05/01/2024
I do Brief Therapy (ideally just one or two, hour-long visits). I use Integral Eye Movement Therapy (IEMT) and sometimes some hypnotherapy.
My ideal client is someone with a memory that causes them distress, is nervous about an upcoming event, or is dealing with a specific phobia caused by something they remember, etc. While I tend to avoid the typical stuff like Smoking Cessation, I've taken on a few of those with success (it's just that most people aren't good candidates because there are too many secondary benefits for them).
If you are interested, please reach out to me.
EXPLANATION of IEMT:
Basically, it seems that the eye movement takes an episodic memory and turns it into semantic memory. That is, it brings it into working (short-term) memory, where it can be reevaluated by the limbic system; with the amygdala not in a state of shock, it can more logically reassess what transpired, and move the memory to the hippocampus.
People know what happened, but no longer have an emotional connection to it--sometimes saying it just doesn't affect them, or feels like it happened to someone else. Unlike the more popular EMDR therapy, I don't need to know ANY details--just very basic labels such as "I-95" or "school" or "exam" or whatever. People don't end up having to relive the experience by talking about it. I find it much more versatile than EMDR and other forms of therapy.
--NOTE--
Here's a sample of me talking a client about a memory that was haunting them. I had asked her a few questions about a memory of something that took place, which she later told me had been causing her to get anxious driving at night (note: I don't need to know any details at all). After working with her for just 4-5 minutes, I ask her to recall the memory (the recording is her response).
Though the visual representation generally fades, gets blurry, or--as in this case--disappears completely, the important part is that the person no longer has a negative emotional reaction to that memory. *NOTE: this person gave me permission to post this.
