What is it like to do PC?
After a sexual assault or trauma, our brain doesn’t simply “move on” like it does after other events. When you think about what happened, it feels on some level like it’s still happening – your brain hasn’t moved it into long-term memory storage. When triggered, that memory pops right up and our thoughts, body, and…
< Read More >A Sarcastic Survival Guide: 5 Tips for Avoiding Sexual Assault
Please follow these tips if you want to avoid being blamed if someone sexually assaults you. 1. Don’t use dating apps like Tinder, Grindr, Hinge, etc. to meet people. If you want to go on dates or meet new people, you must bring your parental figure or private security guard along with you to safe…
< Read More >What is it like to do EMDR?
This is by far the most frequently asked question I get asked by potential clients. It’s hard to find information on what the process of EMDR is actually like to go through. I see a lot of overly technical discussion and also vague stories of the “magic” that is the result of EMDR. I’m hoping…
< Read More >9 Things Your Trauma Therapist Wants You to Know
It’s possible to heal. There may always be a scar but there isn’t always a pain. If you’re experiencing it, then other people do too. You are not alone. Shame often develops after trauma. It is an emotion – the feeling or sense of being “bad”. Shame can feel intense but that doesn’t make it…
< Read More >A Trauma Therapist’s Perspective: Understanding the Thoughts of Sexual Predators of Children and How this Influences the Child’s View of Themselves
Content Warning: This post references childhood sexual abuse and may be triggering to those who have experienced sexual trauma. Childhood sexual abuse survivors share some common themes in emotions and thoughts: shame (there must be something really wrong with me), guilt (some of my behavior probably led to me being targeted), and confusion (what really…
< Read More >7 Myths About Trauma
Whether you’ve experienced a recent sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse, or witnessed something scary, you might learn to believe some common misconceptions about trauma. Research on how the brain and body interact with our environment is relatively new and many of our individual & societal beliefs haven’t quite caught up with what we have learned…
< Read More >What’s Love Got to Do with It? The challenging nature of intimacy after trauma
Many people who reach out to me wanting to do trauma therapy do so because a partner is urging them to, their relationship is falling apart, intimacy is triggering, or feeling connected to others feels inexplicably difficult. Let’s explore why relationships can feel so challenging for people who have experienced sexual assault or other forms…
< Read More >Below the Words: Working with the Body in Trauma Therapy
My colleague, Jackson Ravenscroft, does such an amazing job explaining why we work with the body in trauma processing. I am excited to share their most recent article here on why “just talking about it” doesn’t work when it comes to healing from trauma. Jackson is a psychotherapist in Boston, MA specializing in the treatment…
< Read More >5 things to help how you feel after a sexual assault
If you are struggling after a sexual assault with who this new “you” is, feeling worried you’re now damaged or dirty, or that you’ll never feel better, you are NOT alone! Here are some tips to help you feel better about who you (still) are and to get you going on the path towards healing.…
< Read More >Life in These Times
In a time when I have been speechless, my colleague, Erin Ramsey-Tooher, puts words to what I want to say. This is a trauma we are living through, it will and does impact us, and we will all have the capacity to heal when this is over. And it will end. I am grateful to…
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