Research suggests that mindfulness practices can shape areas of the brain involved in attention, emotional regulation, stress response, and self-awareness. Studies using brain imaging have linked regular mindfulness practice with changes in the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s “pause and choose” system, and the amygdala, the alarm system that reacts to threat.

The nervous system can handle short bursts of stress. It is built for that. Trouble starts when the body keeps getting the message that it must stay alert, perform, respond, and push through without enough recovery.

At home neurofeedback for treatment of chronic pain shows promise. Research is mixed but new studies are in progress

The brain’s main job is protection. It constantly asks a simple question: “Am I safe enough right now?” To answer, it reads signals from the outside world, the body, memory, emotion, and social cues.

Shaking and dancing meditation offers a simple, body-based way to work with that surge instead of fighting it. By mindfully moving large muscle groups, the body gets a place to send the energy that panic creates. This can help settle the autonomic nervous system, soften the fight-or-flight response, and signal to the brain that the threat has passed.

he trouble starts when the system is pushed too hard for too long, or when it fails to return to baseline after stress has passed. This can happen after prolonged psychological stress, trauma, serious infection, surgery, concussion, sleep deprivation, autoimmune illness, overtraining, or years of unmanaged pain.

Complex trauma can deeply affect a person's emotional and psychological well-being. It often results from prolonged or repeated exposure to distressing events, such as abuse, neglect, or violence. Traditional therapy methods sometimes struggle to address the layers of pain and fragmented self-experience that complex trauma creates. Resource Therapy offers a promising approach by focusing on healing the different parts of the self that hold trauma. This post explores how Resou

he brain does not always clearly separate physical pain from emotional pain. Both types of pain trigger similar chemical responses, including the release of stress hormones and neurotransmitters like glutamate and substance P.

When life feels overwhelming, and the weight of trauma, anxiety, or chronic pain seems too much to bear, finding a path to healing can feel like a distant hope. I want to share with you how EMDR therapy has been a gentle yet powerful way to help many people find relief and renewed strength. This approach is not just about talking through pain but about rewiring the brain to heal from within. If you’ve ever wondered how this works or if it might be right for you, let’s explore

A healthy self-image shapes how we see ourselves and influences every part of our lives. When self-esteem falters, it can affect relationships, work, and overall happiness. Hypnotherapy offers a unique approach to rebuilding confidence by working directly with the subconscious mind.

Emerging therapies like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) offer new hope by addressing the brain’s role in pain perception. When combined, these approaches can provide a powerful, holistic path to relief.

Childhood trauma can leave deep emotional wounds that affect many areas of life, including relationships, our mood, and cognitive functioning. Healing these wounds often feels overwhelming, but Resource Therapy offers a clear and compassionate path forward, allowing the brain to heal naturally and organically.

Our brains are designed to learn. When we chronically experience pain, our brains learn to have pain and do it well.

At some point in our lives, we have all experienced some level of pain. As of the time of this writing, I have not found anyone that enjoyed their pain and few that were thankful for it!

ADHD Vs. PTSD: An incorrect diagnosis can be harmful to the client. Care in diagnosing is critical to successful treatment.

Disclosure: I am a Certified EMDR Therapist and a EMDRIA Approved Consultant and practice EMDR as my primary model of therapy. Some say I’m given to hyperbole, but when you’ve spent centuries and bazillions of dollars training you tend to be the best therapist who ever lived! (a joke!) Seriously, this article contains things I’ve learned from scholarly studies and training, but much of it simply comes from my own experiences in my own practice of EMDR. One thing I’ve learned

Social Justice And The Current Mental Health Crisis In today’s world, mental health is a hot topic. Everywhere we look, we see “suicide...

I am furthering my work and research in the treatment of chronic pain. In an effort to gather data and perfect certain evidence-based...

MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION Mindfulness. Mindfulness, mindfulness meditation, mindfulness exercise, or mindful awareness, is...

Therapy doesn’t have to be either boring or traumatic. Even trauma therapy can be interesting and helpful without the turmoil normally associated with visiting your dentist! I am primarily a teletherapy practitioner and have found teletherapy to be extremely helpful to my clients. In fact, the latest research, post-COVID, indicates that teletherapy can be as helpful, and in some cases, more effective, than in person therapy. Some of the advantages of teletherapy are: 1.