EMDR    Therapy    Virginia

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"Before I started working with Kathleen, I had symptoms of trauma from my past experience that have been coming up earlier this year. I am writing a review to express my deep gratitude for Kathleen and her ability to support me with the healing process I am on. I have been able to dramatically lessen my reactivity and overall discomfort around events of my past. My levels of distress around multiple experiences went from an 8/10 to a 0/10 -thanks to Kathleen's presence, compassion, and high level of skill around therapeutic healing modalities.We incorporate EMDR into the sessions. I am always amazed by how well she guides me through processes. I have recently empowered myself in our sessions by telling my story the way I choose to see it. I feel overall more peaceful and empowered in my day to day life."

-Ariel Rubens, Veteran, Health and Life Coach, 30s, Client EMDR, 2022

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"I was skeptical about therapy because of past failures and seeing other therapists who were not able to help me overcome my mental health issues from military service. Taking another chance because I was in a dark place in my life, I connected with Kathleen via the Headstrong Project and she changed my life for the better. Her methodical efforts, meditation, and EMDR sessions helped me peel back and resolve the complex emotions and trauma I experienced that had been festering and compounding over the past 20 years that not only affected me, but my family as well. Her efforts also helped me manage my physical pain from service-connected injuries I sustained in the military.  I am in a much better place now because of her efforts.  Kathleen is an experienced and empathic professional and I would highly recommend her to anyone suffering from PTSD or other trauma. She is passionate about her job and cares deeply about veterans and others suffering from emotional and physical trauma."  

-David, Veteran, 40s, Client EMDR, CBT, 2023  

 

"I'd like to share a part of my life and how EMDR helped me. I grew up in a very abusive family. My dad was an angry man and very often he would beat us. He used to be very abusive, physically, emotionally

and spiritually.  That trauma in my childhood had left a deep mark in my development that it would affect my work and personal life. Looking back on my past after all these years I can see why it was hard for me to connect with people and trust them, so I decided to get help. I went to therapy…
 

In my first session with Mrs.Kathleen we talked about how trauma sometimes gets stuck and fear can be stored in your body. The fear that took charge of my amygdala doesn’t allow other emotions to be processed.
That was a key… I wasn’t feeling a lot of emotions due to the fear that was trapped in my body but then how can I eliminate this fear that I am trapped in? Soon the answer came EMDR…Through the next sessions we developed a safe haven so that I could safely look at past trauma that still affected me.
 

There are two ways to approach the EMDR session, first you can look at a light that is moving from side to side or you can choose tappers… I chose the tappers. While I was talking about the trauma episode I was focusing on dealing with, I was holding the tappers. I had to briefly look at the memory but I knew I was safe. Kathleen’s calm and soothing voice helped me focus on the fact that I was safe where I was.
 

The first memory that I dealt with was intense… but I was able to go back and eliminate the threat. Looking back at the memory, there is no more fear associated with that memory… the fear is gone like it never happened. I was able to do that with several other memories so that the old negative feelings and thoughts are gone. During EMDR I literally replaced the fear that was once trapped inside with other feelings of love, calm, wisdom and patience.
 

Therapy changed my life… I developed tools that I never knew possible… I learned how to create positive images while meditating, like a blue healing light that was over me. I learned and began to practice that I have an emotional reserve where I can deposit positive emotions and use them in any situation… I am free. It feels amazing to reprogram your brain and free yourself from the fear."
-R.L, Veteran, 30s, Client EMDR, Hypnotherapy and Accelerated Resolution Therapy, 2019