Are you still hurting & stuck in the pain from your childhood?
Healing starts when you know it wasn't your fault.
Welcome.
I’m Rachael David,
LCSW & Certified Trauma Therapist
Discovering Inner Peace & Healing
Begin Your Healing Journey: Overcome Challenges and Rediscover Joy with Holistic Me Therapy
You might feel like no one understands you, but your journey to healing begins here.
Finding Peace Beyond the Surface
On the surface, everything may seem okay, but deep down, you’re grappling with hidden challenges. You’ve become skilled at managing your daily life, yet you yearn for:
• A deeper sense of purpose and connection
• Lasting joy and fulfillment beyond fleeting moments of happiness
• Clarity and healing from past neglect, abuse, or trauma
Your Path to Transformation
Remember, your feelings and experiences are important. The impact of difficult times in your childhood doesn’t have to define your future.
Together, we can embark on a transformative journey:
• Understanding and Healing: We’ll explore and work through complex feelings and experiences.
• Rediscovering Your True Self: Engage in EMDR to uncover and embrace your authentic self.
• Building a Hopeful Future: Create a life filled
with authentic joy, deeper connections, and the love you deserve.
Take the Next Step
This is more than just therapy; it’s a journey to rediscover your true self and embrace a future brimming with hope and healing. Ready to start? Book online today or learn more about my approach here: https://holisticme.co/services
EMDR to guide you through life’s tough early experiences
Welcome to Holistic Me Therapy, a place where your journey to healing is guided with compassion and expertise.
I’m Rachael David, licensed therapist specializing in childhood trauma, anxiety, depression & Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR). With 20 years of experience in behavioral health and a deep commitment to my clients’ well-being, I provide a safe, nurturing environment for you to explore heal and grow.
Discover more about my journey, approach, and how I can support yours: https://holisticme.co/rachael-david%2C-lcsw
EMDR: The Gold Standard in Trauma Recovery
What Is EMDR Therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy method that's effective for treating PTSD. This therapy helps people deal with difficult memories that keep coming back up and causing distress. EMDR works to lessen the impact of these memories, making them less upsetting. It takes several therapy sessions and is useful for both regular PTSD and a more complex type known as c-PTSD. In cases of c-PTSD, the treatment might need more time. The main aim is to make the distressing memories less intense.
What’s EMDR Like?
Exploring the EMDR Process: What Happens Across Your Therapy Sessions
Embarking on EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy is a significant step towards emotional healing. As we begin this journey together, it’s important to know that we will always work at a pace that feels comfortable for you. You are in control, and you can pause or stop at any time. Let’s explore what to expect in your initial EMDR sessions, step by step.
Step 1: Getting to Know Your Story
Our first step is to discuss your past experiences. This conversation is essential for tailoring the therapy to your specific needs and goals, and we’ll proceed at a speed that feels right for you.
Step 2: Creating a Safe Space
Safety is key before we start addressing challenging memories. I’ll introduce techniques to manage intense emotions, ensuring you feel comfortable and ready for the next steps in your upcoming sessions.
Step 3: Choosing the Memory
Together, we’ll identify a specific memory causing distress, along with any negative thoughts linked to it. We will take this step carefully, respecting your readiness to engage with the memory.
Step 4: Examining the Memory
We’ll then focus on the chosen memory, exploring the emotions it triggers and where these feelings manifest in your body. This process helps us understand the memory’s impact on both your mind and body.
Step 5: Simple Technique to Ease the Memory
In this step, we use a technique where you alternately tap your hands back and forth on your arms or legs, a common method of bilateral stimulation used in EMDR. This action creates a gentle rhythm that helps your brain focus and process the memory more comfortably. It’s a simple yet effective way to provide the bilateral stimulation that’s a key part of EMDR therapy.
Originally, EMDR started with eye movements when it was introduced in the 1980s, and this method can still be used today. However, the therapy has evolved, and now we have several ways to provide bilateral stimulation. Tapping is just one option, and it’s chosen because it’s often comfortable and effective for many people. This step is designed to help your brain safely process the memory while feeling less overwhelmed. Remember, you can guide the pace of this process, and we will use the method that works best for you.
Step 6: Changing How You Feel About the Memory
While tapping, we’ll revisit the memory. This can help your brain reorganize and perceive the memory differently, lessening its emotional impact and allowing you to process through it. Remember, you have full control over this part of the process. You can stop at any time.
Step 7: Replacing Negative Thought or Belief with a Positive Thought or Belief
As we continue with the tapping or other forms of bilateral stimulation, we’ll focus on transforming the negative thoughts and beliefs associated with the memory into positive ones. This critical phase allows you to reframe the memory, altering how it’s stored in the brain. By consciously shifting the associated cognition from negative to positive, the memory’s emotional hold and distressing impact can be significantly reduced. This is a pivotal part of the EMDR process, facilitating a change in your emotional response to the memory.
Step 8: Reflecting After the Session
After our session, different emotions, new thoughts or even dreams might surface. This is a normal part of the process and varies from person to person. We’ll talk about how to handle these reactions and focus on the importance of self-care.
Conclusion
EMDR therapy is a personal journey toward healing and understanding. It’s important to remember that this journey is yours, and we will navigate it at your pace, ensuring you feel heard and supported every step of the way.
Reminder
This is to help you understand EMDR therapy. If you have any questions or concerns, we can discuss them in our sessions. Your comfort and well-being are the top priorities as we work together on this path.
*Please note that this is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or mental health.
