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Dr. Lori Mariani
PsyD, LICSW, PSEP, CYT
Approaches
I draw upon a wide range of therapeutic philosophies and modalities including:
SE (Somatic Experiencing®)
"Trauma is not in the event. Trauma is in the physiology of the person." Peter Levine, PhD
SE is a gentle body-oriented approach to treating stress and trauma.
Trauma not only affects our thoughts but disrupts the way our nervous system maintains a balanced state.
When engaging only in talk therapy, the simultaneous reactions within our body or nervous system are ignored. This can lead to re-traumatization and reinforce habitual coping patterns (avoidance, anxiety, dissociation, physical tension patterns, etc.) rather than provide resolution and restore balance.
SE was formed by Dr. Peter Levine with a basis in biological and developmental mechanisms. Sessions involve a process of learning about your nervous system and tools for self-regulation that help build your body/self awareness, resolving the past and instilling resilience for the future.
For more information about SE, go to: http://www.traumahealing.org.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
EMDR is a technique used to help process and reduce the effects of traumatic experiences as well as anxiety, depression, guilt, shame, intrusive thoughts, fears and relationship difficulties.
It is understood that trauma interrupts our brain and body's innate ability to heal, resulting in a mixture of fragmented memories in the form of sensations, emotions, thoughts and images.
In EMDR treatment, you will learn tools to calm yourself and be guided to identify difficult memories, present day triggers,
or future fears. You then process these experiences by imagining, sensing or thinking about an aspect of the difficulty while the body is stimulated bi-laterally (on both sides). This may include moving your eyes side to side, hearing sounds in each ear, or tapping your legs one at a time.
Expressive Therapies
In conjunction with talk therapy, expressive therapies can serve as a relationship builder in families, an insightful tool for the individual and a method for safe expression of children's feelings.
As individuals, we call upon our senses to classify and give meaning to our world differently, some visually, some orally while others feel their way through experiences. Expressive therapies include writing, dream work, art, movement, music, and experiential activities. This work may also stretch into nature as it offers a reflection of our human experience.
Narrative Therapy
Narrative therapy is a person-centered, non-blaming and collaborative approach to talk therapy that is based on the assumption that you are the expert in your life. Through respectful dialogue, you are guided to unpack the beliefs, values and experiences that support your problem as well as the skills needed to create an alternate narrative.
These thoughtful conversations help you to separate yourself from your problems and build a closer relationship with your personal narrative. In family work, this process of externalizing a problem helps to identify and redefine values that inform or go against a presenting problem while increasing respectful, judgment-free exchanges.
“People are not the problems, problems are the problems.” Michael White
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a common, collaborative type of talk therapy which focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This therapy is helpful for more pragmatically minded individuals who desire concrete therapist-guided tasks.
You are guided to investigate your thoughts, emotions, sensations and behaviors in an attempt to identify and alter unhelpful patterns. By increasing your awareness and reactions to your thoughts, you can begin to respond more effectively. Our thoughts are the result of all the information that comes to us through our senses in addition to our belief systems, values and greater societal influences.
Yoga
Body-oriented practices like yoga have a direct affect on our nervous systems. A well rounded yoga practice includes physical movement, attention to the breath and moments of inner stillness to help you learn to regulate your emotional reactions.
When stress arises, our nervous system reacts by releasing hormones that prepare us to protect ourselves from a perceived threat. This works well to fight an attacker but proves less effective when responding to modern life stressors.
Yoga and movement can help you learn about your body's experience of stress and relaxation. For instance, when you bend backwards or contract your muscles you create a stress response and when you release the contraction or bend forwards relaxation may be stimulated. By shifting between contraction and expansion, you subtly train the nervous system to restore balanced communication between your mind and body.
More information:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/yoga-for-anxiety-and-depression
