Ready to rewire that voice in your head that says you’re shameful, never good enough, or worthless?

Let's get started!

Kate Regnier, LLMSW

with Plymouth Mental Health, located in Plymouth, MI

Are you a chronic people pleaser?

Do you have fears and phobias that keep you from living fully?

Do you live in a constant state of panic and stress, wishing you could feel calm for the first time?

Are you in a cycle of shame that feels never ending?

Are you barely sleeping, struggling with digestive issues, and can't focus?

A couple years ago, I checked every box!

Now, I utilize EMDR Therapy and Mindfulness Based practices to help change your negative thoughts, feelings and beliefs about yourself, just as I did as a client in therapy.

Let's talks more about it!

Sometimes our brains get stuck. Is there an event, memory, person or situation you find yourself inadvertently thinking about throughout the day which gives you stressful or negative emotions and reactions? Thats your brain getting stuck by that memory. You can’t move forward. You keep thinking about it and replaying it even though it's in the past where it should be.

It could be as simple as replaying an embarrassing moment where you messed up or made a mistake on a test, during a work meeting, or while playing a sport.

Or it could be more intense such as replaying something violent and extremely distressing that you witnessed or experienced.

In both of these experiences, your brain is stuck. This doesn’t just mean replaying images of the scenario in your head. It could also mean feeling emotions and physical sensations from the event.

How Trauma Works in Our Brain

Changing Our Self Talk and Core Beliefs

It's also common to attach negatives thoughts and feelings about yourself to these events. This could look like:

“I’m a failure because I couldn’t score the goal to win that game”.

“I should have known better than to get in the car drunk. I am a shameful person”.

“I’m responsible for the abuse I endured. I could have stopped it, and it’s my fault I didn’t”.

“I have to be the perfect child, spouse, parent, friend, or student, otherwise I won’t be lovable”.

Here’s the thing about these beliefs: They aren’t rational. You know they aren’t.

You aren’t a failure because you lost the game. Sure, you may have failed at making a goal, but you are not a failure.

You are not a shameful person because of a mistake.

You are not responsible or at fault for any abuse that you endured. That's on the abuser.

You are lovable regardless of what others think of you. Your lovability and worthiness is not based what others say or how they make you feel.

Logically, we know these truths. But saying these truths and feeling them are two completely different things. You can tell yourself you know its true you aren’t a failure as a person, or you weren’t responsible for your abuse. But telling yourself this doesn’t matter and will do nothing for you if you don’t actually feel it. The head and the heart often times feel differently and the goal of therapy is the match them up. This is where EMDR comes in.

EMDR Therapy stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR is different than talk therapy. With this approach, we use eye movements or sounds to create bilateral stimulation of the brain. It sounds intimidating if you don’t know what it is-but I promise you, it's not!

EMDR changes the irrational to the rational, or the illogical to the logical. How does it do it? By stimulating both sides of your brain. Your brain knows the difference between the irrational and rational. Through this stimulation, we are able to get your emotions caught up with your brain. Your brain knows you aren’t a failure as a person, but your body and emotions may not feel that way. EMDR matches your brain and emotions.

EMDR gets you unstuck. When that embarrassing or traumatic event happened, your brain laid down a pathway, but it got laid down all wonky because of the intensity of the situation. Now, every time you are exposed to reminders of that situation, the road gets laid down again, continually being reinforced. Every time you or someone else tells you that you are shameful, a bad person, a failure, not good enough, that road get paved deeper and deeper into your mind and body. Some of us have heard these negative irrational words from others since we were really little and it's going to take some time to uncover all those paved over roads that were laid down and shoved deeper and deeper in your brain every time you heard those words.

The bilateral stimulation activates your brain to uncover those deep pathways that have been laid out in your brain. As those pathways are uncovered, your brain starts to make the switch. This would like look believing with both your mind and body: I am not a failure because I make mistakes. I am lovable regardless of what my parents said about me.

Trauma & EMDR

A little bit more about me..

Nine years ago, I started having panic attacks. I didn't know what they were or what was causing them. They were so bad that I changed my scheduled and everyday routine to avoid places or people that somehow seemed to trigger the attacks. This lead me to barely leaving my home, and at this point I was having multiple panic attacks a week. I felt out of control, scared, like a burden to others, and sometimes feared I was going "crazy".

I started medication which helped tremendously, and the panic attacks went away for the next 5 years. Then they came back. Again, I had no idea why. This time, I decided to try therapy. I had no idea what EMDR Therapy was but I wanted to try it since I had heard good things. Through this, I was able to learn about my core beliefs I held about myself and why those thoughts were now manifesting into panic attacks. I was able to rewire my brain through bilateral stimulation to replace my irrational thoughts with the what was really true: I am not a burden, I can state my needs, I am safe, etc.

I don't have "big T trauma". I had a happy upbringing and childhood. I never experienced a close loved one passing, or have been in an accident or experienced abuse. But it seems, there were much smaller things that happened and stuck with me. Being called a name as a kid, yelling in my environment, being separated from my parents when I started school causing separation anxiety, etc. I had no idea these events were still impacting me as an adult, and because my brain wasn't able to deal with them properly, (since these events were "traumatic" to me) it showed up in my body as panic attacks and digestive issues.

Maybe you know exactly what has caused your mental health to decline. Maybe an event happened and you can see how you felt and who were before and after. Or maybe you have no idea what has caused your mental health struggles. Either way, I am ready to help.

Who I Work With

Clients who are curious about their thoughts and actions
Clients who are willing to question their behaviors and thoughts
Clients who are motivated to face their struggles even when it is uncomfortable
Clients who are willing to dig deep
Clients who make their treatment a top priority
Clients who live in the state of Michigan
Clients who have Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare or Aetna insurance, or who are comfortable with private pay
Clients who are comfortable with video sessions. I only offer video sessions at this time

Populations and specialties I have experiences working with utilizing EMDR:

Grief and loss
PTSD
Generational trauma
Abuse
People pleasing
Low self esteem
Shame/guilt
Attachment issues
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Panic disorder
Feeling lost
Burnout
Dependency

The following are areas I don't have as much experience or training:

Children and teens
Families
Couples and spouses
Identity Disorders
Personality Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
Addiction/substance use
Eating Disorders

Do we seem like a match?

Click below to schedule a free 15 minute consultation!

Contact me!

What Clients Say

"I have had phenomenal experience with Plymouth Mental Health. From the speedy and easy booking of appointments to the convenient payment, and finally my experience with Kate Regnier. She is the most kind, knowledgeable, understanding, and welcoming therapist. Kate has made going to therapy and working on issues not only enjoyable but also interesting. I could write paragraphs and paragraphs on just how amazing she is. She has significantly changed my life for the better. I recommended Plymouth Mental Health to one of my friends and she also had a similar experience! I highly recommend this practice to anyone who is looking to better themselves or work on any issues they may have!"- S.C. from google reviews

FAQ

Q: What is EMDR?

A:"EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference".

Q: How does EMDR work?

A."EMDR therapy is an eight-phase treatment. Eye movements (or other bilateral stimulation) are used during one part of the session. After the clinician has determined which memory to target first, he asks the client to hold different aspects of that event or thought in mind and to use his eyes to track the therapist’s hand as it moves back and forth across the client’s field of vision. As this happens, for reasons believed by a Harvard researcher to be connected with the biological mechanisms involved in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, internal associations arise and the clients begin to process the memory and disturbing feelings. In successful EMDR therapy, the meaning of painful events is transformed on an emotional level".

Q: What can EMDR help treat?

A: EMDR was first used to help military veterans with PTSD. Since then, EMDR has been proven to work with an array of issues, big or small. EMDR can work to treat symptoms of anxiety, depression, grief, self esteem and confidence issues, overthinking, past abuse, relationship issues, phobias and so much more! I personally am a client of EMDR to help with my anxiety. EMDR can help to treat any issue that follows a distressing experience or memory for the client.

Q&A

Q: Are eye movements the only way to reprocess?

A: No. EMDR originated by using eye movements, but there are actually many different ways to achieve the same affects and create bilateral stimulation. Some of these options include:

- wearing headphones and listening to an alternating beep

- tapping on your shoulders or legs

- holding tappers in each hand that vibrate alternatively

For in person sessions, I currently offer the method of moving my fingers and the client following them, or tapping on their legs or shoulders.

For virtual sessions, I offer the options of the client tapping on their shoulders or watching a dot move back and forth on their screen. (My personal favorite as a virtual client of EMDR)

Q: What are the side effecrs of EMDR?

A: "As with any form of psychotherapy, there may be a temporary increase in distress.

distressing and unresolved memories may emerge
some clients may experience reactions during a treatment session that neither they nor the administering clinician may have anticipated, including a high level of emotion or physical sensations
subsequent to the treatment session, the processing of incidents/material may continue, and other dreams, memories feelings, etc., may emerge".

Q: What can I expect in an EMDR session?

A: Each case is unique, but there is a standard eight phase approach that each clinician should follow. This includes taking a complete history, preparing the client, identifying targets and their components, actively processing the past, present and future aspects, and on-going evaluation. The processing of a target includes the use of dual stimulation (eye movements, taps, tones) while the client concentrates on various aspects. After each set of movements the client briefly describes to the clinician what s/he experienced. At the end of each session, the client should use the techniques s/he has been taught by the clinician in order to leave the session feeling in control and empowered. At the end of EMDR therapy, previously disturbing memories and present situations should no longer be problematic, and new healthy responses should be the norm

Q: Is EMDR the same as hypnosis?

A: No. You are present an in control the entire time. "...One of the proposed effects of hypnotizing a person is that they will have a decrease in their generalized reality orientation (GRO: Shor, 1979). This induced decrease in a person’s GRO is often utilized in order to promote an increase in fantasy and imagination, perhaps by capitalizing on an increase in trance logic (Orne, 1977). In contrast, in EMDR attempts are made towards repeatedly grounding the patient by referencing current feelings and body sensations to prevent the patient from drifting away from reality. Specific encouragement/inducement is made towards rejecting previously irrational/self-blaming beliefs in favor of a newly, reframed positive belief with an increase in subjective conviction about that belief. Shapiro and Forrest (1997) and Nicosia (1995) have also noted additional differences between hypnosis and EMDR."

Q: Will I relive the trauma as intensly as before?

A: Many people are conscious of only a shadow of the experience, while others feel it to a greater degree. Unlike some other therapies, EMDR therapy clients are not asked to relive the trauma intensely and for prolonged periods of time. In EMDR therapy, when there is a high level of intensity it only lasts for a few moments and then decreases rapidly. If it does not decrease rapidly on its own, the clinician has been trained in techniques to assist it to dissipate. The client has also been trained in techniques to immediately relieve the distress.

Misconceptions about EMDR

1) EMDR therapy is only superior to no treatment and/or has not been thoroughly tested.

This is inaccurate. EMDR therapy has been supported by more than twenty randomized studies and has been found superior in controlled studies to Veterans Administration (V.A.) standard care, biofeedback assisted relaxation, simple relaxation, active listening, and various forms of individual psychotherapy used at an HMO (e.g. exposure, cognitive, psychodynamic). It has also been compared to and found generally equal to cognitive behavioral therapy. While exposure therapy used 1-2 hours of daily homework, EMDR has achieved equivalent results with none (ViewEfficacy)

2) EMDR therapy is only exposure therapy.

This is inaccurate. EMDR therapy has been found to be more rapid or superior on some measures to exposure therapy in 7 of 12 randomized studies. Exposure therapy uses 1-2 hours of daily homework and EMDR uses none. In addition, the EMDR practices have little in common with exposure therapy. A process analysis of the two found significant differences (Rogers et al., 1999) and some researchers subsequent to another study stated: “In strict exposure therapy the use of many of [‘a host of EMDR-essential treatment components’] is considered contrary to theory. Previous information also found that therapists and patients prefer this procedure over the more direct exposure procedure” (Boudewyns & Hyer, 1996, p.192) For additional references and details see Is EMDR therapy an exposure therapy?

3) There are no reasons for the eye movements.

This is inaccurate. The information processing model was articulated in 1991 and has been thoroughly described in three texts. A number of neuropsychologists have also given detailed theories and descriptions of reasons for the effects of the eye movements. Numerous researchers have also articulated theories and conducted hypothesis driven research supporting the use of eye movements and other dual attention stimulation.