Hey there, Unless you've been living under a rock (or maybe just buried under a pile of progress notes), you've probably heard about the implications of AI in mental health. Tools like ChatGPT are popping up left and right, and suddenly everyone's talking about “AI therapists” and “chatbots that can cure your depression.” And as an EMDR therapist, you might be wondering: “Should I be worried?” “Is my job about to be taken over by a robot?” Well, I've got good news and bad news. The bad news:...
15 days ago • 2 min read
Hey there, Surviving war zone trauma, starting over, and stepping into the therapy room as a client is how my story in this field began. It started me on a challenging and wonderful journey that has led me to now building Helicon to empower EMDR therapists and bring EMDR to more people. In my recent conversation with Michael Fulwiler on the Heard Business School podcast, we talked about my journey from Marine combat veteran to EMDR therapist and founder of Helicon. Here’s what we covered: 🔹...
16 days ago • 1 min read
Hey there, Here's a conversation I have regularly with EMDR therapists: "I've been doing EMDR for years. I'm comfortable with the protocol. Do I really need to keep getting consultation?" The short answer? Absolutely. EMDR consultation isn’t only for learning new techniques or getting unstuck with difficult cases (though it does both of those things). It’s also important for maintaining the ethical foundation that makes this work effective and safe. And not only that: If you’re considering...
22 days ago • 4 min read
Most people associate EMDR with trauma and PTSD. If you’ve been practicing EMDR for a while, you may have noticed not all clients fit traditional trauma profiles, but EMDR can still help them with their treatment goals.. But here’s what many don’t realize: Some powerful EMDR work can happen with clients who aren't "traumatized" in the traditional sense. I'm talking about high-performers like: Athletes who can't break through to the next level Executives who freeze during presentations First...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
Hey there, Many therapists are burned out because they’ve found themselves in this cycle: Clients return week after week with the same symptoms and complaints Therapeutic insights don't translate into behavioral or emotional changes You feel like you're providing emotional support rather than creating actual healing Progress is so slow that both you and your clients begin to question whether therapy is working Fortunately, this doesn’t mean you’re a “bad therapist.” In fact, you probably are...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hey there, High-stress professionals desperately need EMDR. But there’s an issue: They don't see themselves as trauma clients. Many first responders, special operators, and executives are struggling with unprocessed trauma, but traditional therapeutic approaches often miss the mark with these populations. And even though these clients carry enormous emotional burdens and desperately need trauma processing, they don’t often respond to "trauma therapy" language. So how do you help them...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hey there, Last week, I shared how EMDR therapists (like you) can ethically support clients in the preparation and integration phases of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Since then, I've been thinking more about the technical side of this work, specifically questions like: "What does EMDR integration actually look like after a psychedelic experience?" and "How do you adapt the protocol when clients return with challenging or confusing material?" These are exactly the right questions to be...
3 months ago • 7 min read
Hey there, As psychedelic-assisted therapy moves toward mainstream acceptance (with FDA breakthrough therapy designations for both MDMA and psilocybin and more states adopting legislature for legal psychedelic therapy), many EMDR therapists are asking the same question: “How can I ethically incorporate psychedelic integration into my practice?” Luckily for you, I've probably spent more time researching this exact question than many people in the EMDR community. So much so that I gave a...
3 months ago • 6 min read
Hey there, I know a lot of therapists are experiencing burnout these days, so I want to double-tap this topic. Not everyone reading this is experiencing burnout, but hopefully you’ll remember this if you do in the future, or use it as a way to help prevent it altogether! For some, the cases can start feeling routine, and the breakthroughs become just another clinical outcome to document. The passion that drew you to trauma work gets buried under years of holding space for others' pain...
3 months ago • 3 min read