple explanation is…

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is the most powerful therapeutic approach I know to address issues related to anxiety, phobias, past trauma, current triggers, strong emotional reactions, feeling stuck... the list is endless! I've used it to treat a wide variety of issues with great and lasting success. EMDR can be hard to wrap your brain around at first…

In the wake of trauma, associations to certain sounds, smells, images, sensations, or any trigger can instantly bring up overwhelming feelings and reactions because intense emotions are paired with specific cues. And when it comes to relationships, some unhealthy patterns can feel familiar because…

People tend to think that they just have anxiety, that it's just part of them that they can't change, and that they'll always have to just do the best they can to manage it with medication and/or coping that helps but doesn't heal. Anxiety can be an organic issue that persists over time even when you do everything you can to manage it well, but more often I find that anxiety has an underlying cause that's fully resolvable, and that…

For most people, New Year's Resolutions don't work, but why? They're usually aligned with your loftiest goals and most idealized version of yourself. A new year gives you a sort of blank slate and fresh start to slow down, focus in, and try something new. It seems like a great recipe for success. But New Year's Resolutions that are lofty and idealized can make them feel impossible to follow through on, which is why most people end up quitting them instead.

The parent/child relationship can be strained with so many different issues. Parents often struggle with knowing how to manage behaviors or set limits with young children. Parents and teens usually butt heads in one way or another as teens strive for independence and parents are unsure where and when to let go. Adult children often feel confused and overwhelmed by recognizing relationship patterns…

Most of my EMDR clients start the process saying something along the lines of... I struggle with these feelings that I know are from my childhood, but it's hard to think of specific memories that are significant. Or... I have so many memories that it's hard for me to narrow down what's important and I don't know how to decide. This is common, and the good news is, you can still benefit tremendously from EMDR even if you're unsure where to start.