Resistant Depression, Could it be Unsolved Trauma?

 Resistant Depression, Could it be Unsolved Trauma?

Have you been been going to therapy year after year without seeing any significant results? Do you feel like your therapy sessions are more like venting sessions? Have you been jumping from therapist to therapist and never finding the growth that you are looking for or due to feeling like your voice is not being unheard? Are you frustrated that your therapy sessions feel more like listening or venting sessions and do not go deep enough?

     

 
    The Power of EMDR: Unlocking Healing Through Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing  Introduction  In the world of psychotherapy, there are several approaches and techniques aimed at helping individuals overcome trauma and other p

The Power of EMDR: Unlocking Healing Through Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

In the world of psychotherapy, there are several approaches and techniques aimed at helping individuals overcome trauma and other psychological distress. One such method that has gained significant attention and recognition is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). This groundbreaking therapeutic approach has shown remarkable effectiveness in treating various mental health issues and empowering individuals on their journey to healing.

Understanding Attachment Trauma: Unveiling the Impact and Path to Healing

Understanding Attachment Trauma: Unveiling the Impact and Path to Healing

Attachment is an innate and fundamental aspect of human nature that influences our emotional development, relationships, and overall well-being. When attachment experiences are disrupted or damaged during early childhood, it can lead to attachment trauma, which profoundly affects an individual's ability to form secure and healthy connections throughout their life.

Healing Your Inner Child

Did you know that no matter how old we grow, we carry our younger selves with us day-to-day?

Perhaps our hurt 6-year-old self shows up when our partner doesn't answer our phone call, or our abandoned 12-year-old self comes out when friend doesn't invite you to a party.

The inner child is the vulnerable part of ourselves wounded and shaped throughout the earliest experiences and stages of our lives.

Caring for this younger version of ourselves is important to our healing.

By connecting with our inner-child, we gain access to new information about our unhealed wounds, and the needs that may not have been met when we were actually children.When needs of love, care, and recognition go unmet in childhood, the trauma that results from it can last for a lifetime.

But it’s never too late to heal.With time, effort, and guided exercises, reparenting your inner child can open doors to a new life – a life that is healthy, happy, and full of positivity.

By Damaris Karanja, Mental Health Counselor and Dietitian at Healing Streams Counseling.

Feeling Anxious? You are not Alone!

Did you know that anxiety is the most common mental illness affecting 40 million adults in the US every year? Here are some key facts and statistics to help you understand anxiety.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder affects 6.8 million adults, or 3.1% of the U.S. population, yet only 43.2% are receiving treatment.

Social Anxiety Disorder affects 15 million adults, or 6.8% of the U.S. population.

Specific phobias affect 19 million adults, or 8.7% of the U.S. population.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder affects 2.2 million adults, or 1.0% of the U.S. population.

PTSD affects 7.7 million adults, or 3.5% of the U.S. population.

Seek treatment if:
1. Anxiety interferes with your ability to function.
2. You experience frequent triggers throughout the day.
3. You feel out of control and find it difficult to get through the day.

Fortunately, there are several effective treatments for anxiety disorders.

By Damaris Karanja, MA, MEd, LPC, RDN, a licensed Mental Health Professional Counselor and Registered Dietitian at Healing Streams Counseling.

How to cope when constantly feeling overwhelmed

How to cope when constantly feeling overwhelmed

Feeling overwhelmed is a common human experience. However, too much of it can be toxic to your health. Toxic stress can negatively affect your body, your thoughts and feelings, and your behavior. Stress can lead to mental slowness, forgetfulness, confusion, difficulty concentrating, and an impaired ability to solve problems. It can manifest as increased anxiety, irritability, or even hopelessness. Toxic stress can also weaken your immune system increasing your risk for illness.

Take Away the Power from Food

Take Away the Power from Food

Do you feel like food controls your life?

If so, there’s good news: it doesn’t have to!

Our perceptions of certain foods give them power. Did you know that when you restrict yourself from eating a certain food, you actually make that food look more appealing? The more you tell yourself to not eat the cake, pizza, pasta, or any other food, the more and more you want it! When you do finally eat that “bad” food, the feel-good reward in your brain increases, which can result in overeating or bingeing. The guilt that follows after “giving in” to the food causes you to restrict again, only later to binge or overeat again, and then repeating this cycle. Sound familiar?