EMDR and Hypnosis for Traumatic Grief
LGBTQ-affirming psychologist helping adolescents and adults heal from trauma and loss, using EMDR, Ericksonian clinical hypnosis, Flash Technique, Solution-Focused Therapy and CBT.
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Lisa S. Larsen, PsyD
(she/her/hers)
(CA Lic. #PSY 19046)
If you're a mental health provider interested in consultation or learning more about trauma & complicated grief, click here.
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Trauma Recovery
Many people experience traumatic incidents in their lives. Sometimes they have enough support to resolve it naturally, but other times it's hard to get over it. Post traumatic stress can be painful to live with, but luckily, there's help! With my help, you can build skills to deal with symptoms like emotional instability, anger, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and a sense of emptiness. We also go beyond trauma recovery by examining how the trauma can help you grow and change for the better. There's a new field of study called posttraumatic growth, which emphasizes ways that you are resilient and stronger than you think. This sure beats thinking of yourself as broken or damaged, right?
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If your child or adolescent son or daughter has been through trauma, you can help them avoid years of suffering by getting them help when they're young. They might benefit from having a safe person to talk to about what happened to them, and it can allow a natural grieving of their experience to happen. I have seen many adults who said they wished their parents had gotten them help when they were young, and wonder what their life would have been like if they had made use of therapeutic support back then.
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“Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health; safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives.” ~ Bessel van der Kolk

One of the most powerful tools I use for trauma therapy is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR Therapy). This helps resolve negative life events that get "stuck" in us emotionally and still hurt like they happened yesterday. It often yields great success. I've been a Certified EMDR Therapist since 2008 by the EMDR International Association. The Flash Technique is also a gentle, effective way to take away the emotional impact of traumatic memories.
I can also help you manage strong emotions like anxiety and hypervigilance with clinical hypnosis. All along, you build coping skills and help you feel more comfortable and present in your life, like mindfulness and distress tolerance. Additionally, I will soon offer a video series and workbook that is a combination of informative videos about trauma and coping, and a workbook that helps you process what you learn in the videos. This can help you feel less alone and process that, in a safe space with people who understand your experience firsthand. If you'd like to get emotionally free from your traumatic memories, please call me at 661-233-6771!