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The Art of Resting (For People Who Are Bad At It)
If you’ve ever felt guilty for taking a nap, skipping a task, or saying no to “one more thing,” welcome.
Financial Trauma: Why Your Nervous System Doesn't Believe Your Bank Balance
Financial trauma is when your feelings about money don't match your balances. A trauma therapist explains how it forms, what it looks like, and how EMDR therapy can help.
Out of the Rut: Playful, Inexpensive Date Ideas to Rekindle the Spark (Approved By A Couples Therapist)
Getting out of a rut doesn’t require a vacation or a relationship overhaul. It takes a willingness to get a little silly and break from the ordinary. These date ideas are designed to help you reconnect through laughter, surprise, and shared experience.
EMDR and the New APA Guidelines: What Clients Should Actually Know
The 2025 APA guidelines gave EMDR a conditional recommendation. Here's what that actually means, what it doesn't mean, and why EMDR is still a strong treatment choice.
What Makes An "EMDR Super-Processor"? The Variables Behind Rapid EMDR Therapy Success
EMDR therapy is quickly gaining traction as a primary trauma therapy treatment, and for good reason. Studies have shown that EMDR has an 85% success rate for reducing trauma symptoms. As a team, we've collectively been providing EMDR therapy for over a decade, and with great results. We've seen our fair share of "super processors," or people who respond very quickly to EMDR therapy. Here are the variables we've noted.
Survival Mode at Work: Why Performance Reviews Feel So Threatening
Dreading reviews even when you did well? That's often survival mode at work. Why it happens and what helps before the meeting.
Is This Self-Care or Medical Fatphobia? Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting a New Health Routine
There's nothing wrong with wanting to feel better in your body.
Whether it's starting a new medication, joining a fitness program, or changing the way you eat, many people seek out health routines hoping for more energy, less pain, or a greater sense of control.
But in a culture that equates thinness with health, and with moral virtue, it can be hard to tell when a choice is truly for your well-being. These choices are often rooted in shame or outside pressure instead.
Welcome To The Wild West: My Fears And Hopes About AI as a Trauma Therapist
As a therapist, I see plenty of reasons to be hopeful about how AI will reshape mental healthcare. And of course, there are plenty of reasons to be wary. Here are my thoughts and things I'll be monitoring as this technology matures.
Why EMDR Feels Worse Before It Gets Better
Feeling worse after starting EMDR? A trauma therapist explains why EMDR can feel harder before it helps, and what that actually means for your healing.
What Is the Soft Life and Should You Try It for Yourself?
You may have heard the term “soft life” floating around on social media or in lifestyle articles. It's often paired with images of sunlit brunches, cozy routines, or people stepping away from hustle culture due to burnout. At first glance, it can seem like just another aesthetic trend. But there's more substance to it than you might think.
Loving Someone With Narcissistic Traits: Why It Hurts So Much
Many clients come to therapy at our practice feeling confused, ashamed, or exhausted from a relationship that feels both deeply hopeful and deeply painful.
When Your Parent Is Your First Bully
When your parent is your first bully, something profound happens in the nervous system. The world stops feeling emotionally safe in a very early, foundational way. And that kind of wound often follows people much longer than they realize.
Floodlighting in LGBT Dating and How It Can Undermine Real Intimacy
Most of us long for closeness that feels deep, safe, and genuine. But sometimes, in the rush to get there, people may overshare too soon, leaving both parties feeling vulnerable and off balance.
Rejection Sensitivity vs. Trauma Triggers: How to Tell the Difference (and Why It Matters for Treatment)
Rejection sensitivity is an intense, often rapid emotional response to perceived rejection, criticism, or disapproval. It is frequently cognitive and relational in origin, rooted in attachment patterns, perfectionism, or ADHD.
Why Narcissist Partners Show Such Intense Potential at First
One of the most confusing parts of loving a narcissistically wounded partner is how good the beginning feels.
Why Your In-Laws Trigger You So Much (And How EMDR Can Help)
If you find yourself wondering, "Why do my in-laws trigger me so much?" the answer is usually deeper than “they’re annoying.”
Yes, maybe they are intrusive and critical and always seem to know exactly how to get under your skin. But when a reaction feels intense, immediate, or hard to shake, it usually means something in your nervous system is getting activated.
Choosing a Clinician for EMDR: What to Look For and What to Ask
If you’re searching for trauma therapy in the Bay Area, you’ve probably come across EMDR therapy.
Short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, EMDR is a highly researched and effective treatment for trauma, PTSD, and emotional activation, among other things.
But like any therapy, your experience depends largely on finding the right fit.
When Your Partner Won’t Set Boundaries With Their Family: What You Can Do
If your partner won’t set boundaries with family, the goal is not just to fix the family dynamic. It is to understand what is happening between the two of you and create a healthier pattern together.
Is Teletherapy as Effective as In-Person Therapy?
Teletherapy is often a good fit if you value convenience, have a private space, and feel comfortable using technology. The best way to know is to try a few sessions and notice how you feel. Therapy is most effective when you feel safe, engaged, and able to be honest.
Why Your 20s Feel So Hard and How Therapy Can Help
If you’re in your 20s and feeling overwhelmed, disoriented, or behind, you’re in good company. Despite what social media (or your extended family at holiday dinners) might suggest, this decade isn’t just about finding yourself; it’s about building yourself from the ground up. And that process? It’s messy.
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Our Holistic Therapy Services In California & Florida
We offer individualized teletherapy for a wide range of mental health and relational issues. Our San Francisco & Los Angeles therapists can help with anxiety, trauma therapy, EMDR therapy, LGBT gay and lesbian therapy issues, holistic therapy, enneagram therapy, therapy for lawyers, couples therapy, therapy for burnout, and therapy for teenagers. We serve many people in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Los Angeles, as well as throughout California and Florida. Our team is anti-racist, body positive, LGBT and trans affirming and sex positive. You deserve to feel good!