How Does Somatic Experiencing (SE) Process Emotions?

In my recent articles I've been exploring how the different types of Experiential Therapies, like AEDP, Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy) and EMDR process emotions.

Processing Emotions with Somatic Experiencing

In the current article I'm focusing on how Somatic Experiencing, also known as SE, processes emotions (see my article: Somatic Experiencing: A Mind-Body Oriented Therapy).

Somatic Experiencing was developed by Peter Levine in the 1970s. Like many other types of Experiential Therapies, SE was developed to address the limitations of traditional psychotherapy (see my article: Why is Experiential Therapy More Effective Than Traditional Psychotherapy to Resolve Trauma?).

How Does Somatic Experiencing Process Emotions?

Somatic Experiencing processes emotions by focusing on bodily sensations (see my article: The Mind-Body Connection: What is Somatic Awareness?)).

Processing Emotions with Somatic Experiencing

Like other types of Experiential Therapy, Somatic Experiencing is a "bottom up" rather than a "top down" approach (see my article: What is the Difference Between a "Top Down" and "Bottom Up" Approach to Trauma Therapy?)

Clients are guided by their SE therapist to safely notice, feel and release tension related to trauma. This allows the nervous system to complete the interrupted stress response related to the trauma. These releases are often subtle.

What Are the Key Processes in SE to Process Emotions?

The key processes in SE include:

• A "Bottom Up" Approach: As mentioned above, instead of analyzing emotions, which is the usual way in traditional talk therapy, SE focuses on physical sensations to access and resolve underlying emotional experiences. These physical sensations might include tightness, warmth or pressure (to name a few).

Somatic Experiencing and Resourcing

• Resourcing: Prior to processing traumatic emotions, the client learns to develop a felt sense of calm and safety that can be accessed during times of activation related to processing the trauma (see my article: Developing Internal Resources and Coping Skills).

• Titration: Titration involves breaking down overwhelming traumatic memories into manageable pieces to avoid retraumatization during processing.

• Pendulation: Pendulation is shifting back and forth from a state of calm and safety to a state of discomfort related to the unresolved trauma.  This allows the nervous system to process traumatic emotions without being overwhelmed (see my article: Coping With Emotional Distress By Using the SE Technique of Pendulation).

• Discharging: As trapped energy related to the trauma is released, the client might experience physical sensations (e.g., heat). These sensations are often subtle.

Conclusion

Somatic Experiencing allows clients to process traumatic emotions and shift from a fight, flight, freeze or fawn response into a state of self regulation and relief.

I have been using Somatic Experiencing with clients regularly since 2011 and I have found that SE often combines well with other types of Experiential Therapy, like AEDP, EMDR and Parts Work.

Getting Help With Somatic Experiencing

If you feel stuck with unresolved trauma, you could benefit from working with a licensed mental health professional who is also an SE practitioner.

Getting Help With Somatic Experiencing

Freeing yourself from unresolved trauma can allow you to live a more fulfilling life.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have over 25 years of experience helping individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Also See My Articles:

What Are the Therapeutic Benefits of Somatic Experiencing?  

What Does Processing Emotions Mean? 

How Are Emotions Processed in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)?  

How Are Emotions Processed in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy?  

How Are Emotions Processed in Parts Work (IFS and Ego States) Therapy? 

What is the Life Cycle of an Emotion?

How to Avoid Making the Same Mistakes From One Relationship to the Next

Years ago a friend said to me, "I just don't have any luck in relationships." 

How to Avoid Making the Same Mistakes in Relationships

At that point, I knew he wasn't ready to hear that "luck" had nothing to do with his ongoing relationship problems. 

Once he had taken the time to heal from his last breakup, he was able to see how he was unconsciously recreating the same problems from one relationship to the next with the same result--heartbreak (see my article: How to Stop Bringing Old Wounds Into a New Relationship).

What Are Relationship Patterns?

A relationship pattern is when you repeat the same behaviors repeatedly in old and new relationships so that you keep creating the same negative cycle.

How to Avoid Making the Same Mistakes in Relationships

No one wants to hear that they are unconsciously bringing the same problems into all their relationships. It takes a genuine sense of curiosity and an openness to become more self aware to hear how you might be creating problems for yourself (see my article: What is Self Reflective Awareness and Why Is It Important to You?).

What Are Some of These Unhealthy Patterns?

Some of the unhealthy patterns include (but are not limited to):

• Choosing partners with the same or similar problems (e.g., problems with alcohol/drugs, abusive behavior and so on)

• Being unwilling to communicate when challenging issues arise (see my article: Are You a Stonewaller?)

• Being unwilling to see how you contribute to the negative cycle in your relationship

• Being too dependent on your partner (see my article: What is the Difference Between Codependency and Interdependency?)

• Being unwilling to compromise or change your behavior which contributes to the negative cycle in your relationship

How to Avoid Making the Same Mistakes in Relationships

• Expecting to have all your needs fulfilled by your partner (see my article: Your Partner Can't Fulfill All Your Needs)

• Behaving like a parent to your partner (see my article: Behaving Like a Parent to Your Partner Could Be Ruining Your Relationship)

• Acting like a roommate to your partner (see my article: Have You and Your Partner Stopped Having Sex?)

• Controlling or passive aggressive behavior (see my article: Controlling Behavior)

• Keeping score (see my article: Stop Keeping Score in Your Relationship)

Why Do People Repeat the Same Negative Relationship Patterns?

Sigmund Freud developed the original concept of repetition compulsion which is a tendency to unconsciously reenact past unresolved trauma in an attempt to try to gain mastery over them.

Relationship repetition syndrome is the modern psychological application of Freud's repetition compulsion where individuals recreate painful and traumatic attachment patterns in adult relationships (see my article: What is Traumatic Reenactment?).

Key Factors of Relationship Repetition Syndrome

• Lack of Awareness and Self Reflection: If you get involved in a new relationship too quickly, you're not taking the time to understand what went wrong in the last relationship and your contribution to it.

• Ignoring Red Flags: Related to lack of awareness and self reflection, when you ignore or minimize red flags with new partners, you're more likely to repeat the same problems (see my article: Are You Ignoring Red Flags?).

• An Unconscious Drive to Repeat the Same Patterns: There is an unconscious compulsion to recreate familiar painful dynamics. 

• Being Drawn to What is Familiar: You're drawn to what is familiar, even if it's painful, because the brain interprets familiarity with being "normal".

• Unresolved Trauma: These patterns often stem from early childhood trauma or past traumatic relationships that haven't been fully processed or resolved (see my article: When Past Trauma Affects You in the Present).

• The Desire For Mastery: According to Freud, repetition compulsion is an unconscious attempt to change the end of past trauma, especially early childhood trauma. Similarly, when you might reenact conflicts each partner hoping to "fix" your partner to achieve a different outcome than the original childhood trauma.

Examples of Relationship Repetition Syndrome:

• Recreating Traumatic Childhood Dynamics: If you had emotionally unable parents, you might unconsciously choose emotionally unavailable partners (see my article: Recreating Past Trauma in the Present).

• Reenacting Abuse or Neglect: If you grew up with abuse or neglect as a child, you might unconsciously choose partners who will be abusive or emotionally neglectful (see my article: Healing Childhood Trauma: What is the Differnce Between Abuse and Neglect?).

• Self Sabotage: Unconsciously engaging in behaviors that destroy an otherwise functional relationship in an attempt to reenact a familiar and dysfunctional family history (see my article: Overcoming Self Sabotaging Behavior).

How To Stop Repeating the Same Mistakes From One Relationship to the Next

• Avoid Getting Involved in a New Relationship Too Quickly: Instead of jumping into a new relationship, take time to reflect on the patterns you bring to a potential new relationship. Analyze your patterns. Reflect on the recurring negative patterns from your family of origin or past relationships.

• Work on Changing Small Patterns: Instead of trying to change everything at once, focus on changing one behavior pattern at a time.

• Get Help in Trauma Therapy: If you keep recreating the traumatic past in your relationships, you could benefit from working with a trauma therapist to resolve your past trauma so you don't keep repeating it in your relationships. Trauma therapy includes therapy that was specifically developed to help clients to overcome trauma including EMDR, IFS, AEDP and Somatic Experiencing. Once you have freed yourself from your traumatic past, you will be free to have more fulfilling relationships (see my article: How Trauma Therapy Can Help You to Overcome Unresolved Trauma).

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have over 25 years of experience as a trauma therapist helping individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Coping With Alexithymia - Also Known as Emotional Blindness

What is Alexithymia?

Alexithymia is a personality trait where a person has difficulty experiencing, identifying, understanding and expressing emotions.

Coping With Alexithymia

Alexithymia is also known as "emotional blindness".

Alexithymia is on a spectrum representing a personality trait with varying degrees of severity rather than a binary "yes" or "no" trait.

Individuals can range from low to high in alexithymic traits. 

These traits can include:

• Difficulties with emotional regulation

• Reduced imagination

• Externally oriented thinking

Alexithymia is a personality trait rather than a mental health diagnosis.  

Alexithymia is common among people who are neurodivergent (autism and ADHD).

What Causes Alexithymia?

Alexithymia can be influenced by several factors:

• Genetics

• Past experiences

• Certain psychiatric disorders and medical conditions including:
• Depression

• Anxiety

• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Adverse childhood experiences (trauma)

• Autism

• ADHD

• Eating Disorders

• Parkinson's

• Stroke

• Dementia

• Multiple Sclerosis

• Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

• Diabetes 

• Asthma

• Hypertension and cardiovascular disorders

• Chronic pain

• Fibromyalgia 

• Hormonal abnormalities

• Substance abuse, which is linked to an inability to process emotions

About 10-13% of the population has this personality trait with more men experiencing it than women.

People with alexithymia have a hard time understanding and expressing their emotions. This affects the way they relate to others. As a result, relationships often suffer because their limited ability to express their emotions stifles communicate with others (see below:Understanding How Alexithymia Affects Relationships).

People with alexithymia also have difficulty sensing the physical sensations that accompany their emotions (see my article: Learning to Sense Emotions in Your Body).

Understanding the Genetic Component of Alexithymia

Studies indicate that there is a genetic component to alexithymia. One study found there is a higher degree of alexithymia among first-degree relatives.

Understanding the Environmental Component of Alexithymia

People who have experienced childhood abuse or neglect can develop alexithymia and have difficulty processing their emotions. Brain injuries can also contribute to alexithymia.

Understanding How Alexithymia Affects Relationships

It can be difficult to form and maintain emotional bonds for individuals who have alexithymia. 

People who have alexithymia tend to focus externally rather than on their internal state. 

Partners might feel ignored, abandoned or unloved due to their partner's low emotional responsiveness. This can make it difficult to communicate effectively and resolve conflicts. Partners can feel that they are with someone who is "robotic" which can lead to a superficial or distant relationship. 

In addition, since people with alexithymia also have problems reading other people's emotions, their partners might feel they are uncaring--even when the person with alexithymia cares deeply for them.

The partner can feel like they're alone because the person with alexithymia can have a hard time providing emotional support or emotional validation

With regard to sex, emotional detachment related to alexithymia often leads to a decline in sexual intimacy (see my article: Have You and Your Partner Stopped Having Sex?).

How to Address Alexithymia

Alexithymia can create a barrier to traditional psychotherapy because, as previously mentioned, individuals with alexithymia have difficulty experiencing, identifying, understanding and expressing their emotions.

Coping With Alexithymia

Emotional difficulties often present as physical complaints rather than emotional distress. 

Somatic oriented therapy, like Somatic Experiencing and other Experiential Therapies that focus on sensations in the body can help.  

Helping clients to develop somatic awareness can be helpful, 

Experiential therapists can ask clients, "What are you sensing in your body right now?" instead of "What are you feeling?"

A mindfulness practice can also help clients to develop somatic awareness related to emotions.

What Are the Therapeutic Goals For Alexithymia?

There is no "quick fix" for alexithymia since it's a personality trait and not a curable disease.

While there is no "cure" for alexithymia, it also doesn't have to be a lifelong problem.

Psychotherapy for alexithymia needs to have a bottom up approach (see my article: What is the Difference Between Top Down and Bottom Up Approaches to Therapy?).

The therapeutic goals include:

• Building the capacity to accurately perceive internal body sensations (also known as interoceptive awareness) and connect these sensations to emotions.

• Affective education which can help to connect physical sensations to emotions. For example, a tightness in the chest can be linked to anxiety (see my article: How to Use the Wheel of Emotion).

• Shifting from external-oriented thinking to recognizing inner emotional experiences.

• An experiential bottom up approach can be effective in improving emotional processing.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have over 25 years of experience helping individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Healing From Childhood Trauma: What is the Difference Between Abuse and Emotional Neglect?

I've written about childhood trauma in prior articles, including articles about childhood abuse and neglect.

Childhood Abuse vs Neglect

A common question that clients ask when they are in trauma therapy involves understanding the difference between abuse and neglect, which is the subject of this article (see my article: How Trauma Therapy Can Help You to Overcome Unresolved Trauma).

What is the Difference Between Abuse and Neglect?

The main difference between childhood abuse and neglect is action versus inaction of the caregiver as well as the intent of their behavior. 

• Abuse: Abuse is often an active, intentional, effort to harm, threaten or injure a child. It is an act of commission. Examples include (but are not limited to) physical harm, emotional abuse and sexual abuse. Abuse usually involves intentional, reckless and premeditated behavior.

• Emotional Neglect: Emotional neglect is often passive. It is an act of omission. The caregiver does not provide the necessary basic care (food, shelter, medical care) and emotional nurturance which includes the emotional support, validation, empathy and secure emotional connection for healthy childhood development.

Clinical Vignettes

The following clinical vignettes illustrate the difference between childhood abuse and neglect.  All identifying information has been removed to protect confidentiality.

An Example of Abuse: Sara

When Sara was a young child, her father would often come home drunk and beat Sara and her siblings. He would also hit their mother who felt powerless to stop him from hitting her and the children. By the next day, when the father was sober, he didn't remember hitting his wife and children. But after Sara's maternal uncle moved into the home, he put a stop to the abuse by restraining the father and calling the police. After several incidents where the police were called, the father was court mandated to get into alcohol treatment and the family received mental health services from a local community mental health service.

An Example of Neglect: Tom

When Tom was a young boy, he was emotionally neglected by both of his parents. His mother focused on her design business so that she rarely went to any school activities that Tom participated in. She would frequently place Tom in front of the television while she entertained clients in the house. His father was usually away on business trips and, when he was at home, he spent most of his time in his den watching sports while Tom was alone in his room. When a young family moved next door, the mother would invite Tom to come over to play with her children. She was also kind and compassionate with Tom because she realized he was a lonely boy.

The Trauma of Childhood Abuse and Neglect

Both abuse and emotional neglect are traumatic.

There are times when emotional neglect can be more damaging than abuse because:

• Emotional Neglect is Often Invisible: Emotional neglect can be hard to identify because it's often invisible. Neglect is characterized by what didn't happen (lack of love, attention or validation) as opposed to certain forms of abuse that can be detected based on marks or scars on a child's body that are noticeable.

Childhood Abuse vs Neglect

• Children Internalize Neglect: Whereas children who are abused might blame the abuser, children  who are emotionally neglected often blame themselves. These children believe they are flawed in some way and, as a result, they were unlovable (see my article: Overcoming the Emotional Pain of Feeling Unlovable).

• Brain Development: Many children who are severely and chronically neglected can experience cognitive and language deficits.

What Are the Long Term Effects of Childhood Abuse and Neglect?

Both abuse and neglect can have a long lasting potential psychological effects including:

• Mental Health: Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Relationship Problems: Problems with trust, fear of intimacy or self abandonment in relationships (see my article: What is Self Abandonment?)

• Problems with Emotions: Difficulty identifying, managing and expressing emotions 

Conclusion

Although both abuse and neglect can have long lasting effects, studies have shown that neglect is often particularly damaging especially when the neglect is unseen, ignored or overlooked.

Although I have discussed abuse and neglect separately to distinguish one from the other, there can also be a combination of abuse and neglect.

Many adults believe their experience wasn't bad enough to get help.  However, the trauma of abuse and neglect usually require the therapeutic interventions of trauma therapy.

Getting Help in Trauma Therapy

Trauma therapy includes a group of therapies that were specifically developed to help clients to overcome the traumatic effects of their history (see my article: Why is Experiential Therapy More Effective at Resolving Trauma Than Talk Therapy?).

Getting Help in Trauma Therapy

Trauma therapy includes:

• EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

• Somatic Experiencing

• AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy)

• Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy)

Rather than struggling on your own, seek help from a licensed mental health professional who is trained as a trauma therapist.

Working through unresolved trauma can help you to free yourself from your history so you can live a more fulfilling life.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

As a trauma therapist, I have over 25 years of experience helping individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Trauma Therapy: You Can't Change Your History But You Can Change Your Relationship to Your History So You Can Heal

Many people who are hesitant to get help to overcome the impact of their traumatic history think getting help in trauma therapy won't make a difference for them because it won't change what happened to them.

Trauma Therapy

How Can You Change Your Relationship to Your History of Trauma?

While it's true that you can't go back in time to change your history, you can heal in trauma therapy to reduce or eliminate the impact of traumatic experiences.

Transforming Trauma Into Resilience: Current modalities of trauma therapy can help you to transform trauma into resilience by:

• Acknowledging Your Feelings: Acknowledging the pain instead of suppressing it. This means feeling the pain and completing the trauma healing cycle. It does not include toxic positivity, which is not a genuine response to trauma.

• Developing a Support System: Instead of remaining isolated, you can develop a support system with trusted loved ones or support groups.

• Finding Meaning and Purpose: When you discover activities that align with your values, participating in these activities can provide you with motivation and a direction for your life (see my article: Posttraumatic Growth: Developing a Greater Sense of Hope and Meaning in the Aftermath of Trauma).

• Developing Better Coping Skills: Trauma therapy includes helping clients to develop better coping skills to manage emotions before and after processing trauma.

What is Resilience?

Resilience is the capacity to recovery from stress and trauma rather than avoiding hardship (see my article: Developing Emotional Resilience).

Trauma Therapy

Genuine resilience also means finding new hope and growth after trauma rather than pretending to yourself and others that the trauma made you "stronger" when this isn't how you really feel.

What Are the Different Types of Trauma Therapy?

Safe and effective types of trauma therapy include:

• EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

Trauma Therapy

• Somatic Experiencing
  

•  IFS (Internal Family Systems/Parts Work)

• AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy)

Get Help in Trauma Therapy

If you feel stuck due to your traumatic history, you're not alone.

Get Help in Trauma Therapy

A skilled trauma therapist can help you to process your traumatic history so you can live a more meaningful life.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work, Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have over 25 years of experiencing working with individual adults and couples to overcome trauma.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

 

Overcoming Trauma: You Are Not Defined By What Happened to You

Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, coined the phrase, "I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become."

What Does It Mean That You Are Not What Happened to You?

Carl Jung's phrase means that while past experiences have shaped you, your true self isn't defined by them (see my article: You Are Not Defined By Your Diagnosis).

You Are Not Your Trauma

Instead, your true self is defined by the choices you make, your responses, and your ongoing process of self creation. The emphasis is your personal agency in choosing who you are, what you want to be and how you respond.

This way of looking at your history, including unresolved trauma, highlights that, with help and the right tools, you have the ability to transcend your history to overcome trauma and proactively build a future identity.

Jung was positing that none of us are a finished product based on our history. On the contrary, we have an innate ability to heal and grow beyond our history and circumstances (see my article: Healing From Unresolved Trauma: The Mind Has a Powerful Innate Ability to Heal Itself).

What Are the Keys to Transcending Your History?

• Personal Agency: You have the power to decide who you are regardless of your history, although you might need help in therapy to do it.

You Are Not Your Trauma

• Transformation: Difficult events aren't final destinations. With help, they can be opportunities to grow (see my article: Riding the Waves of Transformation).

• Identity as Evolving: You identity is a evolving process--not a static state.

Healing From Psychological Trauma

Choosing to get help in trauma therapy is a courageous act--not a sign of weakness (see my article: How Trauma Therapy Can Help You to Overcome Unresolved Trauma).

Your mind has an innate ability to heal due to the mind's neuroplasticity.

You Are Not Your Trauma

Neuroplasticity is the mind's ability to reorganize its structure and function by developing new neural connections which allows you to adapt and recover.

Neuroplasticity underpins your ability to grow as an individual, overcome challenges and maintain cognitive health by strengthening beneficial pathways and pruning weaker ones.

What is Trauma Therapy?

Trauma therapy is an umbrella term for psychotherapy modalities which were developed specifically to help clients overcome trauma including:

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy

• Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy)

You Are Not Your Trauma

• Somatic Experiencing
  

• AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy)

Get Help in Trauma Therapy

If you have been struggling on your own with unresolved trauma, you could benefit from working with a licensed mental health professional who is trained as trauma therapist.

Get Help in Trauma Therapy

Seek help from a licensed trauma therapist so you can free yourself from your traumatic history and live a more fulfilling life.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

As a trauma therapist, I have helped many individual adults and couples to heal from trauma.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Healing From Unresolved Trauma: The Mind Has a Powerful Innate Ability to Heal Itself

One of the basic concepts of trauma therapy is that the mind has a powerful innate ability to heal (see my article: How Can Trauma Therapy Help You to Overcome Unresolved Trauma?).

The Mind's Innate Ability to Heal in Trauma Therapy

What is the Mind's Powerful Innate Ability to Heal?

• Neuroplasticity: Neuroplasticity is the primary reason why the mind has an innate ability to heal itself. With regard to trauma therapy, neuroplasticity is the mind's ability to reorganize, adapt and create new neural pathways to learn new things and recover from trauma.

• Self Regulation: The mind and the body work together to promote wellness (see my articles: The Body Offers a Window Into the Unconscious Mind).

The Mind's Innate Ability to Heal in Trauma Therapy

• Trauma Therapy Processing: When the mind is unable to integrate overwhelming experiences, trauma therapies like EMDR, AEDP, Somatic Experiencing and Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy) help the mind to complete trauma processing to restore balance.

• Memory Reconsolidation: Trauma therapy uses memory reconsolidation to change how traumatic memories are stored. This often occurs over a period of time. Memory reconsolidation in trauma therapy works by:

• Activation and Retrieval: When a client brings up a traumatic memory in trauma therapy, the memory opens up for change. 

• Update: After the memory is activated again, the trauma therapist introduces new non-threatening information or experiences either through visualization or new coping resources.

• Reconsolidation: The memory is then stored again in its new less threatening reconsolidated form which, essentially, de-traumatizes the memory.

How Can You Tap Into Your Mind's Innate Ability to Heal?

Along with trauma therapy, you can tap into your mind's natural ability to heal between therapy sessions by:

• Meditating

• Journaling

The Mind's Innate Ability to Heal in Trauma Therapy

• Practicing gratitude

• Cognitive reframing

Getting Help in Trauma Therapy

Rather than struggling on your own, get help from a licensed mental health professional who is trained as a trauma therapist.

The Mind's Innate Ability to Heal in Trauma Therapy

Unburdening yourself from unresolved trauma can free you from your history so you can live a more fulfilling life.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have over 25 years of experience as a trauma therapist helping individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.