EMDR Counseling Palm Beach

Covid-19 Shame

admin — Wed, 27 May 2020 13:14:37 +0000

Well, this is my first post on the coronavirus. The one thing that really bothers me is that there are so many differing opinions and instructions on how to stay safe. This morning I was at the gym. Another gentleman at the gym attempted to shame me for not wearing a mask. I was staying the obligatory 6 feet from other members but this apparently was not good enough. When I looked around, more than half of the gym did not have masks on. I wonder why i was singled out. In any event, much like our current political climate, there are very differing views on what we should be doing and saying.

I certainly respect the rights/opinions of others concerning on how they want to regulate their lives according to Covid-19. I have been staying away from my friends that have compromised immune systems, lung issues or just concerned on catching this virus.

If this is true, why did this gentleman attempt to shame me? I may have to ask him or I can just let him have his views. For me, this comes under the category of “do i want to be right or be happy”. At this point in my life, I am choosing happy!

EMDR and Couples Therapy

admin — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 13:52:16 +0000

I have the good fortune of being associated with two wonderful couples counselors and am able to work in concert with them for their clients. I utilize EMDR to achieve this.

Utilizing EMDR in this setting involves focusing on the impasse or blockage in the couple’s relationship. Most of the time it is anger or fear. Sometimes, it involves a mental health concern such as depression or anxiety where these issues are negatively impacting the relationship.

The results are most favorable with the spouse/partner gaining insight into their issues. Thus returning back to couples counseling with a new perspective and an ability to move forward in their couples sessions and relationship.

The primary therapists report favorable results when the spouse/partner returns to their sessions. One of the therapists has told me several times “you make my job so much easier”. I believe her.

EMDRIA Conference 2016

admin — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 14:29:20 +0000

I am looking forward to attending this year’s EMDRIA Conference to be held in Minneapolis this year. It starts August 24, 2016 and ends August 28, 2016 and is being held in the Hyatt Regency which always proves to be a beautiful setting. The “who’s who” in EMDR will be there. I look forward to their views and new information which they will be presenting as well as new research findings. It has proven to be a great learning experience for me. Much of the information I have garnered from the symposiums have solidified my findings with my use of EMDR – that memories of past events and one’s perceptions of those events can be changed! In other words, EMDR works.

Veteran’s Retreat

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:49:11 +0000

During the first week of April 2016, I participated in a 6 day trauma retreat for Veterans which was held at the Kashi Ashram in Sebastian, Fl. The facility was tranquil and beautiful. There were 8 veterans who participated in acupuncture, EMDR, yoga, yoga nidra, a Wisdom Workshop and organized physical activities. At the end of each evening there was a campfire where all participants were encouraged to share what they learned that day. On all 5 nights of the campfire, the vets mentioned that acupuncture and EMDR were highly beneficial to their healing process. Only one of the vets had prior EMDR exposure. Their candid, unsolicited remarks uphold the concept of how EMDR is beneficial singally as well as when utilized with other modalities.

Courthouse Boredom

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:44:16 +0000

I am sitting at the local courthouse and am waiting for my number to be called. It is a slow tedious process in which my turn never seems to show up on their posting board.

This made me think of a question I am frequently asked as an EMDR therapist; namely, what EMDR can help. In my practice, I use it for anger, addictions, fears, phobias and of course, trauma.

This made me think of my current situation and the emotions which can arise in such an environment. These might include frustration, anger and boredom, to name a few. I would say yes to the first two. It would be interesting to see how EMDR would impact boredom and if it can be addressed after the fact or if addressing boredom while engaged in the situation would be more beneficial.

This certainly gives food for thought.

Why I like EMDR

admin — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 16:16:27 +0000

As an EMDR practitioner, I have the opportunity to work with many clients. My clients are referred to me by other therapists for adjunctive work and by word of mouth from my clients. I also have therapists come to me to do their own work. The one thing I notice with all three groups is that this therapy is highly beneficial.

Last month I had an opportunity to start with a new therapist who reported that he had done much work on himself over the years. He added that he didn’t think that there were too many items left in agenda to address. I responded that we should go through his timeline and see what should be addressed. He picked a childhood which he had worked on with several therapists and felt that “it was done”. I asked him two questions: 1) How disturbing is it today which he said was very low; and, 2) What sensorial information is still attached to this memory. He gave me a positive response.

Through the years, there are two things which I have consistently seen with those who have had prior counseling and have come to me for EMDR. The first is though traditional therapy is highly beneficial, it doesn’t always rid one of the sensorial information attached to the memory. These “remnants” could be possible triggers in the future. The other item I have seen is that the prior therapy makes EMDR processing much quicker.

Veterans & EMDR

admin — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 01:54:40 +0000

At the end of this month, March 2016, I will be participating in a retreat for veterans aimed at trauma reduction. I will be utilizing my EMDR skills as my contribution to this retreat. Other modalities which have proven beneficial for PTSD symptoms such as yoga, acupuncture, and yoga nidra (breath work) will be also used in this program. The retreat will be held in Sebastian, Fl at a well established Ashram. It is aimed at veterans who reside in South Florida. Through the course of my involvement in the planning stages of the retreat, I have come to find that though there are few community services for veterans, the awareness of their mental health concerns is gaining more public awareness. This retreat is in response to this growing awareness.

A recent article, Veterans Shell-Shocked at PTSD Treatment Denial, which can be found on emdria.org discusses how beneficial EMDR is and how many veterans do not have access to it. The following are excerpts from this article.

“As far back as 1998, a study published in The Journal of Traumatic Stress showed that 77 percent of combat veterans were free of PTSD symptoms after 12 sessions. Not only that, they remained symptom-free at their nine-month follow-up appointments.”

“Why it remains widely unavailable as a valuable treatment option for our veterans nearly 18 years after it was first found to be successful is a mystery.”

“EMDR therapy was added to the VA’s Guidelines for Care as an evidence-based option for PTSD treatment in 2010. However, the VA has not yet developed a nationwide training program for this treatment option, as they have their other two evidence-based PTSD treatment options, Cognitive Processing Therapy (launched in 2006) and Prolonged Exposure Therapy (launched in 2007).”

I have worked with several veterans through the course of my EMDR career. After having used EMDR for their trauma, I have found it not only be beneficial at lessening their PTSD symptoms but the majority of the time it abated those symptoms which they had experienced for years. One Viet Nam veteran had been experiencing symptoms since the 1970s. He was amazed after several sessions how the sights, sounds, smells and tactorial memories were gone. This is the general experience of not only the veterans but the other trauma clients with whom I have counseled.

To Your Mental Health,
Craig

How Craig Givens Got Introduced To EMDR

admin — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 13:20:23 +0000

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) was discovered in the 1990s and today is widely utilized. It was primarily intended to help resolve traumatic events in an individual’s life but today is utilized for many other concerns. These range from traumas to performance enhancement. I was trained in 2006 and have used extensively on a variety of issues since that time.

When I became a psychotherapist in the late 1990s, I had visions of saving the world. I look back on my naivete and chuckle. My first job was working on a long term psychiatric ward. I soon found that these individuals didn’t need someone to fix their lives but just someone to listen to them and not judge. I learned that I couldn’t save them but found that just being there for them was highly therapeutic.

After I left that job, I went to work in my first addictions treatment center. I thought it was going to be very different from the psych ward but again I chuckle at my naivete. Not only was it a great learning opportunity but it was also my introduction to this “mysterious” form of psychotherapy called EMDR Since I was a newbie, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Who would have thought years later that I, Craig Givens, would be at an EMDR training. I left that facility and eventually ended up at the treatment center where I have been employed for the past 10 years. It is at this facility that I decided to look into and become trained in EDMR.

Sidebar note: I have found that staying put in one facility for this long is not that common.