Center for Growth and Connection

Life can throw a lot of stressors our way, and for many, this can lead to anxiety, shutdown, and/or feelings of overwhelm. Early childhood experiences have a significant impact on how we respond to stress. I specialize in treating complex or attachment trauma and have training in treatment modalities which support the brain’s and body’s natural capacity to heal. I work with teens, adults, and specifically therapists, to increase awareness of underlying patterns and assist in the healing of unprocessed events. My role is to provide support as we work together towards increasing your overall emotional capacity and regulation. Using an integrative approach, which includes EMDR, parts work, and Somatic Experiencing, I assist in increasing the mind-body connection to more effectively target and reduce distressing symptoms. Through an attachment lens, I work with the client to assess treatment needs and the pacing of sessions, as to provide some challenge but not overwhelm. Collaboration and client feedback are a BIG part of the process. I work with the client to create a safe environment to promote curiosity, exploration, and meaningful change. Finding the right fit can be difficult, I recommend giving it at least 3 sessions, and if it's not a fit (that's okay!), we can find options that better meet your treatment needs. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): One of the assumptions of EMDR is that the brain can typically, on it’s own, process traumatic or stressful information to complete integration. It is only if something occurs, such as a traumatic experience, that could result in a memory becoming “stuck” and stored in an unprocessed, raw form. This means that the brain might not have received the message that the “danger is over,” and the images, emotions, thoughts, and/or body sensations create an experience of being back in that moment or in “trauma time.” Being stored in this maladaptive way can lead to blocks or barriers, preventing connection to more helpful and adaptive information. The goal is to provide support and help the system heal through connection to this adaptive information and to be able to resume in its natural healing process. For more information go to: https://www.emdria.org/ Parts Work: Parts work is an umbrella term for different therapeutic models that use this similar foundation. This type of therapy involves learning about the different parts of ourselves, including the parts that are wounded as well as the parts we can use as resources to assist in the therapeutic process, and how all these parts can begin to work together. This therapy goes beyond just addressing the symptoms, as it helps to acknowledge and nurture the parts stuck or frozen in “trauma time” to increase the awareness of what those parts need to heal. This increased awareness can lead to the creation of more choice and flexibility, and a greater sense of self-compassion and integration (wholeness) in daily life. For more information go to: https://clayresessoms.com/online-therapy/parts-work-introduction/ Somatic Experiencing (SE): SE is a body-based approach that starts with body sensations and other sensory experiences connected to the traumatic event, before moving into the related thoughts. This approach helps to assess how the trauma shows up in the nervous system and find ways to disrupt these patterns to help the client become “unstuck” and release traumatic shock. SE “aims to resolve symptoms of stress, shock, and trauma that accumulate in our bodies and nervous systems.” For more information go to: https://traumahealing.org/se-101