Healing x Connection: A different way to heal

When we talk about trauma treatment, it's usually grouped into a few batches, individual therapy, group therapy, & medication. Siting in a room, an office, in a chair, talking about all the things that plague us. Looking for tools, hoping for change.

I became a therapist because I wanted to be a part of that change, until I realized a lot of treatment feels like a copy & paste technique. I think therapy is incredible and has literally saved the lives of millions. I also recognize that it's come a long way from where therapy began, but a few years ago I just began to feel that as a mental health and wellness community, we could do so much more. So naturally, I got bored with therapy, it didn't excite me like it once did because I felt like I was hitting the same wall my clients were.

Enter EMDR.......I 100% was hooked from the first hour of my training. I'm so thankful to my previous agency. In 2019, I was voluntold to attend the intensive, in person, 6-day training spread across two weekends that required consultation and individual practice. This also included time for us the trainees to experience EMDR ourselves, something I was not prepared for, but it let me experience the magic firsthand. Getting trained in EMDR is what led me on the path I'm on today. Training led to my EMDR Certification, training in Group EMDR, EMDR for children, EMDR for recent events and later my approval as an EMDR Consultant. During that time, I found Polyvagal theory and the works of Dr. Stephen Porges and Deb Dana. I later became interested in Somatic Healing, became trained in advanced practices while I was also getting trained in The Flash Technique from Dr. Phil Manfield.

I don't need the certificates on my walls, or the additional credentials after my name, and I definitely don't need to be dishing out $1000's of dollars in fees and recertifications. However, we know so much more about the mechanics of our nervous system and our physiology that I find it to be doing our due diligence to honor all of and make it accessible and understandable to those we work with. We can't work in separate stalls thinking one way works better than another, or that all people and their "symptoms" can fit into a singular box that we say is what works. Healing looks different for all, and all need different paths toward healing.

I want to offer a different path and contribute another option for healing. All of my training and framed certificates mean nothing if I'm not able to use them for the benefit of others. I know how difficult it is starting therapy, to find someone that fits, to commit to weekly sessions, find someone in network or affordable, figure out which modality is "right", etc.

This is the "why" behind Healing x Connection. I want to create a space for our communities where people don't have to share the hard things, where they don't feel exposed and where they don't feel alone. A process that someone doesn't need to engage in on a weekly basis to feel like they're getting somewhere.

EMDR in a group format, also known as G-TEP (group traumatic episode protocol), is not a new idea by any means. It was created by Elan Shapiro after he and a colleague Brurit Laub created another protocol which quickly decreased distressing feelings in individuals. In 2013, Elan adapted this model into a group process when he was able to offer support to more people after critical incidents and traumatic community events. Ana Gomez also reformatted the process to be used with children as young as 5.

A model like this not only offers a space for people to feel supported, but it also normalizes their feelings and helps them feel much less isolated. Even in events that impact entire communities, we all will still experience the event on a very individual level. Take the COVID-19 pandemic; everyone has a different version forever imprinted in their mind. We don't need global devastation to understand how it can impact us, but even during something as significant as this there were still many moments of connection, support and protection.

Catastrophic traumas shouldn't have to occur for people to have opportunities to feel protected and seen. I want to help make these connections happen more often, no matter what people are going through in their personal life. I want to help people tap into their social engagement system and experience a sense of safety through curiosity and maybe some laughter. It's an opportunity to learn to attune to our body, to tap into self-awareness and inner strengths. It's a chance to put some distance between yesterday and today, the before and the now, the person we once were and who we are today. It's a place that allows us to come back to center and recognize that healing can happen within yourself and within the company of others. It's a new way to move forward. Not the answer or solution, but another option.

If you're ready to experience something new and meaningful, Healing x Connection is the perfect place to start. Each month I'll be teaming up with a different Community Host, aiming to make this workshop accessible to more people in different communities and spaces. Healing x Connection might be at a wellness studio, a yoga studio, a farm, or even a crystal shop. The space is just as important as the people that fill it because these spaces are at the center of our communities and lead with the same goal of health and wellbeing for all. More information can be found under the events tab, and I'm always open to answer any questions.