If you feel anxious, jumpy, on edge… You may feel nervous all the time. Your heart rate may be accelerated. You may feel sweaty and jittery. You might startle at loud noises and be very fidgety. You may have trouble sleeping and just feel like you can’t turn your mind off. You may feel like a hamster on a wheel with spiraling thoughts, usually negative, that cause you to fret and stress out. If you feel this describes you, feel free to take the following screens that might give you more information about your levels of anxiety or PTSD. GAD -7: https://www.integration.samhsa.gov/clinical-practice/GAD708.19.08Cartwright.pdf PC-PTSD: https://www.integration.samhsa.gov/clinical-practice/PC-PTSD.pdf
If you score over 11 on the GAD 7 or over 3 on the PC-PTSD, you are an excellent candidate for EMDR and therapy will be most helpful for you. EMDR helps reset the brain and in the process of preparing for reprocessing, we spend a lot of time figuring out positive coping skills and developing resources to help you exercise your ‘Calmness, Healing, Resilience’ muscle instead of the well-developed ‘Trauma Response, PTSD’ muscle. To get you started on healing, here are a couple of activities that can enhance a sense of calm for you, even before you see a therapist. Three minute breathing meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEfs5TJZ6Nk Five minute yoga for stress: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOfshreyu4w
I look forward to hearing from you and helping you further along your journey toward Healing Self. Rachael Bain-Chase, LCSW, EMDR Therapist www.healingselftherapy.com
If you are in crisis or experiencing high anxiety right now and need someone to talk to 24-7, please call 988 or visit the website at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ for chat options.