Depression can feel like an unrelenting fog, obscuring the joy and connection that life and parenthood can bring. It might manifest as persistent sadness, a profound sense of isolation, or an overwhelming fatigue that makes even the smallest tasks seem insurmountable - including bonding with your baby or other children. If you find yourself withdrawing from loved ones, struggling to find pleasure in activities you once enjoyed, or feeling a constant pressure to be the 'perfect' parent, you are not alone. EMDR therapy gently helps you process these emotions, allowing you to experience them without being overwhelmed. This process aims to shift your perspective, so you start to feel less identified with the depression and more in touch with your true self. Imagine carrying a backpack full of heavy rocks, each representing tough experiences or feelings you haven't fully dealt with. EMDR therapy helps you take these rocks out one by one, look at them, and then put them down, so they're not weighing you down anymore. Together, we will create room in your mind and body for depressive thoughts and sensations to pass through without taking hold, improving your symptoms and facilitating a long term shift towards resilience .

Anxiety, in its essence, is a dance with uncertainty. It's the mind’s way of trying to predict, control, and prepare for every conceivable scenario. It can feel like a relentless whirlwind of worry, leaving little room for calm or peace. In parenthood, this may translate into incessant concerns about your child, yourself, or your partner’s safety, health, or future. Postpartum anxiety might see these child and parent-centric worries intensify, coupled with a pervasive doubt about your capabilities as a parent. If you find yourself constantly on edge, unable to relax, or plagued by intrusive thoughts of worst-case scenarios, it's important to recognize that these experiences are a call for support. EMDR therapy addresses this by helping your brain process these fears more adaptively. By recalling anxiety-provoking thoughts while focusing on external bilateral stimulation, your brain is encouraged to integrate these fears and reduce their impact. This can help decrease the incessant worry, making you feel more patient, present and better able to enjoy each moment with your family. Think of your anxiety as a tangled ball of yarn. EMDR therapy gently untangles this yarn, allowing you to see each strand (fear) more clearly and deal with it effectively, rather than being overwhelmed by the entire tangled mess. This helps you feel calmer and more in control.

At least 3% of women experience OCD after having children (months, years, or even decades after childbirth). Living with symptoms of OCD can be exhausting- a cycle of intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that leave us feeling increasingly on edge and exhausted. For parents, this often shows up as an unrelenting concern for their child's well-being or a need for constant reassurance that everything is okay. If you find yourself trapped in patterns of checking, performing mini rituals, or seeking reassurance to reduce intrusive thoughts, impulses, or images - you are not the only one, and you are not a bad parent or person (despite what your intrusive thoughts may be suggesting). These experiences are signals, highlighting areas where additional support and understanding are needed. EMDR therapy addresses the anxiety and triggers underlying OCD without giving power to the intrusive thoughts themselves. Our goal is to diminish the compulsions by facing them directly (exposure) and then choosing not to engage (response prevention), gradually building a sense of peace amidst uncertainty. If OCD feels like being stuck in a loop of unwanted thoughts and rituals, EMDR acts like a circuit breaker that interrupts this loop. It helps calm the storm of anxiety underlying these thoughts, allowing you to step out of the loop and regain a sense of peace and normalcy.

Rage can be a confusing and isolating experience, particularly when it surfaces in the realm of parenting. It may present itself as sudden outbursts, a feeling of being out of control, or a lingering irritability that colors your interactions with your family. If you find yourself snapping at your children, harboring resentment, or feeling guilty about your anger, know that these feelings are not a reflection of your worth as a person, partner, or parent. They are, instead, indicators that point us toward the need for deeper understanding and support. Parental anger and rage can often feel overwhelming and disconcerting, creating moments that seem to eclipse our usual selves. When we experience rage or intense anger, it's usually just the tip of the iceberg - the part that's visible above the surface. However, beneath the surface, there's a vast array of emotions, past experiences, and unmet needs that contribute to these intense reactions. EMDR therapy provides a space to explore the roots of these intense emotions, transforming them into opportunities for growth and connection. This can lead to a significant reduction in episodes of rage, helping you respond to stressful parenting situations with more patience and understanding. EMDR therapy helps by identifying the root causes of these intense emotions and processing them in a way that diminishes their control over you. This can lead to a significant reduction in episodes of rage, helping you respond to stressful parenting situations with more patience and understanding.