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New Life & Hope Springing Forth
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness & streams in the wasteland.“ (Isaiah 43:19, NIV). Friend—What new thing are you seeing spring up in your life? After the darkness, trials, adversity, and pain—Can you see any goodness in your life? The glimmer of new things springing forth. I journeyed through the lengthy darkness of night for so long & God finally brought forth newness and light. Hope. The working of redemption in my life. It is a continual work, the growing and bringing forth of newness in my life.The goodness in your life…
- Choose Joy In the Midst, Coping strategies, EMDR, Fight or Flight Response, Mental Health, Not Alone, PTSD, Pursuing health and wholeness, Stress response, therapy, Trauma
How Can You Decrease Your PTSD or Trauma Response? It is, in fact, Possible.
You Don’t Have to Be Stuck in Your PTSD or Trauma Response. There are ways to decrease and dial down the response in the moment friend. There is hope. The intensity of your responses to trauma can be dialed down. How? The first step is self-awareness. Being aware of what is occurring and what specific things trigger you. (A trigger is something associated with the trauma memory. A trigger is not something you choose, but something your amygdala has connected to the trauma. An object, a similar situation, a sound, a smell, etc.) I know it’s likely not something you want to think about or focus on because avoidance of…
- Choose Joy, Choose Joy In the Midst, Coping strategies, Fight or Flight Response, Mental Health, PTSD, Pursuing health and wholeness, Stress response, Trauma
Choose Joy In the Midst of PTSD & Trauma Responses
You may be wondering how on earth can both phrases “Choose Joy In the Midst” and “PTSD and Trauma Responses” be connected? I believe we *can* in fact find Joy and choose joy in the midst of very difficult trauma responses we face. We can choose joy and fight for goodness in our lives by pursuing healing and finding ways to positively cope and decrease our trauma responses. Read on, friend. PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can ensue from trauma and cause your body to go into a fight or flight response when switched on (or triggered) by something that reminds you of that traumatic event. ➡️ Triggers can be…
- Breathing technique, calming techniques, Coping strategies, Fight or Flight Response, Mental Health, PTSD, Pursuing health and wholeness, Stress response, Trauma
Use Breathing To Regulate Your Nervous System & Decrease Your Stress
Using our breath to help decrease our stress in the moment is incredibly helpful and important. Follow the prompts in this picture. Breathe in for a count of 3. Hold for 3. Breathe out for a count of 3. The breathing out slowly helps brings online the parasympathetic system (to rest & calm & settle the body & nervous system). This technique has a name called: Boxed breathing- a technique of breathing in for 3 seconds, holding for 3 seconds, and exhaling slowly for 3 seconds helps regulate anxiousness or triggered moments, stressful moments. You can do it multiple times as long as you don’t get lightheaded. I also strongly…
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Integrated Faith & EMDR Therapy for Holistic Healing
“There is no shame in mental health therapy, in fact, there is freedom.” Do you believe it? You are brave.You can do hard things. I’ve walked through intensive EMDR therapy to focus on my traumas and emotional pain.I also walked through spiritual healing through a focused Bible study curriculum at the same time in my Christian faith community. The therapist I worked with incorporated my strong Christian faith into our EMDR sessions which was an incredible source of strength for me. It used the strongest weapon I had towards my trauma and emotional pain healing. Through both my study in my faith community and my EMDR therapy, I began to…
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Stop Fighting Fear by Sheer Willpower; Instead Do This.
“Willing ourselves to stop fearing and then shaming ourselves when we do is not the way forward.” -Amber Jeann Parker Can I get an Amen? I believe that consuming fear, a spirit of fear, is from the enemy of your soul, from Satan. It’s one of his plans to take you down, friend. We don’t have the power to fully get rid of it on our own though- through our own sheer willpower.God is the One who can help us though. God is the One who can change and transform us.He gives us His Spirit. His Spirit brings life & peace. Can I tell you— Feeling shame for having fear…
- break the stigma, Choose Joy, Choose Joy In the Midst, Mental Health, Not Alone, Overcome anxiety & worry, PTSD, PTSD, Pursuing health and wholeness, Stress response, Trauma
You Are Not ALONE In Your Battle.
You are not ALONE in your battle. Do you believe it? Do you have anyone in your corner, supporting you, coming alongside you in the battle(s) you are facing? Have you opened up to anyone and shared the silent or secret battle you face? Have you let anyone in friend? Do you have someone in your life who feels safe and you can trust to share what you are battling? I believe community is *vital* to making it through the battles we face. Safe, trustworthy, confidential, supportive community. Did you know “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). This is talking about Jesus. Jesus is…
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Strong, Firm, & Steadfast
The end of 1 Peter 5 is rich with words of encouragement and exhortation for weary, persevering believers in Christ. Peter, the apostle, is writing to an audience of believers in Christ, the elect, scattered throughout a region that he names in verse 1:1. We can apply the general truths to ourselves also if we are believers. “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (I Peter 5:10, NIV). 1 Peter 5:10 says after you have suffered a little while. This phrase denotes there will…
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My First Podcast Guest Interview Released!!
Hi friends, I was a guest on the Unabashed You podcast last month. The episode just released this week, on Tuesday, April 16th, and I encourage you to listen to it wherever you listen to podcasts. The link is below. We take a deep dive into my story, the why behind this website’s name, and how God knew what He was doing when He called me into evidence based medicine as a Physician Assistant so many years ago… I had no idea that my skills, knowledge, and ability to grow, learn, and adapt would be put to the test in such dire circumstances fighting for the life of the most…
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Authentic & Vulnerable
Choose to be authentic & vulnerable in safe community. It is a choice. To enter into being vulnerable. To open up our emotions, fears, insecurities, & stories to other individuals. To allow our authentic self be known. There is risk. Will I be seen, validated, & acknowledged? Or will what I share be dismissed, minimized, judged, or invalidated? Will I be rejected? For true connection & vulnerability, I believe mutual reciprocity of open vulnerability is necessary. Both entering into sharing. Active listening with empathy, compassion, & understanding present Will we give space to each other? To sit in the hard spaces but also the joyous spaces together too. To celebrate…
