Does EMDR Work for Childhood Trauma?
If you’ve ever wondered whether EMDR therapy can truly help heal the long-term pain of childhood trauma, you’re in the right place. EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, has become a well-known approach for treating lingering effects from early life adversity. This includes everything from emotional wounds caused by abuse or household […]
When Should Someone Consider Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?
As an experienced therapist, I understand the profound yearning for effective solutions when navigating the complexities of mental health. This article explores Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), a modality that has shown remarkable promise for individuals seeking a deeper, more transformative healing journey. Understanding Ketamine and Its Therapeutic Potential What is Ketamine? Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, has […]
How Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Works
Acceptance and commitment therapy, these days, you’ll hear about “ACT” wherever mental health is being discussed. But what does it actually mean? At its heart, ACT is a psychological approach designed to help people stop battling uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, and instead, learn how to make space for them while moving forward with what matters […]
What Does Complex Trauma Feel Like?
Complex trauma isn’t just one bad thing that happened. It’s the result of long-term, repeated exposure to experiences that chip away at your sense of safety and self. The inner world of someone living with complex trauma can feel confusing, relentless, and hard to describe, especially when compared to “ordinary” stress or even typical PTSD. […]
What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)? A Complete Guide
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is one of the approaches I use with adults across Washington who feel overwhelmed by intense emotions, relationship patterns, or the lasting effects of trauma. At Awakenings Counseling, I help people move beyond coping on the surface and understand the deeper emotional, behavioral, and trauma-related patterns that keep showing up in […]
What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)? How to Use It Effectively
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, trauma, or difficult emotions, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help you respond differently instead of feeling controlled by them. In my practice, I work with adults throughout Brooklyn, NY, using evidence-based approaches like ACT to help them build resilience, develop psychological flexibility, and create meaningful change. Rather […]
How Effective Is Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?
Many of the people who reach out to me for therapy in Washington have already spent years trying to understand why the same patterns keep showing up in their relationships, work, or emotional health. They’ve done therapy before, gained insight, and still feel stuck. I’m Cuyler Simmons, founder of Awakenings Counseling PNW, and I specialize […]
What to Expect in Your First EMDR Session?
Starting EMDR can bring up a lot of questions, especially if past therapy only scratched the surface of what still feels stuck. I offer online EMDR therapy for adults across Washington, including Seattle, Tacoma, and surrounding communities, helping people work through the lasting effects of childhood trauma, relationship pain, addiction, and complex PTSD. My approach […]
Ketamine Therapy: What It Is, How It Works and Side Effects
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy can offer a different path when depression, trauma, anxiety, or stuck patterns have not shifted through traditional approaches. In my online Washington therapy practice at Awakenings Counseling, I work with adults exploring deeper healing, including trauma recovery and psychedelic integration. This guide shares how ketamine therapy works what to expect medically emotionally and […]
What Are Parts in IFS Therapy?
In my IFS therapy practice at Awakenings Counseling, serving adults across Washington, I see parts as inner protective systems shaped by trauma, relationships, and survival. A part of me as a therapist and self-healer is drawn to helping people make sense of old patterns that keep showing up. Internal Family Systems offers a compassionate way […]