It is a hopeful time for trauma therapists and their clients alike as the body of research on effective treatments for those living with symptoms of PTSD and CPTSD continues to evolve and provide real solutions and successful recovery outcomes.

I have enjoyed increased time for continuing education study this summer and am particularly excited to continue to share Mindful Self-Compassion Therapy practices with you.

If you are experiencing increased anxiety this year, know that you aren’t alone. Anxiety is the most common issue we see in clinical practice and thankfully, through education and skills building, most people are able to learn to manage it effectively and reclaim their lives.

A common theme I notice in myself and in my clients is the tendency toward harsh self-criticism. Habitual thoughts about being unworthy, unlovable, incapable and never enough cause so much of our suffering. They stifle our true nature and can impact our work, relationships and mood.

When was the last time you felt self-assured and excited about a current project or idea and were able to immerse yourself in the process with your full attention? “Flow” is often defined as the mental state of being completely present and fully absorbed in a task and it is a strong contributor to creativity.

It is important to draw on all available resources in difficult times, and being able to tap in to inner resources is a valuable coping skill. In this series of blog posts, I will focus on specific, practical skills for increasing awareness of positive states such as happiness, safety, calmness, compassion and connectedness.

I encourage clients to experience positive states of mind in equal proportion to their difficulties and distress. In this series of blog posts, I will focus on specific, practical skills for increasing positive states of mind such as happiness, safety, calmness, compassion and connectedness.

I was intrigued when the publisher invited me to review Carol E. Miller’s book Every Moment of a Fall: A Memoir of Recovery Through EMDR Therapy. I have been in clinical psychotherapy practice for a decade specializing in an evidence-based treatment initially utilized to heal trauma.