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Kelowna EMDR Clinic, 506-550 Osprey Avenue, Kelowna, BC (2026)

01/26/2026

🙌 I recently uploaded a video on the 7 reasons that can make private practice a really good choice for the right kind of person.

Watch the full video here: “7 Reasons You’ll Love Private Practice as a Trauma Therapist”
👉 https://youtu.be/tQ2WEnTPvLM

So, I am curious: do you think private practice is awesome?

01/24/2026

I love to end my week reflecting on how I am a better human and closer to my goals today than I was a week ago. I have different questions that I ask myself and today I am sharing five from my list with you. Question #5 is about the biggest win of the week. For me it feels a bit premature but my win is that it looks like we may have a psychologist join our team at the Kelowna EMDR Clinic in not too distant future. ☺️❤️ What’s your win this week? Let me know in the comments.

01/20/2026

Seasonal depression is the dreary cousin of regular depression that shows up when the sun peaces out for the season.

The clinical name is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and it usually hits during fall and winter when daylight hours shrink.

Less sunlight messes with your biological clock, dips your serotonin (mood chemical), and bumps melatonin (sleep hormone), leaving you tired, irritable, low-energy, hungrier for carbs, and generally over life.

It’s a real medical condition, not just “winter blues,” and it responds well to things like light therapy, morning sunlight, consistent sleep, exercise, vitamin D (if your doctor okays it), and therapy or medication if symptoms get heavy.

The big takeaway: it’s treatable, nothing to be ashamed of, and getting support can make winter feel way less like a grayscale indie film.

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There’s a fascinating overlap here between planetary tilt, neurochemistry, and human behavior—almost poetic in a nerdy way.

01/17/2026

A clear therapist introduction sets the tone for the professional relationship and helps shape the client’s first impression.

It builds trust by explaining who the therapist is, what they specialize in, and how they work, which reduces uncertainty and lowers initial anxiety. When clients understand the therapist’s background, approach, and values, they’re more likely to feel safe, respected, and willing to open up.

Over time, this clarity contributes to a stronger reputation because clients view the therapist as transparent, competent, and consistent—qualities that matter in both therapeutic outcomes and word-of-mouth referrals.

01/14/2026

Running your own therapy practice is equal parts meaning and paperwork. Five tips that actually matter:

1. Hold your clinical hours sacred. If you don’t gatekeep your calendar, clients, emails, and admin tasks will devour every spare moment. Structured boundaries aren’t selfish; they’re how you stay clinically sharp instead of emotionally mushy.

2. Build a referral ecosystem, not just a website. Psychiatrists, family doctors, school counselors, LGBTQ+ centers, fertility clinics, lawyers, yoga studios—your future clients touch these systems long before they find your Psychology Today listing.

3. Track outcomes and client feedback. It’s not vanity; it’s data. Simple check-ins on symptom change, functioning, and therapeutic alliance help you refine your approach and catch stagnation before it calcifies.

4. Treat admin like a clinical necessity. Billing, consent forms, crisis policies, EHR (electronic health records), no-show rules—these are the quiet guardrails that keep you legal, ethical, and not drowning.

5. Nurture your professional curiosity. Go to trainings, join supervision groups, read research. Private practice can become an echo chamber if you don’t feed your brain with other minds.

This is an entire universe of humans trying to heal other humans while staying sane themselves. Therapy scales slowly, but it scales.

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✨

01/11/2026

From an EMDR therapist’s perspective, needing therapy doesn’t always look like a dramatic breakdown or a crisis moment.

Sometimes it’s quieter: patterns you can’t shake, reactions that don’t match the situation, or a sense that your body is holding onto experiences long after your mind has tried to move on.

EMDR often reveals how past experiences—big or small—shape present behaviors, relationships, and self-beliefs.

If daily life feels heavier than it should, or you’re stuck in loops you can’t reason your way out of, that’s not a failure of willpower—it’s a sign your nervous system is asking for support.

You may need therapy if:

• You feel “on edge” even when nothing is wrong

• Your past experiences replay in your mind in loops

• You avoid places, people, or situations without fully knowing why

• Small things trigger big emotional reactions

• Your sleep is disrupted by anxiety, nightmares, or restlessness

• You struggle to trust, connect, or feel safe in relationships

• You find yourself stuck in guilt, shame, or self-criticism

• Your body reacts before your mind understands (tight chest, stomach drops, headaches)

• You constantly overthink, replay conversations, or anticipate worst-case scenarios

• You feel numb, disconnected, or checked out from life

• You’re functioning day-to-day, but not actually living or enjoying anything

• You use work, substances, or distractions to avoid thoughts or feelings

• You keep saying “I should be fine by now,” but you’re not

This isn’t about diagnosing yourself—these are signs that your nervous system might be overwhelmed and could benefit from therapy, especially an approach like EMDR that works directly with trauma, memory, and how the body holds stress.

Therapy is support, not weakness, and recognizing these signs early is what creates real change.

01/09/2026

Trauma responses aren’t personality traits—they’re survival strategies your nervous system adopted when it didn’t feel safe.

Recognizing them is the first step toward healing. Therapy, EMDR, somatic work, boundaries, and nervous system regulation can help.

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01/07/2026

Getting rid of anxiety isn’t quick, clean, or linear.

It takes time, patience, and a lot of compassion for yourself, because anxiety is often your nervous system trying to protect you based on past experiences. You can’t just “think” your way out of it.

This is where EMDR therapy can help. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) works by helping the brain safely reprocess distressing memories and patterns that keep anxiety stuck on repeat.

Instead of constantly reacting as if the danger is still happening, the nervous system learns that the threat has passed.

Over time, this can reduce emotional intensity, calm the body’s stress response, and create a greater sense of control and relief—without having to relive everything in detail again and again.

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01/03/2026

We’re excited to welcome Jack Parkyn (they/them) to the team at Kelowna EMDR Clinic.

Jack brings a compassionate, evidence-based approach to working with adults navigating trauma, identity shifts, life transitions, and reproductive mental health, with a strong focus on 2SLGBTQIA+-affirming care.

They are currently accepting new clients, and appointments are now available to book.

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12/28/2025

Sometimes your body remembers what your mind hasn’t fully named yet.

Somatic trauma shows up as physical sensations—tightness in the chest, chronic tension, shallow breathing, gut discomfort, numbness, or a sudden freeze response—often without a clear memory attached.

This happens because trauma is stored in the nervous system, not just in thoughts or stories.

Your body learned to react quickly to stay safe, and those survival patterns can resurface long after the danger has passed.

These responses aren’t overreactions or weaknesses; they’re intelligent signals from a system that adapted to protect you. Healing begins when we stop trying to think our way out of trauma and start listening to what the body is communicating through sensation, movement, and regulation.

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12/27/2025

As an EMDR therapist, I hear many stories about relationships that leave clients drained, anxious, and doubting themselves. Most don’t call their relationship “toxic.”

They describe confusion, emotional exhaustion, and a constant sense that they’re the problem.

What I listen for isn’t just events—it’s patterns in the nervous system.

How I Identify a Toxic Relationship

Certain themes show up again and again:

• Chronic self-doubt and second-guessing reality
• Strong body reactions before conscious awareness
• One-sided responsibility for emotional repair
• Fear or guilt around setting boundaries
• Cycles of harm followed by brief relief or closeness

These patterns point to trauma bonding. The nervous system learns to associate connection with distress, not safety.

Five Ways EMDR Helps Clients Heal

1. Targets early moments of lost safety, not just the breakup

2. Breaks trauma bonds by separating love from survival

3. Restores internal trust so red flags register sooner

4. Reprocesses shame and self-blame that keep clients stuck

5. Builds boundary capacity at the nervous-system level

The Reality

Toxic relationships retrain the nervous system. Insight alone isn’t enough. EMDR works because it addresses the injury where it lives—in the body, not just the mind.

Healing means your system no longer mistakes harm for connection.

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12/24/2025

A humanistic therapist responds to stress by slowing everything down and centering your lived experience.

When they say, “I hear that you’re stressed—and that’s totally okay,” they’re communicating unconditional acceptance, not urgency to fix you.

The long silence isn’t neglect; it’s intentional space. In that quiet, you’re invited to notice what you’re feeling without judgment, to exist as you are, and to trust that nothing about your stress makes you broken or too much.

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Kelowna EMDR Clinic

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