Ann Stoneson LPC-S

No is not a four letter word, even if you were raised to think it was. I love helping people lay claim to their borders, reconnect with their own wishes, and establish awesome and flexible boundaries to protect their own interests. People-pleasing, also known as codependency or anxious attachment, can wreck havoc on a life. It can also be changed. I have studied attachment and codependency for the last 19 years. https://labyrinthhealing.com/people-pleaser-codependency-therapy-austin

I have been studying attachment theory since 2005. In graduate school, I learned what anxious/preoccupied attachment was, and my practice has been designed to serve people with that attachment style. It goes by different names: people-pleasing, codependency, anxious attachment. Attachment theory, in a nutshell, is this: people heal through relationships. If we don't have supportive and stable relationships in early life, we struggle to feel worthy, loveable, and safe later on. But, early hardship does not necessarily spell disaster. People can heal throughout the lifespan from all kinds of trauma. Having a compassionate, safe companion for the grieving and sorting through can make all the difference. I have participated in my own therapy-- probably 9-10 years' worth by now. I know the power of how safe relationships transform us-- and that is what attachment theory is all about.

There's a nasty myth going around that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. IPNB shows us that this simply isn't true-- that the brain, the mind, and our relationships can and will change throughout the seasons of our lives. More importantly-- we can consciously direct that change, and there is some amazing science out now that can help support our efforts! Interpersonal neurobiology marries attachment theory and neuroscience in a wonderful way. I have been studying IPNB since 2009. I have participated in a twice monthly, two-hour consultation and listening partnership with a seasoned therapist who specializes in IPNB for the last seven years. I have trained with Bonnie Badenoch several times and will be participating in her year-long IPNB immersion program in 2019.

I have been offering EMDR in my practice since 2009 and I began researching the impact of trauma on well-being in 2003. I wrote a thesis—twice—for undergrad and grad school, looking at the impact of trauma on women and how they adapt from that hardship. High honors with both of those (yes, I’m a total nerd and I have no shame about that.) Trauma is an inescapable part of life-- but how we hold and heal it makes all the difference. Trauma is meant to be healed within community and a context of connection. Therapy can be one place where that healing happens.

Parents are some of the most overworked and underappreciated people out there. Parenting, as a role and a responsibility, has no breaks built into it. Rest must be negotiated, tasks delegated or shared. For those with sensitive nervous systems, parenting can feel like inundation--sensory and existential overwhelm without end. Therapy can help reduce the overwhelm and offer practical strategies parenting in a way you can feel proud of.

As a woman diagnosed late in life with ADHD, I understand the challenges of having a stigmatized neurotype. I also understand the impact of growing up mislabeled and misunderstood, without a point of reference for learning to live with the nervous system you've got. The impact of lifelong masking (aka, acting neurotypical in order to blend in) can be profound. Fortunately, therapy can help-- learning to live well with all your gifts and quirks, and shedding shame that isn't yours to hold.