For the past 18 years, I've provided in-person & web therapy specializing in anxiety, depression, trauma, low self-esteem & relationship issues. I have also been successful with adults experiencing fatigue and high stress levels trying to balance a busy school, career & home life. I utilize cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnotherapy, neuro-linguistics and bilateral stimulation with great success, empowering those feeling stuck to envision a clear future & take action to make it happen; encouraging those overwhelmed with stress to take care of themselves at least as much as everyone else & helping those tired of fear to find the key that unlocks the strength within.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is based on theory set forth by Albert Ellis (1962, 2003). CBT facilitates thought, feeling and behavior change by exploring & addressing the connections between them ( about Treatment.aspx). Often when an event causes distress that negatively impacts our daily functioning on an ongoing basis, it is because we are attaching a meaning to the event that is making us feel powerless, guilty, or bad about ourselves. This only causes us to feel even worse, or to perceive other events in life through the same lens. This can make us think we are doomed for failure or don’t deserve to be happy. When our perceptions are tainted in this way, it exacerbates the distortion, and can cause feelings of depression, anxiety, anger, detachment, etc. If these feelings are not addressed, it can prompt us to act out in ways that are self-destructive, destructive to others, or cause us to avoid, isolate, or self- medicate. When these behaviors offer us only temporary relief, it can lead to long-range trouble. What CBT does is help us identify what the distortion is, and correct it.

Hypnotherapy

  • Iuse Hypnosis with a focus on treatment pioneered by Dr. Milton Erickson, psychiatrist and founding president of the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis( an active approach to psychotherapy thatseeks to help an individual outgrow learned limitations so that inner potentials can be utilized to reach therapeutic goals. This can be done with a variety of techniques and even without what many formally call "trance." Trance itself is in no more than a state of inner absorption and focus, or awareness that is drawn inward to harness the power of their subconscious and inner mind. From this perspective, we all engage in trance on a daily basis automatically. For example, when we, without consciously thinking about it: apply the brakes after seeing a yellow light; cry upon seeing a fictional character in a movie acting out a tragic scene; tune in to the emotion of our favorite song, etc. we are engaging in what Erickson spoke of as “the common everyday trance.” Anyone can become focused and absorbed in reading a book, watching a movie, walking in nature, looking at a sunset…
  • Dr. Jon Connelly, LCSW, Master Hypnotherapist & founder of the Institute for Rapid Resolution Therapy® uses a life altering therapeutic approach that offers different, more useful meanings to life experiences, inviting us to “try on” new, more desirable ways of responding (cleartrauma.com). He also created a method called Rapid Resolution Therapy® ( Resolution Therapy) for resolving the negative effect from experiences as “normal” as a harsh criticism from a boss or parent to those as horrific as rape, natural disaster & combat. This method “eliminates the negative emotional or behavioral influence of traumatic events, whether these experiences are remembered, repressed or forgotten. It is not necessary to relive past events or experience any pain. The mind is cleared, organized and optimized. There are dramatic improvements in thoughts, feelings and behavior. Unconscious conflicts blocking desired change are pinpointed and resolved. As the root cause of problems is cleared, positive change endures” (rapidresolutiontherapy.com).
  • Hypnotherapy operates on the assumption that since we do not consciously choose to have a problem, we cannot simply choose to not have the problem. In other words, any of the problems we face are more easily addressed by communicating with the subconscious part of our mind where our deepest source of inspiration and strength exist and the part of our mind that most other kinds of therapy ignore when attempting to clear distortion. Many other therapy models only focus on the conscious part of the mind, which is only responsible for approximately 10% of our medical processes. Our subconscious mind is the part of our mind often thought to be the most powerful part of our mind in terms of influencing actions on a daily basis that we do automatically, like driving a car, grabbing a cigarette, getting hungry for fries after seeing the big yellow M on a Mcdonald’s fast food restaurant, jumping when we hear a car backfire, etc. If we do not communicate with our subconscious mind in a deliberate manner, it can receive confusingor negative messages from our conscious mind and the world around us that can prompt us to behave in ways that are self-destructive without us being consciously aware of it. Unless it becomes a major problem or is brought to our awareness by a negative event, it is often not dealt with, so the conscious and subconscious mind are not on the same page working toward what we consciously have decided we want for ourselves. Then we wonder why we are not reaching the goals we have consciously planned for ourselves.
  • In addition, the subconscious mind responds to visualization, repetition, sensory information, symbolic metaphors, and action-oriented language best. that catches our attention best. That’s why repetitive product ads that engage all 5 of our senses work so well. Hypnosis is effective quickly for most issues, because it engages the subconscious mind in communication with our conscious mind to work together toward desirable or helpful ends/goals. It does this in many ways, including: teaching use of positive self-talk and language, as well asfacilitating visualization and symbolic representations of the problem,as well as the solution.

After all, if we do not have a destination pictured in mind for where we are going before we start the journey, how can we map our way there, know that we are on the right path, or even recognize it when we get there?

What Is Visualization?

WHY IS IT SO EFFECTIVE? HOW DO WE KNOW?

Visualization is a system of focused, creative, mental images that are maps to your inner worlds. Just as you navigate through the physical world using landmarks, you can navigate through your mental world by using “mindmarks.”Your mind responds to sensory information, including pictures,more effectively than other kinds of information. A picture truly is worth 1,000 words.

Below is quoted excerpt from “How Our Brains Become More Active When We Tell Stories” (Widrich, 2012)

“It’s quite simple. If we listen to a Powerpoint presentation with boring bullet points, certain parts in the brain get activated. Scientists call these Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area. Overall, it hits our language processing parts in the brain, where we decode words into meaning. And that’s it, nothing else happens.When we are being told a story, though, things change dramatically, according toresearchers in Spain. Not only are the language processing parts in our brain activated,but any other area in our brain that we would use when experiencing the events of the story are too. A story can put your whole brain to work.”

“Avisualizationmight guide you to:

  • Welcome the arrival of your success ship.
  • Arrest the inner varmint who shoots holes in your goals.
  • Absorb physical and emotional tension with healing cloths.
  • Walk through a hall of energizing colors.
  • Create a center of power in your mind.
  • Expand your room for happiness.
  • Fill up your money pool and dive in.”

Neuro-Linguistic THERAPY

Neuro-Linguistic therapy is based, in part, on a belief in the connection between visualization, sensory experience (and other "neuro" mental processes) and language ("linguistic") on behavior patterns. It rests on the foundation that each of these can bechanged to achieve specific goals. For example, a neuro linguistic therapist may look at the words and phrases a person uses when describing their presenting issues in order to understand the underlying cause. Therapists will then help remodel distressing thoughts and associations in order to reframe for better outcomes.

  1. Know what you want (Outcome / Direction)- We tend to get what we focus on. Know what the outcomeyou want “looks like” and you’re more likely to get it
  2. Get the attention of the unconscious mind (Rapport) where it is presentlyearn its trust to get where you want to go
  3. Know whether you’re getting what you want (Sensory Acuity) Once you know where you want to go, you need to be able to notice whether or not you are getting there.
  4. Adjust what you’re doing accordingly (Behavioral Flexibility)- "Intelligence is the ability to have a fixed goal and be flexible about how you achieve it."

BILATERAL STIMULATION therapy techniques- A.R.T. & EMDR

Accelerated Resolution Therapy combines long respected, sound treatment practices with safe and effective methods validated by current scientific research studies conducted by the University of South Florida. It accomplishes this through the use of rapid eye movements similar to eye movements that occur during dreaming. Although techniques similar to these are used in other types of therapies.Therapy approaches used inARTare informed by:

  • Exposure Therapy (including imaginal, narrative and in-vivo)
  • Gestalt Therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
  • Imagery Re-scripting (used in many cognitive therapies)
  • Guided Imagery
  • Brief Psychodynamic Therapy

ARTutilizes the core techniques of evidence based PTSD treatment recognized by national organizations as well as the Dept. of Defense and VA.