The process of healing requires endurance. If a client wishes to experience real growth, gig therapy does not have the grit that truly building a relationship with a therapist does. It is in the grit and grind of that therapeutic process where a client will truly experience change.
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As I have been practicing EMDR for years and seen numerous clients utilize EMDR in their counseling journeys, I find that simply describing EMDR as a well-researched trauma therapy does not answer enough questions. True, it is one of the most extensively researched therapy techniques based on loads of science, but it is essential for a person considering the use of EMDR in their own therapy to know what it actually involves.
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The holidays are finished, Christmas decor is packed away until next season, and a somewhat “normal” routine is being picked up after the strange pandemic holiday season. But even with the opportunity for a fresh start in 2021, the winter can still prove challenging for mental health.
Whether the decreased amount of light, colder temperatures, or a loss of merry bustle brings you down a bit or you struggle with full-blown Seasonal Affect Disorder, this time of year is challenging for many.
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On the heels of the dreaded 2020 holidays, the thought of seeing family again may be immediately anxiety-provoking. Under normal circumstances, deciding where to spend Christmas morning, what to buy your mother-in-law, and how to maintain healthy boundaries for your kids can be overwhelming around the holidays. This year, those decisions were magnified by differing opinions about how to handle a pandemic and Christmas.
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As we shut the door on 2020 and open another door on a new year, you may have mixed feelings about setting goals, making New Year’s resolutions, or planning events and trips. If 2020 taught us one thing, certain goals lose their luster quickly when we’re grieving or required to operate in survival mode. Anything can be canceled when you least expect it.
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While every family is unique, we here at Morning Light Christian Counseling can only imagine that your holiday gatherings will look somewhat different from last year’s. For some that may only mean minor changes, but others may be facing larger adjustments such as canceling events, paring back Christmas spending, or preparing for family dinners knowing there will be less faces around the table than last year.
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The dreaded teenage years. Ever wonder how you got here? Suddenly your mostly well-behaved, respectful kid is a landmine of emotions just waiting to explode.
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Ashamed, I avoided eye contact with the teacher and pretended to not pay attention. It was easier to pretend I wasn’t listening than to acknowledge the truth.
I did not want to admit that I couldn’t read as well as my other classmates. I felt behind and stupid. Each time I had to read aloud, my face felt hot and my palms began to sweat. How would I ever be able to read?
Everything changed when one teacher took the time to really help me. She began using a different curriculum and I immediately started to get the hang of reading. She believed I could read, equipped me to do so, and told me I was doing a good job. That teacher’s empowerment made all the difference to my first-grade self.
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I remember the first time I tried lifting weights. I was a kid and my dad had some weights stored in my playroom. I thought lifting weights looked fun. My sister and I asked my dad if we could try out a few bench presses. Despite our objections, my dad removed the stacks of weight from either side. He told us to start with just the bar. We rolled our eyes at his suggestion. Just the bar? Really? That sounded like baby stuff.
Well, to an experienced weightlifter, yes, just a bar is baby stuff. However, to two elementary school girls, it was not baby stuff. We were able to lift the bar…a couple times. A few lifts and we were done. Exhausted. Wiped out. Compared to our dad, we were weak. We wondered how we could ever lift weights like him.
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I mindlessly scrolled through social media at the end of a long day of travel. A stunning picture of my friend caught my eye. I read the caption, excited to see that she seemed to be doing so well.
Then I saw it.
The caption told the story.
She was no longer married.
My heart sank and questions began to flood my mind.
“What happened?”
“How could this happen to them?”
“Is any marriage safe?”
