Searching

In my work over the years, I have come to know that people, no matter what their presenting problem is in that first contact, are searching for themselves. As a therapist who specializes in trauma, it became clear to me, early on in my work, that much, if not most, of the "stuff" that influences people is out of the reach of conscious awareness.

As traumatic memory is held and stored in a part of the brain that does not use language, it is imperative to use methods that access process without language.

Trauma is typically identified by the catastrophic events of life (i.e. Corona, war, earthquake, 9/11). Yet other events, often very personal and individual, imbed themselves in daily living (i.e. an alcoholic parent, bullying, low-self esteem, parental rage, death, chronic illness). These events often have a significant and deep-rooted impact.

More important, this impact typically occurs from deep below the surface (unconscious). Depth therapy (i.e. Sandplay) and EMDR are highly effective in working with that which sits below.