Rindie Eagle, MA, LPCC
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Board Approved Supervisor LPCC/Master ART Practitioner/Certified HeartMath Biofeedback

From Around the Web







The impact of Accelerated Resolution Therapy can be life-saving. Beyond providing relief for various life-altering mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, OCD, grief, and PTSD, ART has demonstrated incredible efficacy in emergency situations, such as suicidal intent. It frequently serves as a final recourse for clients who have exhausted numerous other techniques in their pursuit of relief. Such was the case for Ann Haydu’s client, “Abby.”
Ann Haydu’s ARTistry: Thirty Years of Healing and Innovation
With over thirty years of experience, Ann Haydu, LCSW, has dedicated her career to working with individuals in various life stages, including children, adolescents, adults, and older people and couples. Specializing in trauma healing, she is a Master Level ART therapist. In the past, she has consulted with the creator of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), Laney Rosenzweig LMFT, traveling throughout the U.S. to provide training to both military and civilian therapists in the application of ART.

Abby’s Story: Navigating Complexity with ART
Ann encountered a particularly unique case while working with “Abby”, a thirty-seven-year-old female client diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. Over the course of more than ten years working together, Ann developed a deep understanding of Abby’s complex situation. Abby also faced a combination of intricate physical and mental disabilities, including a chromosomal abnormality. During her early years, she underwent five eye surgeries before the age of five. She spent a lot of time in the hospital during her formative years, and there were moments when her parents were concerned about her survival.
Apart from this, Abby’s mental health deteriorated

Link to Original Post - ART Blog

The impact of Accelerated Resolution Therapy can be life-saving. Beyond providing relief for various life-altering mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, OCD, grief, and PTSD, ART has demonstrated incredible efficacy in emergency situations, such as suicidal intent. It frequently serves as a final recourse for clients who have exhausted numerous other techniques in their pursuit of relief. Such was the case for Ann Haydu’s client, “Abby.”
Ann Haydu’s ARTistry: Thirty Years of Healing and Innovation
With over thirty years of experience, Ann Haydu, LCSW, has dedicated her career to working with individuals in various life stages, including children, adolescents, adults, and older people and couples. Specializing in trauma healing, she is a Master Level ART therapist. In the past, she has consulted with the creator of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), Laney Rosenzweig LMFT, traveling throughout the U.S. to provide training to both military and civilian therapists in the application of ART.

Abby’s Story: Navigating Complexity with ART
Ann encountered a particularly unique case while working with “Abby”, a thirty-seven-year-old female client diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. Over the course of more than ten years working together, Ann developed a deep understanding of Abby’s complex situation. Abby also faced a combination of intricate physical and mental disabilities, including a chromosomal abnormality. During her early years, she underwent five eye surgeries before the age of five. She spent a lot of time in the hospital during her formative years, and there were moments when her parents were concerned about her survival.
Apart from this, Abby’s mental health deteriorated

Link to Original Post - ART Blog

As we approach the holidays, you may feel several emotions: warm and happy, excited, or maybe you feel anxious and even a little bit blue. The holidays involve seeing friends and family we may not have seen all year, and for some, this can be anxiety-producing and outright triggering. If this is true for you, practicing clear boundary setting is vital before any potentially distressing event. 
  Many people need help setting boundaries, as it is a skill that is sometimes not appropriately modeled. Even if clear boundaries have not been established in the past, rest assured that it’s never too late to learn how.
Putting boundaries into place can give you back control over a situation where others seem to have all the power and the say over your comfort. Communicating what is “okay” and not “okay” is essential to protect your physical and mental energy and ensure your safety.  
Why set boundaries
Setting boundaries is like putting up signposts around your emotional and mental space. Boundaries help to recognize and respect that you have your own thoughts, memories, and experiences that shouldn’t get mixed up with someone else’s. 
  What’s more, boundaries can work like your own internal alarm. They let you know when someone’s getting too close to your emotional or mental limits. Your emotions can serve as guidance systems to let you know when boundaries are needed. If a conversation leaves you feeling drained or anxious, it could indicate a breach of your boundaries.
 Boundaries, in a way, act like security guards for your stress

Link to Original Post - ART Blog

Trauma affects everyone differently. As there is no universal or “correct” response to a situation, two people going through the same event can report wildly different experiences. So, in choosing the best trauma therapy, it’s important to examine your unique needs. There are many different options to choose from to help you discover the right approach for your healing journey.
What is trauma?
Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing event that has overwhelmed your nervous system beyond its capacity to cope. In times of trauma, your body undergoes a heightened state of alertness, preparing for either a fight-or-flight response, while your brain actively searches for indicators of potential threats. These events take various forms and occur in different settings. Trauma could stem from instances of natural disasters, combat in war zones, physical or sexual abuse, neglect, domestic violence, accidents, and witnessing or experiencing violence. Trauma’s effects can be immediate and long-lasting, affecting your physical health, mental well-being, and emotional stability.
As trauma activates your survival mind, it activates your autonomic nervous system. You may experience physical symptoms like a racing heart, sweating, trembling, difficulty breathing, and fatigue. Mentally, you might feel overwhelmed, confused, or disoriented. Emotionally, you can grapple with intense fear, anxiety, sadness, anger, or a sense of detachment.  
Long after the traumatic experience is over, your brain and body are still in states of high alert, searching for potential danger.  This long-term existence in survival mode can impact your overall health and well-being. Trauma has the capacity to modify your brain

Link to Original Post - ART Blog

Have you ever been in a situation that triggered such an intense emotional response that you felt like you were completely taken over, losing all control?  It almost felt like you were having an out-of-body experience, dissociating from yourself and your surroundings? Maybe you experience extreme rage, lashing out, and yelling, or you may feel completely numb and unable to react.
When stress triggers reactions like irritability, panic, rage, or conversely, a sense of numbness, disconnection, or freezing, you may have stepped outside your “window of tolerance.” This window is where you operate at your best and can even thrive. Mental Health Professionals believe that understanding and managing your emotions is key for overall emotional well-being and improving your mental health.
What is the Window of Tolerance?
The Window of Tolerance was developed by Dr. Dan Siegel. It refers to your emotional experience and the optimal range of emotional and physiological arousal within you that can effectively cope with stressors. In this zone, you can experience and process emotions without becoming overwhelmed or shutting down. If your arousal falls outside the window, you experience intense emotions and may enter either a Hyper-aroused state (fight or flight response) or a Hypo-aroused state (freeze or dissociation). 
What happens when you exceed your Window of Tolerance?
When the amygdala (the survival part of the brain) is activated, it will put you in a state of fight/flight(hyperarousal) or freeze (hypoarousal). Safety is your priority in this state, and emotional regulation takes a back seat as the prefrontal cortex (reasoning

Link to Original Post - ART Blog

The month of June calls to create awareness around Alzheimer’s, Brain Health, and PTSD. As we reflect on the realities of PTSD and Alzheimer’s, we cannot help but acknowledge the increasing correlation between these two topics. Fortunately, Brain Health Awareness Month highlights the importance of understanding trauma’s adverse effects on the brain. As consciousness around this issue increases, more early screening presents opportunities for prevention and healing.
What is the Connection Between PTSD and Alzheimer’s?
PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder may surface after experiencing a traumatic event in military situations, in cases of abuse, or witnessing or being involved in an accident. As we study PTSD, we learn more about how it alters the brain, wiring it for increased anxiety, depression, intrusive memories, and hyperarousal. Portions of the brain can be affected, such as the amygdala- our threat detection center, the hippocampus- the memory center, and the prefrontal cortex-involved in complex decision making.  
Further exploration of brain health and its relation to Alzheimer’s also has identified inflammation in the brain and body, often caused by stress and hypervigilance, as contributing factors. Furthermore, people with PTSD are often sympathetic dominant or in a state of chronic stress and arousal. Continual existence in this state of hyperarousal does not allow the body to enter a complete state of rest, contributing to difficulty sleeping, which is correlated with decreased memory consolidation and disrupted brain performance. Impairment in these areas is linked to reduced brain function and the declining symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
 
How could treating trauma with ART

Link to Original Post - ART Blog

 Although the concept of Mindfulness is thousands of years old, the demand for a practice that calls us back to the present moment may be even more significant today. With the advent of technology, you may notice an increased challenge to stay focused and present. While you may love the connectivity provided by social media and smartphones, you often feel your attention is fragmented. Adding constant stimuli to an ever-active, stressed brain may make you feel burned out, agitated, and emotionally reactive. 
If you are grappling with mental health challenges like anxiety, depression, OCD, CPTSD, and ADHD, it is common to experience feelings of frustration, overwhelm, and a lack of control.
To increase balance and emotional well-being in our lives, Mindfulness has gained recognition as a transformative practice in many spaces. Practicing Mindfulness boasts improved emotional regulation, stress reduction, greater focus, and more self-compassion in coping with day-to-day scenarios. 
What is Mindfulness?
  Mindfulness is the practice of non-judgemental awareness and observation of the present moment. You develop resilience and focus as you train your mind to stay in the present, observing your inner and outer experiences non-judgmentally.
How does Mindfulness help deal with mental health?

Enhanced Self-awareness: Mindfulness helps you become more aware and attuned to your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations. As you notice the arising of these occurrences, you can observe them with non-judgment.

Emotional regulation: As self-awareness improves, you develop a better relationship with your emotions. Mindfulness allows you to observe and respond to emotions with greater clarity and less impulsivity and reactivity, prompting

Link to Original Post - ART Blog

Yes, you’re suffering from trauma. As trauma is a universal part of life, you have suffered or are suffering from its impact. Therapists have referred to types of trauma as “little T” trauma or “Big T” trauma to discuss the severity of its impact. 
Trauma is an emotional response to a distressing event where we perceive ourselves as “unsafe”. During trauma, your body enters a state of arousal, fight or flight as your brain scans for signs of danger.
When we hear the word “trauma,” it is common to think of experiences in war, natural disasters, sexual abuse, neglect, or violence. However, even if you are someone who has never experienced any of these occurrences, you are still most likely affected by the effects of trauma in your life. Your day-to-day experiences, including your ability to emotionally regulate and control your stress. 
“Little t” traumas, or “microtraumas,” can often occur in even the most emotionally healthy childhoods, as you lacked a comprehensive understanding of events you were experiencing as a child. 
For example, If you were a child playing with a toy and accidentally broke it. Your parent comes in, sees the broken toy, and they become angry, scolding and yelling at you. At this age, you rely on your parent to feed, clothe and keep you safe. Your young mind may experience your parent’s intense anger to mean you are “bad” or “unlovable.” This simple experience can be indirectly perceived as a life-threatening situation. On an unconscious or preverbal level, you may think

Link to Original Post - ART Blog

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