SiLucas - Licensed Psychologist/ International Traumatologist

11/08/2025

There is a lingering feeling of emptiness, loneliness, being stuck, and lost when you have loss someone significant in your life, whether through death or separation. It is hard to look at the future with enthusiasm without that person beside you. Even the simplest of tasks, such as bathing and arranging your room, seem so hard to do. Every morning when you wake up, the thought that always comes into your mind is: When will this stop? when will I finally move on? and when will I feel happiness again?

I could not answer those questions for you, nor anyone, even you, would not be able to answer those questions until that day had finally come, and it will come.

If you are in that situation, and it seems that life is not moving forward for you, meet yourself where you are, the way you would meet someone that you love, where they are in their grieving process. Being lost at this moment does not mean there is no future for you. It means that you are starting to navigate life again without that person. It means you are trying your best to live even if that person is no longer beside you.

Cry if you want to cry. Be angry if you want to be angry. Seek help if you think it is too much for you to handle. This cycle might take a while, and grief should not be rushed or even hushed. Remember, we grieve because we loved.

Baby steps, one task at a time, allow yourself to take care of yourself, reach out to friends who can give you a safe space to cry, and feel the sadness. Time does not heal all wounds; it’s what you do in time that heals your wounds. And one day, when you are ready, gather the courage to finally say goodbye and let that person go.

11/08/2025

Grateful for the 20,000 LinkedIn connections! ☺️🙏

11/08/2025

Registration update for our upcoming EMDR trainings!!!
Tagaytay (September 19 & 20) - 5 Slots Left
Bacolod (October 23 & 24) - 18 Slots Left
Davao (November 21 & 22) - 20 Slots Left
TIPS EMDR Level Two (December 12 & 13) - 20 slots Left

To secure your slot email and reserve now!

You may coordinate with the organizers through the following emails:
Tagaytay: sanatiopsychologicalservices@gmail.com
Bacolod: whitecoatbacolod@gmail.com
Davao: icarepsychomedicalhealth@gmail.com
TIPS: traumatologyinstitute.ph@gmail.com

09/08/2025

First time I didn’t finish my training. I prepared 130 slides and I only got to 80. 😅 So many questions, demos, and even mini and group therapy in the FULL 9 hours! The training supposedly is from 9am to 6pm, yet we finished at almost 7pm. 😱

Thank you to those who attended the Grief and Loss training. So physically tired and drained after but the feeling is so overwhelming. I woke up with a smile on my face and gratitude in my heart, “Dear God, I was able to do this. Thank you.”

This training is dedicated to my loving grandmother on her 6th death anniversary on August 9. Thank you Nanay Iska for teaching me how to love and to care unconditionally, and for preparing me on how to let you go and to treat death as a gift.

“Letting go doesn’t mean you will stop loving the person. Letting go means you’re giving them the freedom to rest and for you to honor and live your life the way you want to live it.”

08/08/2025

Lack of likes in your social media posts doesn’t necessarily mean that you're not engaging the public. Many have been sending me private messages that they were touched by my posts, asking for mental help, or have cried due to my sharings, telling me that "andito lang kami, mahal ka namin."

Do it in service of others, the rest is not that important.

07/08/2025

One of the biggest lesson I learned from a friend who closed her business after 7 years of running her shop and even surviving the pandemic, is to not let someone even your most trusted employee run your business.

Watch out for red flags like:
-CCTV is no longer working;
-Sales are slowly dwindling;
-Relying only on the report of your staff and not double checking it;
-Your staff did not disclose to you important information, their address and emergency contacts;
-Negative feedback from your customers like your staff is borrowing money from them;
-And not manning or even regularly visiting your own shop or store.

As someone had said to me, "di mo alam kung kailan magkakaroon ng kagipitan ang isang tao."

Take care of your business or career that as if it is your child, because someone might take advantage of it when you are not watching. And don't expect the same loyalty and dedication from your staff the way you are dedicated and passionate to your business or profession.

If your heart is not in what you do or you just want to impress, or it's all about money, then better not to put up a business that you're just going to let others run it.

07/08/2025

07/08/2025

07/08/2025

Your survival story speaks louder than your achievements. We connect to people who has the same pain and have overcome it, rather than someone who only identifies themselves on what they have accomplished.

Sometimes, you don’t even realize how much your quiet strength is speaking.
You survived what could’ve broken you.

You kept walking when all you wanted to do was give up.
You showed up—silently, faithfully.

And someone out there noticed.
They found courage in your journey.
They’re holding on… because you did.

Keep going.
You’re making a difference, even if no one says it out loud.

07/08/2025

Hindi mo ba naramdaman ang pagmamahal ng iyong ina simula nung bata ka hanggang ngayon na tumanda ka na?

Mahirap intindihin kung bakit di ka kayang ipaglaban at mahalin ng iyong sariling ina nung panahon na kailangang kailangan mo sya.

Mahirap isipin na hanggang pagluwal lang sa iyo ang kaya nyang gawin nguni't di ka nya kayang lubusang mahalin.

Mahabang proseso ng paghilom at pag intindi sa sarili upang makamit mo ang kasagutan at katahimikan na ninanais ng iyong puso. At mahabang pasensya sa sarili at paulit ulit na paalala na wag mong hanapin ang pagmamahal ng magulang mo sa ibang tao, dahil di nila kayang ibigay ito. Ikaw lang at ang Diyos ang makapagbibigay ng kakulangan na napakahirap punan dahil hindi ka kayang mahalin ng lubusan ng iyong magulang.

Mahirap unawain, mahirap intindihin, nguni't kailangan magising sa katotohanan na hanggang doon lang ang kanilang kakayanan upang masimulan na maghilom ang sugat ng nakaraan.

Hanggang doon lang ang kaya nilang ibigay na pagmamahal dahil sila din ay salat sa natanggap na pagmamahal. Sila din ay tao na nasaktan at ayaw ng bisitahin ang nakaraan, ikaw man o ibang tao ang dahilan.

Kahit ano pa man at masakit mang tanggapin na ang tanging panahon na lang na maipapakita ko ang respeto sa aking ina ay sa dulo na ng kanyang buhay. Na ako na ang bahala sa kanyang huling hantungan, usapan namin ng aking kapatid na nag alaga sa kanya simula ng magkasakit sya ng schizophrenia at ngayon na halos wala na syang nakikilala.

Gusto ko man umaasa na ako'y kilalanin at mahalin nguni't kailangan ko ding tanggapin na hanggang doon na lang ang relasyon namin. Baka sa kabilang buhay doon ko na maisasarado ang aming kabanata at makapag usap ng may pagmamahalan at ngiti sa aming mga labi.

06/08/2025

I have been caught recently with other people's feud, asking me to do things against the other. Since I have been working on my boundaries and people pleasing tendencies, I stand on my ground and hold on to my values.

I have given them safe space to vent out their problems and they try to win my side, yet if what they want me to do is against my values and trying to harm the other then I will reflect back to them their intentions and accountability.

I finally reached the point of not manifesting any triggers or negative emotions despite being caught in other people's feud because I listened to my instincts and comfortable saying no to things they want me to do despite them sugarcoating their true intentions and even if losing the friendship.

Being grounded to your values, principles and who you really are, as well as being educated and informed before making any decisions saves you from other people's toxicity.

We can be friends with anyone, yet being a friend even if it is a relative doesn't mean you have to obey or just say yes to everything to what they say. If they can't respect your NO and vice versa, then they're only your friend if there is a benefit or an advantage for them.

05/08/2025

Why learn Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as a clinician or as a psychotherapist? And why is it in demand right now?

According to the American Psychological Association, EMDR therapy is a structured psychotherapy that primarily focuses on treating individuals who have experienced distressing, traumatic events. The idea behind EMDR is those traumatic memories, when unprocessed, can become “stuck” in the brain, leading to a wide array of emotional and psychological difficulties, said clinical psychologist Steven Silver, PhD, who coauthored the book Light in the Heart of Darkness: EMDR and the Treatment of War and Terrorism Survivors.
Patients who have experienced trauma often find themselves going back to thoughts of past events and experiencing disturbances, Silver said. These unresolved memories can manifest in the form of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other trauma-related conditions. (Reference: https://www.apa.org/topics/psychotherapy/emdr-therapy-ptsd)

EMDR is a very useful tool in your pool of approaches, as you will most likely encounter clients who suffer from trauma. An investment psychotherapist and counselors shouldn’t miss. TIPS is certified and accredited by the Green Cross Academy of Traumatology, VA, USA, to facilitate EMDR. You can research more about GCAT and their license to give or train EMDR on their website https://greencross.org/.

Join us in our EMDR Level One training in Tagaytay, Bacolod, and Davao, and EMDR Level Two in Quezon City once you have completed the EMDR Level One training and supervision.