What is EMDR Therapy?

True psychological healing requires more than just talking about the past—it requires reaching the deeper centers of the brain where traumatic memories are physically stored.

If you have tried traditional talk therapy to resolve a history of trauma, you may have found that intellectual understanding only goes so far. True healing requires reaching the deeper, survival-based centers of the brain where traumatic memories are physically stored.

EMDR therapy goes beyond traditional talk therapy by helping the brain actively reprocess and integrate stuck trauma memories in a safe, structured clinical environment.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy is a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy designed to help the brain naturally process and integrate traumatic memories, reducing the ongoing emotional distress associated with them. 

Developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the 1980s, EMDR shifts away from long-term verbal analysis, focusing instead on the brain's innate capacity for psychological healing.

While originally developed to treat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), extensive clinical research demonstrates that EMDR is highly effective for a wide spectrum of psychological challenges, including:

• Chronic stress and panic disorders

• Insomnia and sleep disturbances

• Performance anxiety and performance enhancement

• Substance abuse, behavioral addictions, and compulsive patterns

• Developmental, relational, and preverbal abuse

Why is EMDR Therapy More Effective Than Talk Therapy?

1. It Delivers Faster, Accelerated Trauma Resolution

Generally speaking, EMDR therapy tends to resolve trauma more rapidly than traditional talk therapies because it directly targets the nervous system rather than relying purely on cognitive insight. However, the timeline depends heavily on the complexity of the client's history, the skill of the clinician, and the strength of the therapeutic alliance. Prior to memory processing, a qualified clinician will guide you through an essential stabilization phase to build internal emotional resources and somatic coping skills.

2. It Reclaims the Brain's Natural Processing Mechanisms

Many scientists believe EMDR works by utilizing Bilateral Stimulation (BLS)—such as tracked eye movements, alternating tactile taps, or rhythmic auditory tones. This bilateral tracking mimics the natural memory-consolidation mechanisms that occur during sleep. By stimulating both hemispheres of the brain, BLS helps unlock the nervous system, allowing frozen, emotionally charged traumatic memories to be successfully reprocessed into safe, adaptive historical memories.

3. It Implements a Comprehensive 3-Pronged Approach

EMDR systematically addresses the psyche by mapping out three distinct timelines:

• The Past: Processing the root historical events and memories that laid the foundation for current psychological distress.
• The Present: Identifying and desensitizing current triggers that activate the body's survival responses in daily life.
• The Future: Integrating adaptive behavioral scripts and psychological resilience to help clients navigate future challenges cleanly.

Beginning Your Healing Journey with EMDR

Living under the constant weight of an unhealed past can leave you feeling chronically exhausted, anxious, or stuck. Working with an advanced Trauma Therapist allows you to step out of survival mode. Once your nervous system is free from the grip of historical trauma, you can fully reclaim your vitality and live a more authentic, fulfilling life.

About Josephine Ferraro, LCSW

I am a licensed New York City psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, and certified sex therapist with advanced clinical training in EMDR, AEDP, IFS, EFT for couples, and Somatic Experiencing. 

Using a somatic and experiential framework, I help individual adults and couples heal complex trauma, overcome emotional stagnation, and resolve mind-body distress.

Ready to step into a life free from trauma?
I offer a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your therapeutic goals and determine how we can best work together. 

I see clients in person at my office in Greenwich Village, NY (10011) and online via secure telehealth.

Ready to step into a life free from trauma?
I offer a complimentary 15-minute phone call to discuss your therapeutic goals and determine how we can best work together. 

• Website: Visit Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist to learn more about my practice.
• Phone: Call me directly at (917) 742-2624 during regular business hours to schedule a consultation.
• Email: josephineferraro@iCloud.com

Explore More Articles on Trauma Recovery & Experiential Therapy:

• Experiential Therapy, Like EMDR, Can Achieve Emotional Breakthroughs
• How EMDR Therapy Works: EMDR and the Brain
• EMDR Therapy: When Talk Therapy Isn't Enough
• What is Adjunctive EMDR Therapy?

Compulsive Gambling and "March Madness"

The NCAA Division Basketball Tournament, also known as "March Madness," is just around the corner. 

March Madness is one of the most challenging times for compulsive gamblers. Sports gambling has become a very popular pass time, especially among college students. Online gambling is a big business. 

Compulsive Gambling and March Madness

Online gambling brought in over $5 billion from gamblers, some as young as high school age. High school and college students, who are very savvy about using these online sites, are getting caught up in gambling, and many of them are becoming compulsive gamblers.

You might think that completing a tournament bracket for $5 or $10 is harmless, but for some people, it's the beginning of compulsive gambling. Just like some people can have a couple of drinks and not become an alcoholic, some people can gamble and not become a compulsive gambler. But for many people, it's just the beginning of a downward spiral on a slippery slope.

What Are Some of the Warning Signs of Compulsive Gambling?

• Preoccupation with gambling: thinking about it frequently, talking about it a lot, checking the stats often

• Feeling a "high" or "rush" before placing a bet

• A need to bet increasing amounts of money to get that same "high" or "rush"

• Repeated attempts to stop that are unsuccessful

• A need to continue gambling when you're winning

• A need to return to gambling to chase losses

• Feeling irritable and uncomfortable when you try to stop

• Jeopardizing family relationships or your job due to gambling activities

• Borrowing money from family and friends due to gambling activities

• Using gambling activities as a maladaptive coping strategy to deal with stress or uncomfortable feelings or situations

If you have one or more of the above warning signs and symptoms, you have a compulsive gambling problem and you need help. Just like any other addictive or compulsive behavior, compulsive gambling is a progressive disorder that usually gets worse over time.

For more information about compulsive gambling, go to: http://www.gamblinghelp.org

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

I have helped many clients to overcome their addictive and compulsive behavior so they can lead fulfilling lives.

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: Why Establishing Safety For the Client Is So Important Before Processing Trauma - Part 1

As a psychotherapist who specializes in helping clients to overcome traumatic experiences, I see many clients in my private practice in New York City who come for trauma therapy, including EMDR therapy, Somatic Experiencing, and clinical hypnosis.  Early on in the therapy process, I provide clients with psychoeducation about why establishing safety for the client is so important before traumatic memories are  processed in trauma, which is the topic of this article (see my article: Why is Experiential Psychotherapy More Effective Than Talk Therapy Alone to Overcome Trauma? and How EMDR Therapy Works: EMDR and the Brain).

Why Establishing Safety For the Client is So Important Before Processing Trauma

How is "Establishing Safety" Defined in Terms of Trauma Therapy?
Let's start by defining what safety means with regard to trauma therapy.

It's the psychotherapist's responsibility to create a therapeutic environment that helps to establish safety in therapy (see my article about the therapeutic "holding environment" and a more detailed explanation below).  There can be many issues that get in the way of establishing a holding environment, including obstacles in the client's current life and traumatic experiences from the past (see more detailed discussion below).

Safety, which is a relative term that recognizes that there are degrees of feeling safe and the client needs to feel safe enough.  This is an important concept in any type of therapy, but it's especially important in trauma therapy because trauma therapy is experiential and without a sense of safety, the client can be retraumatized (see my article: Developing a Sense of Safety and Trust With Your Psychotherapist).

The following is a list of some of the most relevant issues with regard to establishing safety in trauma therapy with a recognition that, due to the fact this is a blog article and not a journal article or a book, this list might not include all issues:

• The Client Needs to Feel Relatively Comfortable with the Psychotherapist:  In the most basic terms, the client needs to feel a rapport with the therapist and that there is a therapeutic alliance.  The therapeutic alliance between the client and psychotherapist usually develops over time as the client senses that s/he can trust the therapist.  Many clients get a sense of whether they feel safe with a therapist during an initial consultation, even though the therapeutic alliance hasn't developed yet.  The client often intuits whether s/he will get along with the psychotherapist and that the therapist is someone that s/he can work with on whatever the presenting problem might be.  In that case, there is enough of a sense of comfort to at least set up the next appointment.  Assuming that the therapist has an expertise in the area that the client wants to work on and that she feels she can be helpful to the client, they can proceed from there.  If not, it's important for the client and the psychotherapist to recognize that not every client-therapist dyad is a good match.  Every therapist is not for every client, so it's important to recognize that, regardless of the client's motivation and the therapist's skills, sometimes a particular client-therapist dyad doesn't work (see my article: How a Psychotherapist Creates a Holding Environment in Psychotherapy, The Therapist's Empathic Attunement Can Be Emotionally Reparative to the Client, and What is the Corrective Emotional Experience in Therapy?).

• The Client is Not Involved in an Ongoing Crisis or Creating New Crises in His or Her Life:  It's not unusual for clients who have a history of unresolved trauma to be involved in an ongoing crisis or creating new crises in his or her life--often without even realizing.  This topic warrants its own article and it will be discussed further in my next article.  At this point, suffice it to say the processing aspect of prior trauma cannot be done when the client is still in crisis and needs help with crisis management .  The need for crisis management must take priority over processing trauma that is based in the past.  Likewise, if the client is creating new crises in his or her life, s/he needs to recognize this dynamic so s/he can change it before any processing of historical trauma can be done.  Once the client is no longer involved with a current crisis and s/he is no longer creating new crises or emotional drama, the psychotherapist can assist the client to prepare for the processing of trauma (see my articles: Do You Have a Pattern of Creating Chaos in Your Life?, How to Stop Creating Chaos in Your Life and How a Crisis Can Bring About Positive Change in Your Life).

• The Client is Not Involved in Excessive Drinking, Drug Abuse, Gambling or Other Compulsive Mood-Altering Behavior:  If a client is engaged in mood altering behavior, whether it involves alcohol, drugs, compulsive gambling, compulsive overspending, sexual addiction or compulsive viewing of pornography, including Internet pornography an eating disorder or other compulsive behavior, s/he isn't ready for processing traumatic memories from the past because s/he hasn't developed the necessary coping skills for trauma therapy.  The psychotherapist would need to assist the client to be stable enough without mood-altering behavior in order to delve into traumatic memories.  If not, the client's mood altering behavior will continue or increase because s/he won't be able to cope with delving into the trauma.  So, the mood-altering behavior must be addressed first, and there would need to be a period of "sobriety" before trauma processing can begin.  Without a period of six months or so of "sobriety," the client is likely to relapse into compulsive behavior.  So, as a first step, this might mean that, if the psychotherapist has a background in helping clients to overcome mood-altering behavior, the therapist will assess the client's true motivation.  Specifically, many clients say they want to stop engaging in mood-altering behavior, but they're not ready.  Since there is always some ambivalence, the therapist can help the client to recognize the ambivalence and, if the client is motivated enough, try to help the client to stop the compulsive behavior or refer the client to a higher level of care, like a detox, rehab or residential treatment.

• The Trauma Therapist Helps the Client to Prepare For Trauma Processing in Therapy: Unlike regular talk therapy, trauma therapy is experiential, as mentioned above.  Whereas in talk therapy, the client and therapist talk about the trauma, in experiential therapy, they revisit traumatic memories and the experience is more immediate.  In order for the client not to be retraumatized by revisiting traumatic experiences from the past, the therapist needs to help the client to prepare for trauma processing.  The preparation phase, which is also called the resourcing phase, is crucial to trauma therapy and no responsible trauma therapist will proceed without first going through this phase of treatment.  To proceed without the preparation phase would be clinically irresponsible and unethical--no matter how much the client wants to jump right into processing the trauma.  Depending upon the individual client's coping skills, the preparation phase can be as little as a few sessions or, where the client has little in the way of coping skills, the preparation phase can be several months or more.  As a result, the therapist needs to assess the client's coping skills first.  At the very least, the therapist needs to assess if the client is able to maintain dual awareness when discussing the trauma.  In other words, when discussing the trauma, the client remains aware that s/he is in the here-and-now as well as remembering a memory from the past at the same time.  If the client gets so immersed in the memory that s/he forgets where s/he is in the here-and-now, the therapist cannot proceed with trauma processing before helping the client to develop the ability to maintain dual awareness--however long that takes.  An example of a client who cannot maintain dual awareness would be a client who loses all sense of the present moment.  S/he dissociates to such a degree that s/he completely forgets that s/he is in the therapist's office and actually relives the trauma as if it were happening now and not in the past.  This is an example of a retraumatizing experience, as opposed to a healing experience.  Assuming that the client is able to maintain dual awareness, the preparation, at a minimum, would include the client learning ways to de-escalate and cope with uncomfortable emotions during the session and between sessions (see my article: Developing Coping Strategies in Therapy Before Processing Trauma, Empowering Clients in Therapy, Trauma Therapy: Using the Container Exercise Between Therapy Sessions, Trauma Therapy: Using Grounding Techniques Between Therapy Sessions, Safe or Relaxing Place Meditation

• The Client Keeps Appointments and Comes to Regular Weekly Sessions: Due to the intensity of processing traumatic memories in therapy and the psychotherapist's need to continually assess the client's emotional state during trauma processing, clients must be able to come to weekly sessions.  This is an issue that often comes up during initial consultations when the client raises the issue of coming every other week or monthly or randomly.  Between therapy sessions, traumatic memories continue to be processed on an unconscious level, so the trauma processing continues even when the client is not in session. This often means that new material in the form of new memories or current emotionally triggering experiences can come up between sessions where the client needs the therapist's help.  Even the space of one week can be a long time for certain clients who have problems containing emotions that come up between sessions--even though they have gone through the preparation phase of therapy.  Progress in therapy, especially trauma therapy, isn't linear.  Sometimes, the client feels worse before s/he feels better, so weekly sessions are important for the client to maintain emotional stability.  If money is an issue, the client can inquire as to whether the therapist has a sliding scale or, if not, if the therapist can make a referral to a psychotherapy center where sliding scale therapy is available.

• The Client is in Control During Trauma Processing:  Even the best psychological assessment cannot always predict when a client might need a break during trauma processing.  This is why it's important for the client to tell the therapist when s/he might need to take a break during the processing of a traumatic memory.  In many cases, a trauma therapist will be able recognize when a client is feeling overwhelmed and help the client to de-escalate before going back into processing the trauma or to debriefing.  But some clients have gotten so good at pretending that they are okay because they feel ashamed of needing help that they override their own internal signals that they need a break from the processing.  They need to learn in therapy how to honor internal signals that they need to de-escalate and feel comfortable enough to tell the therapist.  This doesn't mean that the client will necessarily need to stop when s/he is somewhat uncomfortable if s/he is within his or her window of tolerance.  It also doesn't mean that an inexperienced therapist, who has her own discomfort with seeing clients feeling tolerably uncomfortable, should stop the processing.  If the therapist senses that the client is overriding internal signals to stop, she can ask the client if it's okay to continue processing.  Similarly, clients, who are accustomed to people pleasing, need to learn to overcome their fantasy that they are pleasing the therapist by continuing to process a traumatic memory even though they feel overwhelmed.  Based on the issues that are being presented in this section, it's obvious that the client being in control of trauma processing can be complicated (see my article: How to Talk to Your Psychotherapist About Something That's Bothering You in Therapy).

• The Client Uses Coping Skills Between Trauma Therapy Sessions:  It's one thing to learn coping skills and it's another to actually use them between trauma therapy sessions.  Since, as mentioned above, clients continue to process traumatic memories on an unconscious level between sessions, it's not unusual for the client to have thoughts or dreams about traumatic memories between sessions.  Or, the client can get triggered by something in his or her current life between therapy sessions.  This is why the preparation phase of trauma therapy is so crucial.  If, for example, a highly traumatized client doesn't follow the therapist's recommendation to practice de-escalation techniques between sessions in order to stay calm, s/he might discover that s/he is unable to contain his or her experiences between sessions.  For clients who practice coping techniques between sessions, they are usually more likely to either avoid having experiences which are intolerable or mitigate such experiences (see my article: The Benefit of Journal Writing Between Therapy Sessions).

As I mentioned above, establishing safety in trauma therapy (or in any therapy) is a big topic, and a blog article cannot address every possible issue (see my article: Trauma Therapy: Why Establishing Safety For the Client is So Important Before Processing Trauma - Part 2).

How to Start Trauma Therapy

An exploration as to whether you want to begin trauma therapy (or any therapy) and work with a particular therapist begins with an initial consultation in person.  

As mentioned earlier, it's important to your emotional well-being to get a sense as to whether or not you feel comfortable with a particular therapist.  

When clients come to see me for an initial consultation, I tell them that the consultation is for them to provide me with an overview of the problem, ask questions about the process, my skills and experience, to see whether they feel comfortable enough to come back for another session and for me to assess if they appear to be ready to start therapy and if I have the particular expertise that they need.

Obviously, this is a very tall order for one session, and their comfort level and my assessment will continue, and it will be ongoing if they come back for therapy sessions.  As mentioned before, just like any relationship, it takes time for most clients and their therapists to develop a therapeutic alliance--assuming the therapist-client dyad works well enough for the client to want to return beyond the initial consultation.

It's also important to realize that although psychotherapists might approach the initial consultation in different ways, most therapists recognize that being in therapy involves participating in therapy while clients learn how to be clients in therapy at the same time.  In other words, you don't have to know all the answers before you start.  You learn as you go along with the therapist's help.

Choosing a psychotherapist that you feel comfortable with is important, and you might want to see more than one therapist before you make a decision (see my article: How to Choose a Psychotherapist).

Getting Help in Therapy

Unresolved trauma usually impacts issues in your current life, no matter how long ago the trauma occurred.  Whether the impact is in your personal life, where core issues are most likely to come up, or in your work life or both, unresolved trauma often creates current problems (see my article: Reacting to Your Current Life Based on Your Traumatic Past).

Rather than struggling on your own, you owe it to yourself to get help from an experienced trauma therapist.

If you're already in therapy and your therapist isn't trained in trauma therapy, like EMDR therapy, Somatic Experiencing or clinical hypnosis, you can explore the possibility of adjunctive trauma therapy with a therapist who is trained in trauma therapy.  

Adjunctive therapy means that you continue to see your existing psychotherapist and see a trauma therapist for adjunctive therapy.  It's important to discuss this with your primary therapist first before you begin adjunctive therapy with a trauma therapist.  Also, in most cases, the primary therapist and the adjunctive therapist will ask for your written consent to be able to confer with each other (see my article: What is Adjunctive EMDR Therapy?).

Taking the first step, which is contacting a trauma therapist by phone or email, is often the hardest step.  

Once you have worked through your unresolved trauma, you have an opportunity to let go of your traumatic history so you can lead a more fulfilling life.

About Me

I am a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR and Somatic Experiencing therapist who provides integrative psychotherapy (see my article: The Therapeutic Benefits of Integrative Psychotherapy)

As a trauma therapist, I work with individual adults and couples, and I have helped many clients to overcome their traumatic experiences.

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.

Making Changes: Overcoming the "Inner Voice of Negative Prediction"

When you're trying to make positive changes in your life, whether it's to improve your diet, lose weight, become a successful nonsmoker, return to school to complete your education or whatever changes you might want to make, very often, one of the main obstacles is "the inner voice of negative prediction."

Making Changes: Overcoming the "Inner Voice of Negative Prediction"

What is the "Inner Voice of Negative Prediction"
"The inner voice of negative prediction" is that internal voice that tells you that you can't do it and says things like, "If you try to improve your diet, you're going to fail just the way you have every other time so you might as well not even try" or if you want to become a successful nonsmoker, it might say, "If you give up cigarettes, you're going to become extremely anxious, overeat and get fat, so don't do it."

I believe that the term "inner voice of negative prediction" was originally coined by Al Pesso in his psychomotor psychotherapy theory (http://www.pbsp.com ).

Often, this internal negative voice has been a part of your inner world for a long time and it becomes an obstacle in whatever positive changes you try to make. But instead of berating that inner voice, it's often better to find out what that inner voice wants. Maybe that negative or insecure part needs reassurance in much the same way that an insecure child might need reassurance.

Getting Help:  How Clinical Hypnosis Can Help
When clients come to me to try to make changes in their lives and their "inner voice of negative prediction" starts getting in the way of making those changes, I often find it helpful to address the needs of that part in hypnosis.

Hypnosis is a powerful tool for making positive changes. Through hypnosis, my clients get to sense that part of themselves that is holding them back and to soothe that part.

Overcome the "Inner Voice of Negative Prediction"

Very often, when my clients see themselves in their minds' eye in a hypnotic state taking care of that insecure part, the part calms down, just as an insecure child would, and stops making "negative predictions."

When that inner part calms down, then it's usually possible to make whatever changes you want to make in your life.

If you want to make changes in your life, you could benefit from hypnosis.

About Me:
I am a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist and EMDR therapist. I have helped many clients to make positive changes in their lives.

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.

A Search for a Meaningful Life

Book:  Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning
I'm rereading the book, Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor E. Frankl. Frankl was a psychoanalyst and holocaust survivor. He developed the existential form of psychotherapy called logotherapy. The book recounts his experiences and the experiences of other inmates in Nazi concentration camps.

Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl

A Quest for Meaning

The basic premise of the book and of logotherapy is that life is primarily a quest for meaning, and the primary task for one's life is to seek out what is meaningful. Frankl saw three potential areas where a person could find meaning in his or her life: work (doing something significant, whether it is paid work or voluntary work), love (caring for someone else), and courage during difficult times. 

He posits that suffering in itself is meaningless. What gives it meaning is how we respond to it. According to Frankl, in many cases, we cannot always control what happens to us. But we can control how we deal with it.

In his experiences as a concentration camp inmate, he witnessed that the inmates most likely to survive were those who had the inner resources and found meaning in their lives, despite the cruel and inhumane circumstances. 

He recounts many examples of people who willed themselves to live, against formidable odds, by keeping an internal focus on seeing loved ones again or thoughts of resuming work that was meaningful to them.

Frankl thought of his wife, not knowing if she was alive or dead, picturing her face and imagining what she would say to him. 

Even though he was stripped of all possessions and nearly starved to death, he held onto his conviction that all material possessions and comfort was taken from him, but he maintained the freedom of his mind, his thoughts, and the inherent value of life itself.

One of the most prevalent problems of our times is that people find life meaningless. Generally, as a society, we have more leisure time than our ancestors ever dreamed possible. Yet, so many people don't know what to do with their time, which isn't meaningful to them. They're bored and fill their time with meaningless activities or engage in addictions.

One of the biggest triggers for alcohol and drug abuse is boredom and a feeling that life is meaningless. The alcohol or drugs (or compulsive gambling, overspending, or sexual addiction) gives a temporary reprieve from boredom and a sense of meaninglessness. 

In many cases, it temporarily obliterates the feelings of hollowness. But once the feelings of being drunk or high wear off, at best, the person with substance abuse problems is back where he or she started. At worst, the substances themselves add to their misery in terms of increasing their depressed mood, causing misery for their loved ones, and financial ruin.

It's no wonder that so many people with substance abuse problems find hope and inspiration in 12 Step meetings like A.A. or N.A. For many of them, possibly for the first time, they see the possibility of leading meaningful lives and a purpose greater than themselves, whether they call this purpose "God," "higher power," or a deep commitment to their lives and the lives of their loved ones. This can be a revelatory experience.

Everyday we're faced with obstacles, sometimes small, sometimes life threatening. How we respond to those circumstances and the meaning we find, whether it's spiritual or not, can make the difference in how we transcend our difficulties.

Transcending Our Difficulties with a Sense of Meaning and Purpose

Transcending our difficulties with a sense of meaning and purpose doesn't necessarily mean we're going to be "happy." 

In Western culture, especially in the US, "the pursuit of happiness" is is a much sought after goal--so much so that when people aren't feeling happy, many of them think there's something wrong with them. But happiness can be fleeting and transitory. We can't always feel happy. But we can try to find meaning, as Frankl did, in even the most dire circumstances.

One of the exercises that Frankl gives his clients is to imagine themselves at the end of their lives talking about what was most meaningful in their lives. Even clients who were very depressed found meaningful aspects of their lives. It also gave them an opportunity to think about how short life is and what changes they might want to make so their life would be more meaningful.

At times, we might need help to overcome the emotional obstacles that keep us from finding meaning and purpose in our lives. 

A licensed psychotherapist, who has experience helping clients to transcend trauma and emotional difficulties can help clients to find or reconnect with purpose in their lives. Viktor Frankl was an exceptional psychoanalyst and human being. He seemed to have very strong internal resources that helped him survive and succeed. Viktor Frankl points the way to what's possible and to what we can aspire.

About Me

I am a licensed NYC psychotherapist. I work with individuals and couples to help them overcome emotional obstacles so they can lead meaningful lives.

I provide EMDR, clinical hypnosis, Somatic Experiencing as well as psychodynamic psychotherapy.

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.

photo credit: Pickersgill Reef via photopin cc