Erica Thompson Therapy

08/18/2025

08/14/2025

👏🏻 wise words. Who else has listened to the New Heights podcast? What were your favorite parts? 🙂

08/07/2025

Ready to start IFS or EMDR therapy? 1-2 afternoon openings for weekly clients anticipated late August or September. Contact through website to set up a consultation.

07/23/2025

We’ve been taught to treat addiction like a brain disease to be managed— when in many cases, it’s a multi-dimensional wound that needs to be healed.

And when trauma is part of the story, healing isn’t just about abstaining.
It’s about integrating.

Because relapse isn’t failure.
It’s often the body’s last-ditch effort to soothe pain it doesn’t know how to hold.

Addiction isn’t always about the substance.
And it’s never just about willpower.
It’s what happens when the nervous system gets overwhelmed-and reaches for the only thing that’s ever offered relief.

For some, addiction begins with genetics or reward-seeking.

For others, it starts with emotional pain that had nowhere to go.

But for many, it’s both: a brain wired for craving, and a body carrying pain.

🧬 Yes, neuroscience tells us addiction reshapes the brain—dulling the prefrontal cortex, over-activating the amygdala, and conditioning the system to seek short-term relief at all costs.

But that same science also tells us: the brain can change.

Especially in environments of safety, connection, and internal integration.

It means we don’t stop at behavior.
We go deeper into the brain, the body, and the story.

We work across disciplines such as:
🧠 Neuroscience to understand reward circuitry
🛋️ Psychotherapy to explore emotional wounds and relational patterns
🎯 Coaching to build capacity, momentum, and motivation
🔄 IFS to understand internal coping strategies
✨ EMDR to process trauma memories
🌀 Somatic therapy to release what the body still holds

Because most addiction treatment still focuses on managing the behavior or medicating the brain. But it rarely teaches people how to feel.

How to grieve.

How to come back into relationship with themselves.

And without that, relapse isn’t just possible—it’s predictable.

Integration isn’t a luxury. It’s the missing piece.
Because when trauma shapes addiction, only healing can truly resolve (or release) it.

07/16/2025

I get asked this question all the time.

If you’ve been in a narcissistic relationship, you might be sorting through a deep fog—questioning your memory, your instincts, even your worth. That’s not just emotional confusion; it’s nervous system injury.

Gaslighting, blame-shifting, emotional withdrawal—these are real harms. And they can leave lasting imprints.

So let’s start here: You don’t owe compassion to someone who continually violates your boundaries.

That said—here’s what I’ve seen: narcissistic traits often develop as protective adaptations to early trauma. When a child grows up without being truly seen or soothed or loved, they build an identity that says, “If I can’t be loved for who I am, I’ll be admired for who others need or want me to be.”

But compassion for their pain does not require self-abandonment.

Insight doesn’t equal unlimited access.

Understanding doesn’t mean tolerating mistreatment.

And here’s where I want to be clear: I don’t support the pathologizing or polarizing language that says “narcissists are evil,” “they can never change,” or “throw them away.” That kind of othering may feel justified at first, but it often keeps us stuck in cycles of blame, reactivity or feeling vicitmized—when what we really need is clarity, boundaries, and repair.

Healing isn’t about excusing behavior. It’s about seeing the full picture—how trauma can create protective masks—and deciding what you need to heal from.

Think of it like this: If someone’s drowning, they might pull others down with them. You can understand why they’re panicking. But you’re still allowed to swim to shore.

An integrative trauma approach means holding both: The reality of your pain AND the humanity of the person who caused it.

But here’s the key: accountability is non-negotiable.
For healing to happen—on either side—there must be willingness to look inward, repair harm, and grow.

If you’re fresh out of a narcissistic dynamic, your job isn’t to fix them. It’s to come home to yourself.

06/15/2025

Sending 💙 on Father’s Day

06/12/2025

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

06/04/2025

This morning I got a notification on a recent pride post that I posted on my business page. I was horrified to see a slew of hateful ignorant comments there. I deleted the comments and blocked the accounts making them (and any other account made by that person). To anyone sharing those beliefs please silently scroll by or unfriend / unfollow. Your hate is not welcome. Those comments may have been made by hate bots or real people but either way it’s not ok. This is about life or death. This is about love for others and love for your authentic self. Happy Pride. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 If you see more of those comments on my page please tag me so I remove them quickly. I am not nearly as active on my business page as I would like to be. One thing is for certain there will definitely be more pride posts! 🙂

06/03/2025

“It's important to keep in mind that EMDR is different from traditional talk therapy. “Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR helps the brain reprocess painful memories so they no longer feel emotionally overwhelming,” Cannon says. “We often say, ‘The memory stays, but the emotional charge is gone.’””

https://www.wellandgood.com/health/miley-cyrus-emdr-therapy?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKrPBlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHs4UPQPqToM0PReg9wGqdtfsZJZY4EjlvJIFuKbfd8Pw0rliVllP8uZTfkox_aem_GZ1eoPxc9jtMZzpMrig4Bw

Miley Cyrus told The New York Times that she tried EMDR therapy to help her relieve anxiety and trauma. Our experts break down what exactly EMDR is, how these therapy sessions work, and if its safe for you.

06/01/2025

It’s men’s mental health month 💙 shared from

05/16/2025

“When we normalize the idea that women need alcohol to bond, to unwind, to endure the chaos of daily life, we reinforce a dangerous narrative.” Great article. Thoughts?

https://people.com/alcohol-womens-fiction-essay-exclusive-11730734?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKUW4FleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHm-xGewwNRmM1d3CBB6DPPsc7Z14zglwP4mpAa_tnpnWHdfl9c359SmSFZO0_aem_XbgFevPjzoGJEyffazwI6w

My debut novel, "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," acknowledges how alcohol can be both an escape and a trap, just like it was for me before I got sober 12 years ago