For many people who have experienced childhood trauma, it seems like trauma keeps piling up throughout their lives, as if they are marked for bad luck. It's like the "Visor Law." No matter how you adjust your sun visor, there is always a narrow strip of blinding sunlight that sneaks through, making it hard to see. It feels like an unavoidable, illogical, frustrating fact of life. Similarly, For many people who have experienced childhood trauma, it seems like trauma keeps pi

On two occasions, I have seen the symptoms of terrible PTSD (with a dissociative disorder!) all but disappear with marriage therapy and basic alterations in self-care . Have I got your attention? Couples facing emotional challenges often find traditional therapy helpful but sometimes insufficient. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, known for addressing trauma, can be a powerful tool when combined with marriage therapy approaches. One such approach,

Marriage therapy can be a lifeline for couples facing challenges, but not all therapists deliver the same results. One key factor that influences success is whether the therapist has formal training in marriage counseling. This post explores how trained marriage therapists compare to untrained therapists in terms of success rates, what makes trained professionals more effective, and what couples should consider when seeking help. Why Therapist Training Matters in Marriage The

Marriage therapy carries a reputation for being slow, repetitive, and unproductive. Like paying your mother-in-law to referee an argument. Many couples leave feeling frustrated or stuck. Unfortunately, these stereotypes have a basis in reality. The Gottman Method offers a fresh alternative attractive that both women and men find refreshing. It transforms traditional therapy by focusing on energetic, skills- and assignment-based sessions that engage couples actively and bui

I have decided to start doing pure marriage therapy again, on a limited basis . I normally do not work Fridays, but am adding a half-day (mornings) for marriage therapy. I often use brief marriage therapy as a preparation for working with childhood trauma. However, this time will be for pure marriage therapy. I use Gottman Method, which I am formally trained in by the Gottman Institute . Insurance doesn't pay for marriage work (any therapist who says otherwise is cheating

The ACE study, first conducted in the 1990s, revealed a strong connection between childhood trauma and long-term health risks. Understanding these connections helps professionals and individuals recognize the importance of early intervention and support. What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences? The ACE study was a groundbreaking research project that surveyed over 17,000 adults about their childhood experiences and current health. It found that traumatic events in childhood,

If you are reading this post, and you've read other entries on this blog, there is likely no reason to explain EMDR, or why you would want to learn how to be an EMDR clinician! But how would you go about learning? How can you afford it? One issue is that there are so many trainings out there, and so much confusion about what EMDR is. Here are some facts about learning EMDR, before I recommend where to do so: - You need to be a therapist, or working toward being one. That i

Child sexual abuse remains one of the most difficult and painful issues society faces. Efforts to expose and prevent it often focus on identifying abusers as distant, monstrous others. This approach, while understandable, limits our ability to truly confront the problem. To unmask child sexual abuse effectively, individuals must certainly take personal responsibility for understanding and awareness. But to be effective at all, this requires a willingness to engage in deep sel

When EMDR sessions stall, it’s rarely random. Research shows that the closer a clinician stays to the researched protocol, the better the results. If you're a clinician using EMDR, maintaining existing skill is perhaps more critical than further learning, as the basic training is the basis of all EMDR. Three structural patterns tend to emerge as clinicians get further from their initial training: Readiness criteria weren’t fully assessed Subtle instability is missed. Repro

Psychology today recently published a highly inaccurate and inflammatory description of EMDR, which they call a description, and it can be found here (please note the tone, and how it cites no evidence): https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/emdr The response of the EMDR International Association (which actually contains references to scientific research) can be found here: https://www.emdria.org/a-letter-to-psychology-today/ The article is filled with misinformati