Embodied Healing

04/23/2026

These are some examples of family patterns that can easily go unnoticed. Or it can become such a way of life it’s just a person’s “normal”. The thing is these patterns can exist in homes where everything appears fine from the outside looking in as well as in homes where abuse & neglect is more visible. It’s the unseen force that shapes how a child relates to their emotions & needs. Sometimes these patterns develop over time to manage overwhelm within the family system, such as families encountering a collective trauma (ex-member falling ill or having a chronic disability).

I often see these patterns show up in my office as a lifelong narrative of- “My needs don’t matter”, “I can’t trust my instincts”, “I am unworthy”….the list goes on.

And these thought patterns lead to behavior patterns (ex-not taking care of medical needs) relationship patterns (ex-prioritizing others needs above your own) that are persistent. It becomes a cycle where these patterns then reinforce the belief itself & round & round it goes.

These negative beliefs needs to be shifted in the brain. In EMDR we do this by using the pattern the client wants to change & reprocessing experiences that led to this belief. The root experiences. Luckily, a few significant events can generalize so that more effective affirming beliefs can feel true as an adult.

With somatic work, we explore how these patterns shape the body & where holding patterns live. And then the work of repatterning can begin!

Every person deserves to feel their emotions, express them & have their needs met. I invite you to consider challenging these patterns if you notice them in your life. You’re worth it too! 💜

Sending peace,
Annmarie Hardgrove, LCSW-R, CYT
Certified EMDR Therapist
Somatic Developmental Trauma Therapist
Trauma Focused Yoga & Meditation Teacher
www.embodiedhealingli.com

04/09/2026

It all began with a call made by a s*xual assault survivor to the 24 hour hotline. I answered. This was the first survivor I interacted with 20 years ago when I started my career in the hopes of counteracting the statistics on s*xual assault, domestic violence & child abuse. To all survivors- Your story matters, your healing matters & you deserve to find safety, support & peace ❤️☮️

From that day up until today, I have been honored to bear witness to the innate capacity to heal that exists within so many survivors. And I continue to have deep awe & respect for the hard work it takes to get there.

Sadly, the statistics have remained much the same as the day I started 20 years ago. It takes a community to heal AND it takes a community to prevent child abuse & s*xual abuse across the lifespan.

What can we all do as a community?
1) If you have children or are an important figure to a child, talk to them about their emotions, know their friends, teachers, other parents. Educate them about body boundaries, safe vs unsafe touch & situations. There are many tools out there now like books & graphics to help adults have these conversations with kids at every stage of development. An ongoing dialogue will have a more protective impact than a one time discussion.

2) As adults, we all must learn what grooming is, pay attention to any signs big or small that just don’t feel right & be a safe person for others to come to. If we all take a stance that we are all collectively responsible for the safety of the children in our community, the statistics will change. If you experienced child abuse or neglect growing up, prioritize healing yourself when you become a parent.

3) Support & follow Institutional policies & safeguards that create a culture that supports safety for all, meaningful consequences for abuse perpetrators & education.

Together, I hope that we can change the epidemic of s*xual abuse & child abuse. I remain committed to providing evidence based treatment to survivors of childhood abuse & s*xual assault.

Sending peace,
Annmarie Hardgrove, LCSW-R, CYT
Certified EMDR Therapist
Somatic Developmental Trauma Therapist
Trauma Focused Yoga & Meditation Teacher
www.embodiedhealingli.com

03/20/2026

Experiencing strong painful emotions can impact how we approach life, view our current circumstances & even ourselves.

One of the most common side effects of experiencing trauma is that prolonged negative feeling states can become fused with an individual’s sense of self. When this begins in childhood, it is hard to determine what is a trauma reaction from what defines who you are. It’s like putting on a pair of glasses that causes you to see through the lens of those emotions, missing other shades of emotions or truths outside of these feelings.

For example,
When you live with another person’s uncontrolled anger….you may start to feel like you are bad, guilty of wrongdoing, etc.

When you live with a healthy range of emotional expression, including anger, you may start to feel all emotions are welcome & guide us.

When you live with other people who ignore or pathologize your feelings, interests & needs….you may start to feel inherently defective, unworthy of love & attention, that your impulses are not to be trusted.

When you live in an environment where needs are attended to & who you are is celebrated, you may learn to attune to what you feel/need & communicate it with the expectation that you will be seen & heard.

When you live around violence, yelling or situations that violate your boundaries, you may start to feel that the world is not safe, you are not safe & that rest puts you at risk of danger if you don’t remain vigilant.

When you live in a safe, predictable situation, we learn that it’s ok to just be.

And so the good news is that we as humans are adaptive to the situation we are in AND can learn new ways to engage within ourselves, others & our environment. That choices available in the present moment allow for new opportunities!

For most people, healing includes both reprocessing of these experiences AND learning new skills to live as you are meant to, not just survive!

These deeply ingrained feelings states & beliefs can become wired into your nervous system. And through therapy that targets the brain & body (EMDR, somatic work, mindfulness, yoga) you can begin to recalibrate your system towards a truer version of yourself. It’s hard work AND work you are worthy & capable of doing!

As for today, start with what you can do right now. When a feeling arises, place a hand on your heart or slow down by bringing your awareness to your feel on the floor. Notice what emotion you are having, name it. Notice what belief about yourself goes with that. If it’s a feeling state that fits the facts or feels good, take time to just be in that experience.

If it is a painful feeling state AND you know it’s important to feel, can you feel it with compassion? Can you listen to what you need to get through the emotion?

If it’s a painful emotion AND it feels effective to change it, can you find a truth that exists outside of this experience? If you are sad, is there a person, things or place that brings comfort/happiness? If you feel shame & a sense of unworthiness, what also makes you feel proud, capable?

Can you take even a small step towards creating an opposite emotion? Creating situations that elicit emotions that fill us up with what we need can have the same effects as the painful ones. Gravitate & create the situations that help you thrive. Contact someone that is supportive, takes some time for yourself to rest or play, spend time where you feel safe & loved, engage in an activity that reminds you of your capability, accomplish a task, etc.

Healing is an evolution taken one step at a time, involving many conflicting emotions. You got this! 😊❤️

Sending peace,
Annmarie Hardgrove, LCSW-R
Certified EMDR Therapist
Somatic Developmental Trauma Therapist
Trauma Focused Yoga & Meditation Teacher
www.embodiedhealingli.com

03/04/2026

One of the most valuable aspects of trauma healing is strengthening internal resources. Resources can be many things but this post will shine a light on people or relationships that allows us to experience something grounding, a sense of connection or guidance, feeling loved, etc. These experiences deeply impact us and create adaptive networks in the brain that can be utilized in the healing journey. I utilize these experiences with the majority of clients I work with.

I invite you to reflect on your resources:
🪷 Who is someone that has a nurturing quality? Makes you feel loved & cared for?
🪷 Who is someone that makes you feel safe, protected?
🪷 Who is someone that is wise or offers supportive guidance?
🪷 Do you have important spiritual or religious figures that you feel connected to?

These individuals may be someone you know personally, such as a family member, friend or friend’s parent growing up, a neighbor, mentors, etc. Sometimes it’s a mythical figure (ex- Shout out to Gandalf the Gray in Lord of the Rings as a wise figure!) or someone in popular culture who embodies this quality (ex- Miss Honey in Matilda as nurturing figure, Hopper from Stranger Things as a protective figure).

When you bring up the qualities of these individuals, notice what you feel in your body in a positive way. When you connect to this, your adaptive networks in the brain are lighting up! Cool, huh?! Once accessible, these networks can be used in various ways to promote healing. It is a template for the fundamental experiences all humans need to thrive. I enjoy teaching clients how to use tapping to strengthen their internal resources outside of the therapy room as well.

And let us not forget the power we all have as individuals to be an internal resource for others through our presence, love, kindness, generosity & compassion.

Sending peace,
Annmarie Hardgrove, LCSW-R, CYT
Certified EMDR Therapist
Trauma Focused Yoga & Meditation Teacher
www.embodiedhealingli.com

02/25/2026

Many people who experience emotional neglect in childhood may minimize how profoundly impactful it can be. The painful irony in this is that minimizing one’s own needs and feelings is exactly the symptom of this experience, and so many individuals suffer because they don’t see themselves as trauma survivors. Yet, emotional neglect causes toxic shame, difficulty in relationships and emotional disconnection or dysregulation because we learn to attend to our internal world through attunement with a caregiver. These experiences are essential to our emotional development, not a luxury. Every human needs to be seen & heard as a basic fundamental need. When this doesn’t occur, children blame themselves & cut off their needs in the body & heart….before words exist to even express it.

Emotional neglect in childhood can occur when any of the following are present:
1) Abuse or physical neglect (lack of food, housing insecurity)
2) Caregivers who have physical or mental health problems
3) Financial insecurities
4) Caregivers with addiction to substances, gambling, s*x addiction, screens, etc
5) Caregivers who demonstrate narcissistic tendencies or have Narcissistic Personality Disorder
6) Siblings with developmental issues or health problems that are the focus of more parental attention
7) Sudden loss that impacts a family system
8)Caregivers chronically overwhelmed for any reason
9) Cultural, racial & systemic trauma impacting a family
10) Caregivers with unresolved trauma, including intergenerational trauma

If this resonates with you, please know healing is possible. In my experience, and based on what the research confirms, is that healing is a process that requires several components.

* Reprocessing these experiences in the brain & body through evidence based treatment like EMDR (there are ways to access early experiences that are not attached to memory because the body does remember & holds the story)
* Somatic repatterning on how these experiences manifest in the body
* Having the felt experience of what you needed in the way you needed to receive it through imaginal repair & body based techniques
* New skills that lead to behavior you didn’t get to learn

To learn more and/or schedule a free 20 minute phone consultation, go to my website site www.embodiedhealingli.com.

Sending peace,
Annmarie Hardgrove, LCSW-R, CYT
Certified EMDR Therpist
Trauma Focused Yoga & Meditation Teacher
www.embodiedhealingli.com

PS- This video may be both deeply validating as well as emotionally painful and triggering. Use self care when watching. ❤️❤️❤️

Many people who grew up emotionally neglected never realise it.Emotional neglect is one of the most overlooked forms of childhood trauma — not because it’s r...

02/19/2026

When trauma symptoms get triggered during present day events, it is usually because similar physical sensations that occurred at the time of the traumatic experience are also happening now. The events themselves may or may not be related, the common link is often in the body. Smells & sounds often make significant traumatic imprints.

Then the past blends into the present & our brain & body respond as if there is a current threat. Or perhaps overwhelming shame & feelings of unworthiness emerge, causing a pulling back of our authentic selves.

One of the most powerful outcomes of successful healing is the brain & body deeply feeling a sense of “Then” versus “Now”. EMDR often shifts where traumatic reactions are held in the brain & body so they can be experienced as past, not present when triggers emerge. And through attuning to the body through somatic therapy interventions, new patterns can emerge in how the body holds itself.

Any practice that makes us feel embodied is healing because it creates experiences we as humans are meant to have- whether it be a walk, cooking, crafting, gardening, yoga. The journey to healing comes in many forms both inside & outside of therapy.

Sending peace,
Annmarie Hardgrove, LCSW-R, CYT
Certified EMDR Therapist
Trauma Focused Yoga & Meditation Teacher
www.embodiedhealingli.com

02/06/2026

We specialize in collaborative EMDR & work from the philosophy that it takes a community to heal. As we have become more specialized in our field, our clients can benefit when we combine our specialties. For clinicians who have a different specialty & have clients who also need EMDR, we offer several options to choose from based on what best fits your client’s needs outlined below.

Do you have clients whose trauma and/or unmet needs from childhood keep showing up as stuck points in therapy?

Do you have clients who are stuck in a loop of being triggered, reacting to events with a stronger emotional intensity than fits the facts despite efforts to change this pattern?

If so, these are common ways we collaborate:
1) Clients do focused EMDR work in a 1-3 day intensive
2) Clients do short-term trauma focused work alongside existing treatment
3) A family member of a client you see needs trauma work to improve family dynamics (ex-a parent or spouse needs trauma work bc of its impact on your client).

We always connect with the existing treatment team to support the work being done. We also stay aligned with solid clinical boundaries that distinguishes our work from the work being done with you!

What makes us unique is that we infuse EMDR with DBT concepts, parts work & somatic interventions developed through years of experience & training. **We are also trained to work with preverbal trauma & neglect **

If you want to schedule a Zoom to discuss working together, contact me through my website: www.embodiedhealingli.com.

🪷 please check out this video that answers many common questions about clients best suited for EMDR Intensives. 🪷

Sending peace,
Annmarie Hardgrove, LCSW-R, CYT
Certified EMDR Therapist
Trauma Focused Yoga & Meditation Teacher
www.embodiedhealingli.com

01/30/2026

5-4-3-2-1 is a great technique to interrupt an anxiety attack because it refocuses your attention away from the panic response. The more focus on the feeling of panic, the more you panic….and the more chemicals get released into your system preparing for threat. However, with anxiety attacks there is typically not a threat but more of a false alarm reaction in the body.

This technique is also extremely helpful to return to the present moment when experiencing dissociation. Dissociation is a protective trauma response that disconnects you from your body, emotions & surroundings. These techniques bring you back to now…the only moment where there is choice once you reground yourself. I use this technique often in my office when dissociation occurs during EMDR to help clients remain in the window of presence needed for our work to be successful.

It also is a good remedy for monkey mind, when you feel overstimulated with thoughts jumping from branch to branch. This technique helps you come back to the present moment quickly to decide “what do I need to do next?”

Variations:
🪷 Simplify this technique to a 3-2-1- instead of the 5 senses choose colors. Find 3 blue things, 2 pink things & 1 yellow thing around you (pick whatever colors you want!)
🪷 use either a 5-4-3-2-1 or 3-2-1 technique but find things that begin with a certain letter, such as 5 things in your surroundings that begin with A, 4 things that start with B, etc. Creative answers accepted! 😝
🪷 Simplify this technique even further & name 10 things around you that catch your eye in a positive way. I suggest using adjectives for enhanced connection to the present moment. For example, I see a wooden table, a spiky pineapple, etc (yep, you guessed this I’m writing this in my kitchen 😂).

Give it a try & play around to find what works for you. You got this!

Sending peace ✌🏻,
Annmarie Hardgrove, LCSW-R, CYT
Certified EMDR Therapist
Trauma Focused Yoga & Meditation Teacher
www.embodiedhealingli.com

01/29/2026

It was such a pleasure connecting with other wellness practitioners at the Wellness Expo earlier this week. Healing the heart, mind, body & soul takes a community & collaboration.

It felt fun to share with practitioners from other wellness fields about EMDR & the deep lasting healing it can offer individuals suffering with trauma symptoms, anxiety or persistent negative self beliefs. Getting to experience the light bar for eye movements, tappers for tactile use or audio sounds can be fun too 😜 In EMDR, we use this equipment for bilateral stimulation to help what is stuck in the brain & body get unstuck.

To learn more about EMDR, including videos on how it works, go to my website www.embodiedhealingli.com.

Sending peace,
Annmarie Hardgrove, LCSW-R
Certified EMDR Therpist
Trauma Focused Yoga & Meditation Teacher

01/27/2026

Tired of being cooped up at home? 😜 Come join me at the Wellness Expo at the Melville Marriott, 10am-2pm.

01/26/2026

At Embodied Healing, we know that healing needs to occur not just in the mind & heart, but in the body as well!

Research strongly supports yoga for trauma recovery & anxiety because it helps to reset an overactive nervous system.

Ish*ta brings just the right touch of warmth & gentle guidance for individuals who want to prioritize their mental health through the practice of yoga.

This class is:
🪷 Designed for beginners or individuals who have not practiced in awhile.
🪷Incorporates mindful awareness & grounding techniques
🪷 Perfect for you if you are interested in body based healing in a supportive, non-judgmental atmosphere

To register for this 4 class series, email me at info@embodiedhealingli.com.

Sending peace,
Annmarie Hardgrove, LCSW-R, CYT
Certified EMDR Therapist
Trauma Focused Yoga & Meditation Teacher
www.embodiedhealingli.com

01/23/2026

As public figures are increasingly raising awareness about the effectiveness of EMDR through their own experiences, more people are realizing it may be helpful for them too.

EMDR can either be done in 2 main ways:

1) Weekly sessions- may be a good fit for someone also seeking support through a life transition, wants to increase coping skills AND wants to do EMDR
OR
2) EMDR Intensives
Intensives are a 1-3 day immersive therapy experience that allows you to work through what is bothering you at a faster pace, without a regular appt.

It’s a great fit for high functioning professionals and/or busy parents who cannot add another weekly appt into their schedule. It’s also a great option for individuals who are already working with another therapist but need this specialized treatment to overcome stuck points that talking just simply cannot treat.

More information about EMDR, including intensives, are on my website www.embodiedhealingli.com. You can also contact me there to schedule a free 20 minute phone consultation.

Sending peace,
Annmarie Hardgrove, LCSW-R, CYT
Certified EMDR Therapist
Trauma Focused Yoga & Meditation Teacher
www.embodiedhealingli.com

https://youtu.be/QGiqBazdPGw?si=R9uko68GakXYjSD3

In his Apple TV+ show, “The Me You Can’t See,” the prince invited the world into his private EMDR therapy session, which is typically recommended to patients...