Browse Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

To really understand what is vital to weight loss, we have to take a holistic mind/body approach. Current research provides more evidence that our physiological health, immunity and mental well-being are interdependent. For example, the neurochemicals responsible for emotional processing bind to receptor cell sites all over our body. Renowned researcher Candace Pert suggests that this means our body is actually our subconscious mind! When you consider that our gut is populate

How often do you stop and count your blessings? Once a day? Once a month? Never? We need to be aware of how much we have to be thankful for. Can you stand up every morning without pain? What a blessing! Do you have two legs to stand on? Do you have a roof over your head and food in your refrigerator? Do you have a refrigerator? Look at all of your blessings! Do you have people in your life who love you? Do you appreciate how special that is? I recently met a woman who lost her husband of 25 years very unexpectedly on Christmas Day.

The dilemma of sexual abuse treatment remains the need for disclosure. For a variety of reasons, adults abused as children hesitate to tell anyone else what happened to them and as a result are unable to get help to manage their problematic feelings and behaviors in the present day. People may hesitate to meet with a therapist because they don’t feel ready to deal with the memories they are having. This is a healthy and appropriate response. It takes strength and courage to d

Food can be many things to many people. Obviously we all need it to survive. But, also obviously, we eat for a lot of different reasons. We eat when we are being social. We eat when we are bored. We eat to stuff our emotions. We eat when we do not know what else to do. I get this wonderful magazine all about healthy eating. When I sit down and read it, I always have munchies with me. If I see food, I want food.r

Since the American Medical Association (AMA) approved the use of clinical hypnosis in the 1950's, hundreds of thousands of people have found hypnosis to be an effective way to stop smoking, lose weight, and otherwise improve their lives. For smoking cessation, many hypnotists now even offer a one-time, half-hour individualized session. Since most insurance typically does not cover for hypnosis, the fee-for-service for this half-hour session can be more affordable than other treatments.

Unspoken agreements are the agreements that we do not speak, but play out in our lives. They are agreements that we make with ourselves, another person or group as a way to get love, attention, or to feel safe. From the time that Kathy married Bob, she took the back seat in their interactions ...

The body is designed in a way wherein the different sense organs work with the brain for the interpretation of the different senses so that we can exhibit the appropriate responses, both behavioral and motor. However, there are instances when the responses are not proper because of misinterpretation of the senses. This condition is called sensory processing disorder. Sensory processing disorder (SPD) was formerly known as sensory integration dysfunction was first described b

Sometimes the most valuable way you can spend your time is to do nothing. Now, all of you type A’s are jumping up and down and exclaiming that is not possible. Ah, but it is. We tend to spend so much time running around, that we do not realize how stressed we are. The more stressed we are, the less clearly we can think. Also, the more stressed we are, the more damage we are doing to our bodies. When we are stressed the hormone cortisol comes pouring out. Cortisol is designed to help us in “flight or fight” situations.

Interview: Why Did You Become an EMDR Therapist? San Diego Trauma Therapy, February 2008 FEATURED THERAPIST: Gordon Meredith, MA, MSS, LMFT EMDR transforms: What do you find satisfying about being a therapist? GM: I find it tremendously rewarding when clients come to experience themselves as valuable, confident, and capable. It is extremely gratifying to see people shed patterns of behavior and ways of thinking and to move out of long standing depression, anxiety or self-sa

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing was discovered in 1987 by a research psychologist named Francine Shapiro who was taking a walk in a park. As she walked, she was thinking about a personal matter that was bothering her. She happened to notice that her eyes were going back and forth and that, as they did, her level of disturbance went down. Intrigued by this discovery, she began the extensive research and formulation that culminated in EMDR theory and methodology.

EMDR THERAPY - A POWERFUL THERAPEUTIC TOOL Do you suffer from depression and anxiety? Are you stuck in old, painful or self-destructive patterns? Do negative beliefs about yourself echo inside your head? Is trauma from the past still affecting your life? Is it hard to move on to a fresh and positive perspective? If so, EMDR therapy may help. What is EMDR Therapy? For over a decade, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) has been gaining attention as a powerful t

Ophthalmology is a lot more than a specialist topic, just because most people know hardly anything about how best to look after their eyes and how to identify when there is a problem. So little is known about Ophthalmology because the eyes are one of the most sensitive parts of the body and most people feel squeamish about even touching their eyes with contact lenses. So to give you a deeper understanding of ophthalmology the experts at eyesite.org have compiled some basic in

Since 1997, Herbert Benson, of the Harvard Medical School, has reaffirmed that "Sixty to ninety percent of [doctor-patient] visits are prompted by conditions related to stress." Especially in today's world, stress management is truly vital to emotional, relational, and overall physical health. As a psychologist, I understand that most tend to consider meditative exercises as too difficult to learn; and too time consuming to practice.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing – An amazing technique for removing the fear from memories associated with trauma Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a long and unwieldy name for a new therapeutic tool that is amazingly quick and easy to use. Discovered in 1987 by Francine Shapiro in the USA, it is now a recognized technique used in trauma centres everywhere, with a plethora of research documentation to back up its effectiveness. What h

Eye dryness and also irritation is a complication that a large number of people have continually credited to retirement age. Nevertheless, it should be indicated that this condition may alter anybody regardless of their age. Eye dryness as well as irritation could likewise leave open the target to suffering as well as desperation thinking of the value of the eye in human beings. In fact, it demands to be addressed immediately when one begins to experience the hints and also s

Gleitsichtbrillen is generally used to care for presbyopia. Presbyopia refers to the condition wherein eye has is not able to focus on the nearby objects. This disease generally comes with age. It is understood to be due to the loss of crystalline lens elasticity. Lens’s curvature due to the growth as well as the power loss of ciliary muscles is known to be cause of the same. Presbyopia is often the sign of aging and is often signified by eyestrain as well as difficulty in

Many suggest that "luck is something you do." I often tell my patients that what we focus upon tends to become our reality, because we will likely do things, both consciously and unconsciously, consistent with that focus, in order to help make it happen. By sharing my following, personal story, I hope you may be helped to find what you are truly looking for.

For many people, there is still a disconnect between physical, mental and spiritual health. Western medicine and culture teaches us to see the body as separate from emotions and the brain as separate from the spirit. Some people are intuitively aware this doesn’t make sense-they have experienced ...

My Articles About Me My Fans Stuck in the Same Controlling Relationship? Heal Your Childhood Wounds First 7 Posted in Healthy Relatio... by Susan Quinn on Oct 19, 2011 Many women think that if they can just meet the right man, their life will be perfect thereafter. This could be true in some cases, but have you or people you know, kept creating the same type relationship (fraught with fighting and trying to control each other until the relationship has turned into a struggle and is no longer fun and satisfying) with every guy you meet?

Cataracts will affect more than 50 percent of Americans by time they reach 80 years of age. Despite their prevalence, people know very little about them and what causes them. Cataracts are commonly characterized by clouding of the eye’s natural lens, which results in blurred vision. The only cure and treatment for cataracts is surgery. Cataract surgery is a very low risk procedure that has been performed on millions of individuals around the world and has a high safety and

How do I know if I need to go to therapy? A common question, often answered with “I must be crazy if I have to go to therapy!” So, the first thing I want to say in response is that you do not need to be crazy to be in therapy. In fact, I do not see crazy people in my practice. Crazy people see things that aren’t there and hear people who aren’t there. There is usually a chemical imbalance that needs to be corrected with medication.

Forgiveness. That can be a very tough concept. When someone has hurt you, should you forgive them? Do you want to forgive them? What happens if you choose not to? What happens to you if you chose to forgive? I have worked with many couple where there has been infidelity. This is a very difficult area. We do not want to forgive when we have been hurt and betrayed. We often want to lash out back at our partner who has so wounded us. The betrayal of the marriage vows is no small injury. The marriage can recover, but it takes a great deal of work.

Recent years have seen the development of a family of therapies that offer clinically effective alte atives to traditional, long-term treatments. These Power Therapies only require one to three sessions, but the results are usually permanent. Each of them provides noticeable relief from ...

Why look at the past? I can’t tell you the number of clients who have asked me that question in one form or another. What is the point of looking back? It will just bring me pain, or stir up old feelings of hurt or anger. It won’t help me to poke around in it, or so my clients often insist. Yet I persist in poking around anyway. There are many valuable lessons available in the past, if we only allow ourselves to see them. One of the important lessons is seeing the patterns emerge.

A very common dilemma that many people face is that we want people to like us. We may even do things that we disagree with, just to be sure that people like us. We talk about this happening with children, but, unfortunately, this is usually something that we do not grow out of. Why is it so important that people like us? Well, it feels good! It does not feel good when people do not like us. While there are some people that do seem to thrive on getting people all agitated at them, Simon Cowell comes to mind; most of us are uncomfortable with this.

When someone we love is suffering, we want to help. But we do not always know what to do. We are conce ed that they may be offended if we ask to help. But we still want to help! So, what can we do?r

Many of our American soldiers are now returning from Iraq, suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. As treatment, the Department of Defense/Department of Veterans Affairs Practice Guidelines have placed Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in the highest category, recommended for all trauma populations, at all times.

Have you ever had a situation where you disagreed with someone and struggled with how to approach them? It can be very difficult. You can be stuck with trying to figure out what to say, what to do, how to act. Some people deal with it by not dealing with it at all, but by disappearing. Some people deal with it by becoming aggressive and trying to dominate the entire situation. I am going to suggest that there may be a better option.r

There are many stages we pass through in our lives. First, we are children, then young adults. We then get to work at marriage and parenting. Before we are done with the parenting stage, often we are thrust into the next stage: being part of the sandwich generation.r

Why help others? Okay, we know we are supposed to because our culture and religions tell us to. But we aren’t necessarily good at following those rules. So, why help others? It will make the world a better place. But so would driving less, not using so much plastic, etc, etc, etc. We know that but it still doesn’t necessarily make us do any of those activities. So, why should we help others? A very basic, selfish reason is that helping others makes us feel good. Have you ever reached out to someone who needed you? Do you remember how you felt after? We tend to feel happy and fulfilled.

Innovative Power Therapies Provide Simple Techniques to Deal with Trauma Recent years have seen the development of a family of therapies that offer clinically effective alte atives to traditional, long-term treatments. These Power Therapies only require one to three sessions, but the results ...

Sometimes when we are scared, frightened, startled, we react with anger. It is a very natural reaction, probably based back in our cave man times. If something big and scary was approaching us, we had better react with a strong offense or we would get eaten. Unfortunately, that natural reaction that is embedded in our genes is not very useful today. Often times, the things that are startling us are not life or death. We do not need to throw a spear at a charging saber tooth cat.

My email is down today. I am angry and frustrated. In a little less than a month, I will be on a vacation. I am excited beyond words that I will not be able to access my email. Wait a minute, how can both be true? I am slightly addicted to email. I check it constantly. It is a way for me to connect with friends, family, colleagues and clients. I want to make sure that I am available for people who need me. I want to be able to connect with those that I care about. I love being able to completely disconnect from everyone.

Have you noticed that when you were in school, all of your friends were about your age? When you became part of a couple, most of your friends were also part of a couple? When you became a parent, most of your friends also were parents? We tend to have friends that are at the same stage of life that we are in. We also tend to have friends that are approximately the same level of mental health that we have. A common discussion that I have with the people that I work with is their wondering why they are losing their friends even though they are getting healthier.r

Have you ever had a situation where you had a person in your life, a co-worker, a friend, a partner, with whom you were having an issue but were choosing not to confront that person? Many people have issues with confrontations. They are scary. You are not sure what will happen. Or if it will even help! But one thing I can promise you, the situation will not improve if you do not share that there is an issue that needs to worked on!r

What the heck is EMDR? EMDR stands for eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing. Francine Shapiro, Ph.D, the woman that developed EMDR, suggests that painful or traumatic memories can get “locked” in the brain. These memories are often fragmented and incomplete and they can lead to us kinda keeping that memory with us in a way that is harmful. So, if something happens that reminds us of that painful memory, we will respond as if that event is happening again and agai

Remember you closest friends in high school? The people that you were closest to and knew that you always would be? How many of them are still in your life on a regular basis? Do you ever wonder how it is possible to go from being so close to no friendship at all?r

Anxiety is a major issue. Over 40 millio Americans suffer from some form of anxiety. One in four people world-wide will suffer from anxiety at some point in their lives. So, if you are suffering from anxiety, you are not alone! But the good news is that are things that you can do to help yourself feel better, more confident, more relaxed! I always suggest to people that I work with to go to their family doctor and get a full physical. There may be an underlying physical condition. Once that is ruled out, it is time for us to get to work. It is important to breathe.

Many stages of parenting are hard. Adjusting when the baby first arrives is a major change. It can take a year and a half to fully integrate all the changes that a baby brings to the family. Then you have moved on to the toddler years. Having a two or three year old around the house has many difficulties which parents everywhere will attest to. As you move to school age, things calm down for a bit but you have to help them with school work and how to go to school. There may be peer issues that arise. Then puberty raises its ugly head. Life gets very difficult.

One of the most common problems I have seen with the couples that I have worked with is their tendency to assume that they know what their partner is thinking and feeling, the assumption that they know their partner’s motivation. I have not worked with a couple yet who has struggled with this ...

The negative impact of abuse, which originates with the addict, slowly permeates into his or her family and ultimately throughout the community. Efforts to educate our communities, regarding these consequences, are critical in initiating positive change.

What makes you a success? Is it the size of your house? The type of car that you drive? Is it the success that your children have? Is it how long you have been married? Is it the amount in your bank account? There are no right or wrong answers. There are answers that society encourages us to choose. In order to be a success, we need to be super thin, very rich and no older than 25. Okay, that is one definition of success. For some people the definition may be the amount of time that they can devote to their spirituality. Or to exercising. Or to eating.

So, a new year is here. What will this year bring me? I know that I can count on laughing a lot this year. I also know that I can count on shedding tears. I know that I will experience joy. But I will also experience despair. There will be big frustrations and big achievements. I know all of this because this is what happens every year to all of us. We never get happiness alone. If we did, we would not appreciate it. We need to have sadness to realize how special happiness is.r

Chronic pain. If you have been lucky enough to never experience this, you have no idea how wearing it is. Chronic pain can change your personality. It can damage your relationships. It can even make you suicidal. Pain management has improved over the last ten years. The drugs have gotten better. Other treatment options, like biofeedback, have begun to really help. Studies have shown that acupuncture can have a tremendous impact of the pain level. As I have studied chronic pain, I realized that pain ca be stored as emotions. Emotions can be stored as pain.

Have you ever thought about what magical talent or tool that you would want? Do you want a magic wand? The ability to fly? I know what many parents have wished for: a crystal ball! I cannot tell you the number of parents that have struggled over a decision about their children, hoping that they are making the best choice. If only we could see what future each choice will bring, which is the best choice for our child.r

So here June is. The time of graduations and weddings. The time of endings and new beginnings. Endings can make us sad. We will need to say good bye to some people in our lives. We need to say good bye to places that we are used to. Good byes can be exciting because it means that we are starting a new chapter in our lives. For everyone graduating, say good bye to those friends and teachers that have accompanied you thus far. Send your appreciations for all of your experiences. And before you start that new chapter, take a minute to reflect back on where your journey has taken you thus far.r

I was interviewed for a new web site where I was asked what is the number one problem in marriages? With little hesitatio I answered, “assumptions!” Because we assume that we know our partners, we assume that we know what they are thinking. Know one thing for sure, if you are assuming, then assume that you are wrong. We do not know what is happening in someone else’s mind. No matter how close we are, we stand an excellent chance of getting it wrong. Let me share some examples. I know this couple that had been dating for a few months.

We are told in our society that we should always put ourselves first. I was told in all of my training, we always need to put ourselves first so that we have energy to then take care of others. Then I became a wife and mother. I discovered that I couldn’t always put myself first. There were many times my kids’ needs came first, or my husband’s did. Occasionally even the dogs’ needs did.