Emily Ryan, LICSW

03/01/2025

This AL Society for Clinical Social Workers group has been such a treasure. The wisdom, strength, advocacy, and guidance from these beautiful therapists has not been lost on me 🤍 I am so grateful for the laughter, relaxation, fun, and community our beach conference brings

10/29/2024

Keep pushing down emotions? How is that working? I know. I know. This can be one of our best protective strategies (and may have very well helped you adapt to your environment). Is it serving you now? I want to chat about how emotions serve a purpose. They are infomation. Let me say it again…Emotions serve as information to what we need or what action we should take to first survive and also to thrive.

Anger- tells us that our boundary has been crossed and that we need to take some form of action to stand up for ourselves (or someone else).

Fear- are we in danger? get the hell out if needed. F/F/F/F

Embarrassed- if you break a social norm..this keeps us in the group (collective survival).

Sadness- tells us we need to seek comfort, and also that we have lost something very important to us.

Disgust- causes us to vomit if we digest something harmful to us.

Joy and other pleasant emotions- let us know that we are doing something right.

I know it can be scary…but if safe, and you have good grounding, go ahead and get curious. How is the emotion showing up for you, and what information is it sending???

08/03/2022

Ask how we utilize EMDR therapy. New Chapter Space

The under-the-radar treatment is one of the most effective for those suffering from PTSD — and experts say you're probably going to be hearing about it a lot more.

08/02/2022

Traumatic stress can continue living within the body long after the actual danger or threat is removed. The perception of danger can linger leaving us in a hyper vigilant state of fight/flight. Here the messages our body sends to the brain then set the fire alarm 🚨leading to a hormonal cocktail which prepares the body for survival (🤺🏃‍♀️or freeze). When we are in fight or flight (sympathetic nervous system) we are not interested in connecting. We are doing exactly what our bodies are designed to do when under threat…protecting ourselves.

07/30/2022

Trauma recovery and reaching out to a clinical trauma professional can be scary, but the worst part is over. Survivors are some of the courageous, resilient individuals I know. You got this!!! Surviving to THRIVING = post traumatic growth 🤍

Emily Ryan, LICSW shared a post on Instagram: "Trauma recovery and reaching out to a clinical trauma professional can be scary, but the worst part is over. Survivors are some of the courageous, resilient individuals I know. You got this!!! Surviving to THRIVING = post traumatic growth 🤍 ...

06/22/2022

Breath is key. If you are just starting out with a relaxation practice try inhaling slowly for a count of 4 (through the nose). Hold for a count of 4. Exhale slowly for a count of 4. Hold for a count of 4. Tip: if you want to intensify the relaxation response hold after exhale for a longer count. 💨

06/06/2022

Ever have an immediate reaction to a situation and later think, "Why did I respond like that? My action/emotion totally did not fit the situation." Sometimes our reactions (behavior, thoughts, physical sensations, or emotions) are in response to a trigger, something reminding us of the past. The past is always in the present. It might be worth taking the time to look within and just get curious.

05/31/2022

Ever feel like all of life's stressful experiences are just piling up? Feeling the effects of adverse experiences can feel like a game of Jenga sometimes. We don't have to experience or be exposed to a major life threatening event to feel the effects of trauma.

Repeated stressful events can compound and activate our nervous system.. setting off a stress/threat response. Examples of low intensity activators could look like:✨Chaotic environments✨ Aggressive environments✨ Punitive Environments ✨Inconsistent child rearing practices✨Instability at home (financially, emotionally, residentially, etc.).

It is the nervous system's response to an event/experience that can result in traumatic stress symptoms.. not the event itself. So basically, it's the arousal in the body that activates the stress response.

Reference: TraumaProfessionals