Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling, PLLC

10/29/2025

If you’ve ever felt like you’re right back in the moment — heart racing, body tense, breath shallow — you’re not “broken.”

Flashbacks are your nervous system’s way of saying: something still feels unsafe.

Trauma can store itself in the body, and when something reminds your brain of danger, it replays the experience — even years later.
But with trauma-informed therapy and EMDR, you can help your brain and body learn that the danger has passed.
Healing means your past no longer hijacks your present.

When a flashback happens, try gently reminding yourself:
🩵 “This is my body remembering — but I am safe now.”

You don’t have to live on high alert forever. Healing is possible.

💬 Send us a DM to schedule your free 15-minute consult and start your healing journey with our therapist at Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling.

10/27/2025

Food isn’t meant to be a battleground. It’s a way to care for your body — and yourself.

So often, eating becomes tangled with guilt, shame, or control. But healing your relationship with food starts when you shift from discipline to nourishment.

When you eat with compassion, you remind your nervous system that you are safe.

Each meal becomes less about rules — and more about tending to what your body truly needs.

Next time you sit down to eat, pause and ask:

🕊️ “What would it look like to care for myself in this moment?”

Stephanie Polizzi is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor at Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling, where she supports teens and adults in healing from anxiety, disordered eating, and perfectionism.

Her work centers on rebuilding body trust and helping clients reconnect with the simple, nurturing rituals of self-care. Through a trauma-informed and compassionate approach, Stephanie guides clients toward a gentler relationship with themselves — one meal, one breath, one moment at a time.

💬 If you’re ready to explore your relationship with food through a trauma-informed lens, send us a DM to book a free 15 minute consultation with Stephanie.

10/26/2025

💼 Why Burnout Feels Like the “New Normal” in Finance (and How to Break the Cycle)

If you’ve ever worked in finance, you know the rhythm: the constant rush, the pressure to perform, the quiet dread before another long week.

It’s a world that glorifies productivity — but leaves little room for pause, rest, or being human.

Many professionals in finance live in survival mode for years, thinking stress is just part of success.
But over time, the nervous system stops bouncing back. The exhaustion, irritability, and loss of purpose aren’t weakness — they’re signs your body is asking for safety.

As therapist Frank Sarrapochiello, MHC-Intern, writes in our latest blog, recovery from burnout isn’t about quitting your job or “just relaxing.”
It’s about learning to regulate your nervous system again — to find moments of calm in the chaos, and to reconnect with the parts of you that exist beyond performance.

Frank knows the world of finance firsthand — after 25+ years in the industry, he now helps professionals heal from burnout, anxiety, and trauma through a warm, collaborative, and trauma-informed approach.

✨ You don’t have to live on autopilot. There’s a way to rebuild your life from balance, not burnout.

📖 Read the full blog:
👉 https://cstu.io/0356f1
💬 Or book your Free 15-minute Consult with Frank:
👉 https://cstu.io/3e080a

10/26/2025

You’ve probably said it before: “That really triggered me.”
But what does being “triggered” actually mean?

It’s not about being too sensitive.
It’s your nervous system doing its job — trying to protect you from something that feels like danger, even when you’re safe.

Your body remembers what your mind may not.
That’s why a look, a smell, or a tone of voice can activate a survival response.
It’s not overreacting — it’s overprotecting.

✨ The good news? You can retrain your nervous system to respond differently.

Through EMDR therapy, your brain learns to reprocess stored trauma so your body no longer reacts as if the past is happening now.

Over time, the triggers lose their power — and you gain yours back.
If you’ve ever wondered why certain moments set you off, or why calm feels out of reach, this one’s for you.

💬 Comment “TRIGGER” and we’ll send you the link to read the full blog:
👉 “What Triggers Actually Are — And How EMDR Helps You Respond Differently.”

🧠 Looking for EMDR therapy?
At Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling (PLMHC), our trauma-informed clinicians offer EMDR and psychotherapy:
• In person in Scarsdale, NY
• Virtual sessions for residents of NY, NJ, CT, and FL
Start where you are — healing is possible. 🌿
🔗 Send us a DM to book your free 15-minute consult.

10/24/2025

💻 Therapy from anywhere — because healing shouldn’t have borders.

Whether you’re in Westchester, NYC, or anywhere across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Florida, our secure virtual therapy sessions make compassionate care more accessible than ever.

✨ Begin right where you are — from the comfort of home, your car on a lunch break, or your favorite cozy corner.
All you need is a quiet space and a willingness to start.

At Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling, our trauma-informed therapists provide virtual psychotherapy for kids, teens, and adults—so you can receive consistent, supportive care no matter where life takes you.

💬 Book your virtual session today! Send us a DM or click the link below:
https://cstu.io/a3719e

10/22/2025

🍁 It’s okay if fall feels heavy.

The world slows down this time of year—
and sometimes, our bodies do too.

Shorter days. Colder air. More quiet.
It can stir memories, loneliness, or even grief.
You’re not “lazy” or “unmotivated.”
You’re adjusting.

Your nervous system is responding to change—
and that’s human.

✨ Give yourself permission to rest a little more,
to soften your pace,
to find comfort in small things that feel safe and grounding.

You don’t have to push through to prove you’re okay.
You can move gently and still be healing.

💬 If this season feels especially heavy, our trauma-informed therapists at Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling are here to help you find calm through the change.

👉 Book your Free 15-minute Consult: Send us a DM or follow the link below:
https://cstu.io/e492ce

10/21/2025

💼 If you work in finance, you probably know the feeling — your mind races long after the market closes, your body never truly relaxes, and “time off” still feels like work.

That constant tension isn’t just stress. It’s your nervous system stuck in overdrive.

Financial professionals are trained to stay alert — anticipating risks, managing numbers, and making fast, high-stakes decisions. Over time, your brain learns that being “on” equals being safe. The problem? It doesn’t know how to turn off.

✨ EMDR Therapy helps calm that hypervigilant response by retraining your brain to recognize when it’s safe to rest. It’s not about losing your edge — it’s about reclaiming balance, focus, and peace.

If your body feels like it’s running at full speed even when you’re off the clock, this blog breaks down why — and how EMDR can help. 🌿

👉 Read the full blog:

https://wix.to/7hoogXF

Finance professionals often struggle to switch off after work — trapped in stress cycles and sleepless nights. Learn how EMDR Therapy for Financial Professionals supports nervous system regulation, restores rest, and helps you find calm beyond the numbers.

10/21/2025

✨ Therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all — and that includes how often you meet with your therapist.

At different points in your healing journey, your therapy session frequency might shift — and that’s completely normal. 💛

You might meet weekly during times of higher stress or transition…
Every other week when you’re feeling more stable and want space to practice new skills…
Or step down to monthly sessions as you gain confidence and maintain progress.

Therapy frequency changes because you’re changing — and that’s something to celebrate. 🌿

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s time to adjust your sessions, this blog explains when and why those changes happen — and how to talk about it with your therapist.

👉 Read the full blog:

https://wix.to/WkSykL6

Therapy looks different for everyone. As you grow, your session frequency may change—whether you need more support, less, or a new rhythm for your healing journey.

10/20/2025

🌿 “In safe spaces, old defenses soften — not because they’re bad, but because they’re no longer needed.” — Annabella Lipson, LMHC

Healing isn’t about erasing the parts of you that protected you.
It’s about giving them a rest.

In therapy, we begin to understand how those defenses once kept us safe—
the walls, the people-pleasing, the hypervigilance.

And as safety grows, your system learns a new language: trust.

✨ That’s when softening begins—not because you’re “fixed,”
but because you finally feel safe enough to be yourself.

If you’re ready to explore that kind of safety and begin healing at your own pace, Annabella offers a warm, trauma-informed space for adults and teens in New York (virtual and in-person in Scarsdale).

💬 Book a Free 15-minute Consult with Annabella today! Send us a DM or click the link below:
👉 https://cstu.io/c67329

10/19/2025

Ever wonder what EMDR actually looks like in therapy?

Spoiler: It’s not hypnosis. And your therapist isn’t “making” you relive anything.
In real life, EMDR looks like this —
You and your therapist are sitting together, creating safety, following the body’s cues, and helping your brain finish what trauma started. 🌿

At Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling, PLLC , EMDR is more than a protocol.
It’s a process of:
🪞 noticing what shows up
🌊 pacing with your nervous system
🌱 letting your system rewire itself toward safety

Clients often describe EMDR sessions as “finally being able to breathe again,” or “feeling the memory but not the panic.”

That’s not magic — it’s neuroscience and compassionate pacing.
Healing doesn’t erase the past.
It changes how the past lives inside you. 💚

Ready to see what EMDR can look like for you?
✨ Comment “Peaceful Living” below to connect with a trauma-informed therapist at Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling (serving NY, NJ, CT & FL).

And if you’re a therapist or client looking for EMDR tools and resources —🧠 check the link in our bio for guides, journals, and planning tools from The EMDR Coach.

10/17/2025

🧠 How Trauma Impacts Memory

Have you ever wondered why traumatic memories can feel so different from “normal” memories? Trauma doesn’t just affect emotions—it actually changes the way the brain processes and stores experiences.

When a person goes through something overwhelming, the brain goes into survival mode. The amygdala (the brain’s alarm system) becomes hyperactive, signaling danger. Meanwhile, the hippocampus (which helps organize events into a timeline) can shut down. This means that instead of being stored as a coherent story, traumatic memories may remain fragmented—like flashes of images, body sensations, or sounds.

Because of this, trauma survivors may experience:
✨ Fragmented memories – pieces of the event rather than the full story
✨ Intrusive memories – flashbacks, nightmares, or sudden emotional reactions
✨ Memory gaps – difficulty recalling parts (or all) of the trauma

This is the brain’s way of protecting itself in the moment—but later, it can feel confusing, frightening, or overwhelming.

🌿 The hopeful part is that healing is possible. With trauma-informed therapies like EMDR Therapy, memories can be reprocessed so they are no longer raw and overwhelming. Instead, they become integrated into your life story in a way that feels less triggering and more manageable.

At Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling (PLMHC), our therapists specialize in compassionate, evidence-based trauma care to help clients make sense of their experiences, reduce symptoms, and move toward peace.

💬 If you or someone you love is struggling with the effects of trauma, know you don’t have to face it alone. Book your free 15-minute consultation today and take the first step toward healing.

📲 Send us a DM and book a consultation.

10/17/2025

“Healing isn’t about doing it fast — it’s about doing it safely.”

Starting EMDR therapy is one of the bravest choices you can make — but timing matters.
Reprocessing trauma requires emotional readiness, space for reflection, and support you can trust.

💭 Ask yourself:
✨ Do I have the emotional stability and coping tools to revisit difficult memories?
✨ Can I give myself time to rest after sessions?
✨ Are there life stressors that might make healing feel overwhelming right now?

At Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling, we help you make that decision together — honoring your pace, your safety, and your healing journey.

👩‍⚕️ Meet Annabella Lipson, LMHC
Annabella supports adults and young adults working through grief, anxiety, PTSD, and trauma using EMDR and mindfulness-based care.

Her gentle, grounded approach helps clients reconnect with calm and confidence.
👉 Read the full blog or book your free 15 minute consultation: Send us a DM to get the link.

Or copy the blog link here:
https://cstu.io/e21d17