Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling, PLLC

11/27/2025

You are allowed to meet Thanksgiving with honesty, not pressure.

The holiday season often tells us to be cheerful, grateful, and “on.” But your nervous system does not follow a calendar. If this week brings up stress, grief, activation, or mixed emotions, nothing is wrong with you. Honesty is a form of self care.

Many people feel internal pressure on holidays:
• to show up emotionally when they feel drained
• to minimize family tension
• to pretend they are fine
• to ignore triggers for the sake of harmony
• to keep old roles alive even when they no longer fit

Honesty is not negativity. It is awareness.
It is noticing what is happening inside you and choosing the gentlest, most grounded response you can in the moment.
Gentle reminder: You do not have to feel only one emotion today.

If the holidays bring up more than you expected and you want support, you can book a Free 15 minute consult with a Peaceful Living therapist.

Send us a DM or Visit this link ➡️https://www.peacefullivingmentalhealthcounseling.com/contact-us

Save this for the moments you feel pressured to perform.
Share it with someone who needs permission to be honest with themselves today.

11/26/2025

EMDR is not failing. It is usually trying to tell you something.
When EMDR feels stuck, most people assume the therapy is not working. In reality, the number one reason EMDR slows down is because the nervous system does not feel fully safe yet. Safety is not about logic. It is about what your body believes in the moment.

Before your brain can process trauma, your body needs:
• a predictable rhythm in session
• clear boundaries
• enough grounding skills to return to the present
• permission to slow down instead of pushing through
• a trusting connection with your therapist
When these pieces are not solid yet, EMDR may pause, loop, or feel like nothing is happening. But this is information, not failure.

What therapists often do in these moments:
• strengthen resourcing
• adjust pacing
• return to preparation instead of forcing reprocessing
• track protectors, parts, or nervous system cues
• validate what the body is signaling
This is all part of the work. Stuck is still movement.

If you want trauma therapy that honors your pace, you can book a Free 15 minute consult with a Peaceful Living therapist.
Send us a DM or visit this link ➡️ https://cstu.io/948460

Save this for the days you worry EMDR is not working for you.
Share it with someone who needs to know that slowing down is still healing.

11/25/2025

If you’ve ever felt guilty taking a day off, struggled to set a boundary at work, or found yourself saying yes when you’re exhausted, you’re not alone. These patterns often grow out of old survival strategies that once kept you safe.

This blog breaks down how trauma can quietly shape work and relationship dynamics, and how healing creates space for healthier boundaries and more balanced living.

Read more here:https://wix.to/uq8ux9r

Setting boundaries at work can feel impossible — especially in high-pressure fields like finance. In this blog, Frank Sarrapochiello offers a trauma-informed look at workplace boundaries and relationships, exploring why saying no feels unsafe and how to regulate your nervous system to set limits w...

11/25/2025

Community support is a powerful part of healing. 💛

We’re honored to stand with the Hospitality and Tourism Society (HATS) of University of Negros Occidental Philippines as they provided relief to student members affected by Typhoon Tino. Thank you for allowing Peaceful Living MHC to contribute to this effort and support those navigating the emotional and practical impact of this disaster.

To the students who received assistance, we’re holding space for your recovery. Healing after a crisis is not linear, and you deserve care, safety, and support as you rebuild.

If you’re noticing anxiety, overwhelm, or difficulty coping after the storm, you’re not alone.

Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling, PLLC X Dana Carretta-Stein X The EMDR Coach

11/24/2025

Sometimes healing is not calm. It is the moment you meet an old trigger and choose a new ending.

Sonia Gonzalez reminds us that healing is not about never being activated. It is about what becomes possible after the activation. When you pause, notice your body, name the story, and choose something different, you are practicing real nervous system change.

Being triggered often brings up old patterns — shutting down, people-pleasing, overexplaining, withdrawing, or going into panic.

But with support, you can:
• slow the moment down
• feel what is happening internally
• name the belief attached to the trigger
• move through the pain without abandoning yourself
This is the work of trauma healing. Not perfection, but choice.
What does your body say when the trigger arrives?

If you are ready to rewrite the patterns that keep repeating, book a Free 15-minute consult with Sonia.
Send us a DM or visit this link: https://www.peacefullivingmentalhealthcounseling.com/contact-us

Save this for the days you’re hard on yourself for being triggered. Share it with someone who is learning to choose a different ending, too.

11/23/2025

Chronic pain doesn’t just live in the body — it lives in the nervous system.

For many athletes, pain continues long after the injury heals. That doesn’t mean you’re “broken” or “out of shape.” It often means your system is still responding to the memory of the injury, the fear of re-injury, or the pressure to return before you’re ready.

EMDR therapy helps athletes calm the nervous system, break the pain–memory loop, and reprocess the emotional impact of the injury — so healing can finally move forward.

This approach goes deeper than mindset work or physical rehab alone. It supports the whole athlete: physically, mentally, and emotionally.

If you’ve tried everything and pain still lingers, EMDR may help you regain confidence, reduce pain sensitivity, and return to your sport with more resilience.

✨ Want to learn more about how EMDR supports athletes?
Read the full blog — How EMDR Therapy for Athletes eases chronic pain and boosts recovery.

✨ Want personalized support?
Book a Free 15-minute Consult with Sean O’Connor, LMHC

Send us a DM to get the links.

11/21/2025

Healing isn’t forever — but the results can be.
So many people worry that starting therapy means being in “healing mode” forever.
But healing isn’t a lifelong assignment — it’s a season.
A period of tending to what hurt so you can move through life with more ease, clarity, and emotional safety.

As your nervous system heals, you build new patterns.
Your body softens.
Your reactions shift.
Your relationships change.
And those changes can last long after the active work is done.

You don’t need to stay in therapy forever to feel better.
You just need support that understands what you’ve lived through — not what’s “wrong” with you.

✨ Ready to take the next step?
Send us a dm to book a free 15-minute Consult with our therapists at Peaceful Living.

11/20/2025

Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling stands in solidarity with the communities affected by Typhoon Tino.

Today, we share the University of Negros Occidental CBA Student Council’s first donation drive supporting families in Canlaon City, Philippines.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the UNO-R CBA Student Council for leading this effort and delivering essential relief to the community. Your compassion, coordination, and commitment made a real difference during a vulnerable time.

Peaceful Living is honored to stand as one of your partners in this initiative. This marks the beginning of Peaceful Living’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts, where we aim to uplift community healing, resilience, and collective care beyond mental health awareness.

To everyone who contributed or supported this effort in any way, thank you for helping bring comfort and hope to those affected by the storm.

Want to help them? DM us and we will send you the fundraising link and updates.

11/19/2025

IFS Basics: Meet Your Parts 🤝

So many people feel ashamed for having conflicting thoughts, reactions, or emotions — but in IFS (Internal Family Systems), this is normal. You’re not “too much.” You’re made up of many parts, each trying to protect you in the best way it knows how.

IFS teaches that:
• Some parts carry pain from the past (Exiles)
• Some parts keep life controlled and predictable (Managers)
• Some parts step in fast when things feel overwhelming (Firefighters)

Even when a part’s strategy feels exhausting, every part has good intentions.
And beneath all of them is your core Self — calm, curious, compassionate, and capable of leading your inner world with clarity.

IFS isn’t about getting rid of parts.
It’s about helping them feel seen, safe, and supported so you can move through life with more understanding and less judgment.

✨ Want support exploring your parts gently and safely?
Send us a DM and book a free 15-min consult with Annabella

(If you’re in crisis, call 988 or your local emergency number.)

11/17/2025

So many people blame themselves for not feeling safe, even when they’re technically “in a safe environment.”
But safety is a felt sense, not a location.
Your nervous system has to learn it — slowly, consistently, and with support.

When you’ve lived through stress, trauma, or instability, your body may stay on alert long after the danger has passed. Healing isn’t about forcing yourself to “calm down.” It’s about helping your nervous system discover what safety feels like again.

A few gentle ways to practice:
• Notice moments your body feels even 1% softer
• Let yourself exhale fully
• Spend time with people who feel grounding
• Give your system permission to move at its own pace

You’re not behind. You’re relearning something your body deserved to feel all along.

✨ Want to work with Annabella as you rebuild your sense of safety?

Send us a DM and Book a Free 15-min Consult with her.

11/15/2025

✨How to Manage Holiday Stress Without Burning Out✨

The holidays can bring joy — and a lot of pressure. 🎄
Between family expectations, financial stress, and the push to “make it perfect,” it’s easy to lose yourself in the chaos.

But here’s the truth: you’re allowed to slow down.
You’re allowed to set boundaries.
You’re allowed to protect your peace this season. 💛

Here are 4 gentle reminders to help you stay grounded:
🌿 Simplify your plans — less perfection, more presence.
🌿 Protect your energy — saying “no” is self-care.
🌿 Stay grounded — take deep breaths and return to your senses.
🌿 Feel your feelings — healing doesn’t take a holiday.

🕊️ You deserve a season that feels peaceful, not pressured.
Our trauma-informed therapists can help you create balance that lasts beyond the holidays.

➡️ Book your Free 15-Minute Consult , send us a DM and book an appointment.

11/13/2025

🎧 Turn chaos into clarity — one session at a time.

Therapy isn’t about “fixing” you.

It’s about helping you make sense of what feels overwhelming—so you can find calm in the chaos, and confidence in your next step. 🌿

Whether you’re navigating anxiety, trauma, or just the stress of everyday life, you don’t have to do it alone. Healing happens in small, consistent moments of courage—and we’re here to guide you through them. 💛

✨ Your peace starts with one brave conversation.

➡️ Book your Free 15-Minute Consult, Send us a DM and tap Book an appointment.