CHANGE IS WITHIN REACH
It is Dr. Laura’s passion and privilege to assist her clients in feeling alive, connected, and at peace in their relationships, and with themselves. Change is possible through a collaborative exploration of past and present issues in an atmosphere of safety, compassion, and respect – respect for the individual and respect for the mind’s ability to heal.
DR. LAURA’S APPROACH
Dr. Laura’s approach includes but also ventures beyond conventional psychotherapy in several ways:
- It takes advantage of attachment research and recent discoveries in interpersonal neurobiology.
- It is less talk-oriented and more geared toward the right hemisphere of the brain, the seat of past experiences that dictate our present-day perceptions, feelings and behaviors.
- It is more holistic in that it works not on symptoms but with the roots of old learnings. You change from the inside out.
BEYOND CONVENTIONAL PSYCHOTHERAPY
In addition to conventional psychotherapies, there are several approaches that are central to Dr. Laura’s work because she has found them to be the most effective: Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy.
These therapies offer effective relief for those who have suffered, sometimes for years, from depression, anxiety, panic attacks, distressing memories, nightmares, insomnia, relationship problems because of unmet childhood attachment needs or other traumatic events in childhood or adulthood.
Many people who have made slow progress in the past or who have not benefited from more conventional therapies say that with these therapies, they are finally enjoying the life they envisioned.
MIND BODY APPROACH
Unwanted behaviors, beliefs, and emotions can originate with unresolved emotional wounds from the past – especially from childhood. Repeated experiences of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse can lead to complex trauma wounds, and chronic neglect, rejection, enmeshment, or misattunement can lead to attachment wounds.
DNMS
The Developmental Needs Meeting Stradegy, aka DNMS, is a gentle, multidimensional, comprehensive, strengths-based, client-centered, ego-state therapy synthesized by Shirley Jean Schmidt, MA, LPC to treat both trauma and attachment wounds.
It gives equal importance to repairing wounds inflicted because of bad things that happened (e.g. abuse) and good things that did not happen (e.g. loving attunement, nurturing, validation, encouragement, etc.).
The DNMS is a deeply transformative approach that offers the potential to heal a wide variety of psychological disorders that have their roots in childhood.
EMDR
EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a psychotherapeutic approach developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. It is used to help individuals process traumatic memories and alleviate symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological conditions. It asserts that symptoms of PTSD are caused by traumatic events and disturbing memories that are inadequately processed.
Symptoms are reduced or eliminated altogether when these traumatic memories are processed to resolution using dual attention bilateral stimulation. This processing results in memory reconsolidation as the brain is assisted in desensitizing the disturbances and freeing it up to link to adaptive memory networks.
EMDR has been widely researched and is recognized by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychological Association (APA) as an effective treatment for PTSD. It is also used for other conditions, including anxiety, depression, and various trauma-related disorders.
SENSORIMOTOR PSYCHOTHERAPY
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is an innovative approach developed by Pat Ogden, Ph.D., that integrates principles from cognitive, emotional, and somatic (body-oriented) therapies. It recognizes that psychological issues and trauma are stored in our thoughts, emotions, and our bodies.
Dr. Laura helps clients explore and process unresolved emotions and trauma by paying attention to bodily sensations, movements, and tension patterns. This therapy offers a holistic approach to healing that honors the interconnectedness of mind and body and empowers individuals to tap into their body’s wisdom as a resource for growth and transformation.
“I am out with lanterns looking for myself.”
~ Emily Dickinson