Your past stays in the present.
That experience occurred so long ago that it shouldn’t matter now.
What’s wrong with me? I focus on today as best I can and try to live in the present moment, as they say. But that experience is there somehow, lurking in the background, hiding, following me – escape does not seem like an option.
Most of the time, I feel okay – well, at least part of the time. Other times, I feel terrible about myself, depressed and anxious, like I’m not good enough, inadequate, a burden, different, don’t fit in with things around me.
My life is good, but why can’t I get it together? Why do I have to pretend everything is okay, wear a mask like nothing is wrong? My life seems hopeless, and I can’t believe that I can ever be okay with myself.
Establishing a life’s program begins early.
The way you feel about those experiences makes perfect sense, especially when you consider your early “programming” on how to live life and be a human being.
That programming is an intricately complex process to learn, grow, and develop.
When your caregiver is broken, sad, or anxious, they mirror it for you. They organically pass on those feelings through their fumbled, hurt ways of parenting.
Some traumatic experiences, such as abuse, war, or accidents, also leave lasting marks, causing you to experience that trauma over and over. Such trauma can threaten your emotional and physical well-being and make your life miserable.
Reprocess and put the past in the past.
There’s genuine hope with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). This mode of therapy can be a fantastic process of discovery and healing.
You can learn to connect the dots and understand why you feel “that way.”
Combined with learning to live more mindfully and a genuine acceptance, your life can change.
I know it seems almost impossible, but it’s not; we can make it happen with work.
Reach out to us. Dramatic progress often takes place within the first three or four sessions.