Revive Counselling & Neurofeedback

04/11/2023

It is not uncommon for someone with a complex trauma history to want to work fast and go directly to their core trauma. Especially when it’s directly relating to symptoms today. However, in doing this the therapy process can actually go slower in the long run, as it runs the risk of activating parts of the system that are not on board with opening up such vulnerable material. This can then result in backlash with an increase in symptoms, addictive behaviour, and an even more challenging time processing traumatic material. Respectful, paced trauma work tends to go faster in the long run.

10/15/2021

Most of us can relate to feeling some sort of internal conflict inside. Do we want to relax and read a book or get up and finish something that needs to be done around the house? Richard Schwartz talks about these thoughts of internal conflict coming from parts of us. Getting to know your own parts can be transformational when dealing with difficult decisions, anxiety, internal criticism, shame and much more.

Have you ever heard of the notion that we have parts inside? Most of us have felt the internal struggle of one part of us feeling one way, and another part of us feeling a different way about something we need to do. Richard Schwartz, the founder of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, poses that....

08/19/2021

A beautiful illustration for those of you who are trying to sit with the pain and suffering that’s going on in the world…

03/16/2020

For anyone who is familiar with IFS parts work and would like to listen to some tips on how to help your anxious parts around COVID-19.

An Audio file to help anxious parts to be heard and therefore bring more calm into the system. Podcast here: http://theoneinside.libsyn.com/

12/22/2019

Great illustration of entering into therapy!

For the past year, I've been sharing short comics that explore the therapy process. I had to get comfortable with talking about uncomfortable things. I’d love to share this work with others who are struggling with difficult emotions or family histories.

09/27/2019

Many of the mental health challenges we face are directly tied to our nervous systems' response. The response we have in past overwhelming experiences can teach our brain to respond the same way again in future similar events, even if this is not needed! This how we can find ourselves "outside" of our window of tolerance

Have you heard of the window of tolerance? It's a term coined by Daniel Siegel that helps us understand our "window" of being able to stay regulated and feel o

09/09/2019

We often don’t talk about the impact of trauma on chronic pain, as this tends to feel invalidating for many people. Chronic pain without a structural cause is still very real, and felt in the brain. It is not made up or all in your head! With trauma informed therapies that address the body, shifts in stuck pain states are actually possible.

A new therapy teaches people to process their trauma as a way to treat chronic pain. Does it work?

08/13/2019

So important to remember with kids- "Bottom-up behaviors do not respond to rewards, consequences or punishments. Bottom-up behaviors are brain-based stress responses that require understanding, compassion and actively helping an individual feel safe, based on that individual’s unique neurology. When we punish a bottom-up behavior, we can easily make matters worse. And this is why so many of our treatments fall short, or even deepen a child or teen’s emotional and behavioral challenges. As a point of reference, almost all toddler tantrums are bottom-up because the ability to reliably control one’s emotions and behaviors begins in late toddlerhood and continues through early adulthood."

Knowing the difference between top-down and bottom-up behaviors is a most important consideration in how we help those who struggle.

06/13/2019

Yes! I've encountered so many people who have found that deep breathing makes them feel worse, not better! If you're one of these, here's some other alternatives and ways to work up to deep breathing

How trauma and stress can lead to constricted breathing muscles, suggestions for alternatives to grounding when working with trauma, and a way to teach people how to get their diaphragm moving again.

05/16/2019

Do you struggle with anxiety that seems to come out of no where? Not sure what can help? Here are some of my thoughts on working with this

We've all had that tight or uncomfortable feeling in our stomach at one point in our life. Perhaps it was related to a time you were in a new situation...

02/14/2019

Vulnerability takes real courage!

The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage had a very different definition than it does today. Courage originally meant "To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart."

Over time, this definition has changed, and today, courage is more synonymous with being heroic. Heroics is important and we certainly need heroes, but I think we've lost touch with the idea that speaking honestly and openly about who we are, about what we're feeling, and about our experiences (good and bad) is the definition of courage.

Heroics is often about putting our life on the line. Ordinary courage is about putting our vulnerability on the line. In today's world that's pretty extraordinary.