I have combined Gestalt creativity in therapy with feminist therapy, transpersonal therapy, and now Energy Psychology and Holographic healing. The holistic approach includes the mental, spiritual, physical and emotional elements of our beings. Bringing awareness of how to balance these self components, and how to bring greater health through nutrition, meditation, exercise, yoga, energy practices, etc. potentiates the healing of which anyone is capable. The richness of this approach and its ability to help people transform life long sabotaging patterns, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, negative beliefs about self, other and the world that hold them back from authentic, successful and joyful living thrills me.

EMDR
“Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)1 integrates elements of many effective psychotherapies in structured protocols that are designed to maximize treatment effects. These include psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, experiential, and body-centered therapies.

During EMDR the client attends to past and present experiences in brief sequential doses while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus. Then the client is instructed to let new material become the focus of the next set of dual attention. This sequence of dual attention and personal association is repeated many times in the session.” from www.emdr.com

EMDR appears to work by alternating sensory stimulus (eye movement, touch, sound) to the brain while focusing on upsetting memories, feelings, or beliefs. The bi-lateral activation helps release the emotional and physical pain associated while increasing relaxation, inner peace and greater sense of well-being.

Energy Psychology
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is the most well-known of the energy psychology modalities, yet is only one form of a wide array of incredible healing modalities. Energy modalities combine ancient knowing about energy with modern wisdom about consciousness and the brain. It can be understood as an emotional acupressure method combined with additional elements that foster release of negative emotion and thought and produce more positive and empowered feelings, thoughts and beliefs. Gary Craig, who created EFT, has devoted himself to spreading around the world the message about how effective EFT is, and how anyone can do it on anything, making it one of the most empowering practices available today. He makes available for free download, his manual (though it can be bought also in book form at Amazon.com and on his site www.emofree.com, hundreds of examples of how it has helped people overcome a vast array of issues, both emotional and physical is very inspiring. I have been practicing and teaching EFT and more (HBLU, IEP, TAT, Energy Medicine, etc.) for 9 years now. When I began using these amazing methods, my clients’ lives, my practice, and my own life transformed in astonishing and powerful ways. EMDR is another therapy that I consider an Energy Psychology, even though, Francine Shapiro, the originator, does not. In fact, my introduction to Energy Psychology really came through EMDR, as it does for many therapists. Having skills in both give a range of capacity that can expand what each offers.

Holographic Healing
Most recently, I have added Holographic Memory Resolution www.healingdimensions.com to my traumatic healing skills. This addition, arranged and created by Brent Baum, currently an alternative therapist at Miraval in Tucson, has powerfully enhanced the healing that is experienced here, especially as it gives access to early childhood experiences from which many sabotaging patterns and challenging issues have arisen for people. These stages in life are very difficult to reach with cognitive based therapies, as memory seems to be stored differently without language. And I am thrilled to have access to a modality that increases the powerful healing already available here.

Natural Alternatives to Pharmaceutical Medications
While I am not in favor of medications, and certainly not for long periods of time, it’s not unusual for my clients to be on prescribed medications. Very often, as long as it is their goal, it is feasible, and not potentially destabilizing, they work to wean themselves from them through the course of therapy. If a client is in a near- crisis or crisis situation, some times medication can help them find more balance again quickly when they do not have the wherewithal or means to use natural methods for rapid rebalancing. I support a client’s decision to be on mediations, but also give them information they may not have had about the side effects of these medications.

Physicians who are mostly trained now to either prescribe medication or perform surgery, have been courted and pressured by the pharmaceutical companies to prescribe you medication. Rarely will doctors refer a patient to therapy or suggest more natural means for trying to resolve emotional issues. They are not trained in emotional healing and many of them are quite uncomfortable with emotions. As one doctor I have spoken with said, “they are afraid of emotions.” I doubt that many of them are aware of long term side effects and may not even be aware of the increased danger to children and adolescents taking anti-depressants. Medications only mask problems, if they work at all, and they bring with them unwanted side effects. Studies suggest that anti-depressants are much less effective than people have been lead to believe. The concerns about side effects (possibility of worsening depression and suicidal/homicidal behavior) of the SSRI’s is so great in Europe that they are banned from use.

I have been increasing my knowledge of alternatives to medicines commonly used to “manage” symptoms of psychological dis-ease. Through foods and supplements MUCH can be done to bring the body back into balance and restore healthy psychological functioning, without any of the dangerous side effects that are prevalent with psychotropic medications. Unfortunately, patients are not told enough about these side effects, so are taking dangerous drugs without their own informed consent. Did you know that one long term effect of taking SSRI’s can be adrenal fatigue or exhaustion? Do you know that it takes a very long time to bring your body back to strength after adrenal fatigue? Google side effects of medications to learn more about the dangers of these medications and the kinds of supplements and foods that can help alleviate emotional distress.

The combination of these therapies and this holistic approach provides a therapeutic experience that helps you to reclaim yourself, increase self-esteem, emotional resilience, and joy in living.

To find out more, contact Diane at 330.653.5081