Holly Evans, LMFT, PMH-C

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It's so important to have a safe place to bring all of your experiences, thoughts and feelings- no matter what they are....
11/06/2024

It's so important to have a safe place to bring all of your experiences, thoughts and feelings- no matter what they are.

I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist, specializing in trauma recovery and perinatal mental health. I offer EMDR and trauma focused therapies to people who're struggling with depression, anxiety and the effects of trauma.

Therapy is a way of tending to the ways you're struggling or how you've been hurt so that you can move forward with more ease, confidence and self-compassion.

I'd love to talk to you about how I can help. To book an introductory call, see my link in bio.

Finding the strength to face fertility challenges can feel impossible, but you're not alone. The events leading up to a...
11/06/2024

Finding the strength to face fertility challenges can feel impossible, but you're not alone. The events leading up to and following a diagnosis of infertility are often deeply traumatizing and can impact your ability to cope and function in your day to day. Seeking out the support you deserve can make all the difference.

Reproductive Trauma Therapy may be right for you if…

🔸You've having trouble coping with everyday triggers

🔸You’ve suffered a devastating loss, and you’re not sure how to move forward or what to do next.

🔸You’re questioning a lot of things about yourself, and feeling like “I don’t know who I am”

🔸You need to address lingering emotions and stress responses connected to a loss or trauma before TTC and entering a new pregnancy

🔸Needing to resolve past trauma that’s resurfaced as you go through fertility treatment, pregnancy, childbirth or during early parenthood.

🔸You’re feeling indecisive about whether to try to conceive again and want to make the decision without the element of fear.

Reproductive trauma therapy can help you navigate the roller coaster of emotions, process your losses and find your path to parenthood. To learn more, see my link in bio.

If you’ve faced traumatic or distressing experiences during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum, it makes sense that you...
06/27/2024

If you’ve faced traumatic or distressing experiences during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum, it makes sense that your baby’s birthday feels really hard.

If your parenthood journey has been difficult, it's important not to dismiss or minimize this part of your experience, especially when your distress or fears continue longer than the first month after your baby is born. Postpartum depression, anxiety and PTSD are treatable.

To learn more, visit my website for this month's blog post (link in bio).

06/23/2024

Traumas that occur around the time of conception, pregnancy and postpartum often have unexpected and unwanted effects. Your baby’s first birthday can be fraught with thoughts and feelings that bring back memories of trauma, even as you celebrate your child.

Crisis or frightening experiences that happen around the time of TTC, pregnancy or postpartum can lead to debilitating s...
06/12/2024

Crisis or frightening experiences that happen around the time of TTC, pregnancy or postpartum can lead to debilitating symptoms and make it difficult to just get through the day. The good news is that trauma and PTSD are treatable, and with the right kind of support you’ll feel better.

Crisis or frightening experiences that happen around the time of pregnancy and childbirth can lead to debilitating sympt...
06/12/2024

Crisis or frightening experiences that happen around the time of pregnancy and childbirth can lead to debilitating symptoms and make it difficult to just get through the day, let alone take care of your family. The good news is that trauma is treatable, and with support you will feel better.

At least 9% of birthing people will develop postpartum PTSD, and many more find some aspect of pregnancy and childbirth ...
06/12/2024

At least 9% of birthing people will develop postpartum PTSD, and many more find some aspect of pregnancy and childbirth traumatic.

Birthing people who get support feel better more quickly.

3 ways to begin healing:

🔸Ask for help

Reaching out for help when you’re struggling with scary or painful thoughts and feelings is so difficult. Remember that you’re not alone. Struggling with your mental health usually feels isolating and lonely. With the right kind of help you’ll feel better, you’ll recover and move forward.

🔸Acknowledge your losses

When your experience is not what you wanted, dreamed of, or worked so hard for, feeling a deep sense of loss & grief is expected. Take time to grieve and process your emotions.

🔸Find just one person to talk to

Open up to someone you can trust with your story, who can listen without judging, who won't try to "fix" you or talk you out of your feelings.

To read more about taking the first steps toward getting help and recovering from trauma, go to link in my bio for the blog post.

A trauma trigger is anything that reminds you of a traumatic event and lead to re-experiencing or re-play the disturbing...
06/12/2024

A trauma trigger is anything that reminds you of a traumatic event and lead to re-experiencing or re-play the disturbing memory. Triggers can come in many forms and are unique to each individual and their experience. Very often, a trauma trigger is sensory- a sound, smell, or sight that causes a disturbing memory to resurface. Other kinds of reminders of a trauma can also become triggering-an emotional state, an intrusive thought, the place where the trauma took place, common physical experiences such as your period, or a certain time of day. Encountering a trauma trigger can cause traumatic stress responses or PTSD reactions such as panic attacks, flashbacks, extreme emotional reactions, or dissociation.

Common Triggers During Pregnancy and Postpartum:

🔸your baby (or any baby)

🔸birth stories, news of a baby’s birth

🔸your baby’s birthday

🔸significant dates such as embryo transfers, due dates or anniversary of a loss

🔸your own body

🔸pain or discomfort

🔸breast/chest feeding

🔸emotions

🔸intrusive thoughts/memories

🔸doctors/medical appointments/ultrasounds

🔸sex/physical intimacy/touch

🔸being alone

🔸becoming or trying to become pregnant again

After a trauma during fertility process, pregnancy or postpartum, avoiding triggers is virtually impossible. But there are steps you can take to help yourself through situations that are likely to activating (triggering):

🔸Identify potential triggers so that you can make a plan to support yourself through difficult moments or situations.

🔸Learn about the signs and symptoms of traumatic stress and PTSD so that you understand what's happening to you (this can help you feel a bit more in control and to build some self-compassion for what you're going through).

🔸Learn how to use grounding skills and simple mindfulness practices which can help you stay in your body, in the present moment.

🔸Get support. Know that perinatal trauma and PTSD are treatable. Getting support through therapy or a support group can help you make a full recovery.

Read the article on my blog for information to help you understand the signs of postpartum depression, and for therapist...
11/15/2023

Read the article on my blog for information to help you understand the signs of postpartum depression, and for therapist tips on how to find the support you need in Pasadena, California or your local area.

EMDR (Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a highly researched therapy and has been found to be effecti...
11/10/2023

EMDR (Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a highly researched therapy and has been found to be effective in treating trauma/PTSD, depression, anxiety and fears.

EMDR is the primary model of therapy I use in my practice because it's so effective (supported by research), provides relief for my clients (often more quickly than traditional talk therapy), AND for many other reasons:

✅EMDR therapy can reach trauma wounds in ways that words/talking can't (trauma is stored in the body).
✅EMDR allows your own brain to do the healing. Your nervous system, your mind and body lead the way.
✅EMDR addresses the emotional and physical symptoms of trauma.
✅You don't have to re-experience or describe your trauma in detail. EMDR is a very internal process.
✅EMDR doesn't just focus on the past; EMDR also helps address issues in the present, as well as preparing you for future scenarios you may face.

Many traumas can be resolved without any help. But some traumatic experiences can interfere with our brain’s natural ability to recover. When the stress of an event continues to cause you to feel overwhelmed with flight, fight or freeze responses, or if reminders of the events create the feeling that it’s happening all over again, EMDR can help to process through and decrease the distress associated with the memory-to return your body and mind back to a sense of safety and calm.

EMDR can help heal the traumatizing effects of:

✅Childhood Abuse and Neglect
✅Sexual Assault
✅Intimate Partner Abuse
✅Perinatal trauma (including infertility, pregnancy loss/miscarriage, stillbirths, birth trauma, NICU stays, Postpartum PTSD)
✅Death of a baby
✅Medical Trauma
✅Pandemic related traumas
✅Vicarious Traumas (witnessing or learning about a traumatic event)
✅Single incident traumas (car accidents, etc.)
✅Natural Disasters (fires, earthquakes, etc.)

If you think EMDR might be right for you, visit EMDRIA.org to learn more about EMDR or to find a therapist through their online directory.

How can EMDR help during your pregnancy?◾EMDR therapy begins by teaching you new tools to help you calm and soothe your ...
11/10/2023

How can EMDR help during your pregnancy?

◾EMDR therapy begins by teaching you new tools to help you calm and soothe your nervous system and to ground yourself in the present.

◾EMDR therapy addresses not only past traumas, but also current and future situations that are causing fear and distress.

◾EMDR has been found to be safe and effective at any stage of your parenting journey and can be used to provide relief from distress or trauma symptoms that can occur.

EMDR therapy is widely documented and researched, and studies continue to support its use during pregnancy:

A study published in 2020 found that “EMDR therapy can improve internal resources for expectant mothers; monitor their levels of psychological distress; and enable them to access and process traumatic memories, other adverse life experiences, recent stressors, and pre-perinatal concerns... " and that EMDR therapy can also help pregnant mothers prepare for future events, incorporate developmental/prenatal education and "deepen their bonds with their babies.”

Another study published by the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research found that EMDR therapy reduced the severity of anxiety in pregnant women with previous traumatic experiences and that “EMDR therapy can be used during pregnancy to treat or relieve anxiety" and the fear of childbirth.

EMDR has been extensively researched for the past 20+ years. If you'd like to know more about EMDR and the research supporting its effectiveness, check out the resources below.

emdria.org
emdr.com

Resources:

Cortizo, R. (2020). Prenatal and Perinatal EMDR Therapy: Early Family Intervention. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, Vol. 14, Issue 2, pages 104-115

Zolghadr, N., Khoshnazar, A., MoradiBaglooei, M., Alimoradi, Z. (2019). The Effects of EMDR on Childbirth Anxiety of Women with Previous Stillbirth. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, Vol. 13, Issue 1.

Some of the kinds of experiences that are commonly traumatic for families include:Fertility challengesMiscarriage/pregna...
11/08/2023

Some of the kinds of experiences that are commonly traumatic for families include:

Fertility challenges

Miscarriage/pregnancy loss

Neonatal loss/death of an infant

Medical complications during pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum

TFMR

Past traumas that resurface during this period

The good news is that trauma is treatable. If you're concerned about how you're feeling, reach out for help.

Address

South Pasadena, CA

Telephone

+16268085463

Website

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