Madison Flores

The signs of PTSD can often be misunderstood. From my experience with trauma survivors, I've learned that PTSD for one person might look like extreme isolation and anxiety around people, while to someone else it might be expressed through uncontrollable aggression or rage, while others find themselves in patterns of toxic, abusive relationships. All of these are accurate depictions of the complexities of PTSD. My clients have been able to understand themselves, leading to lasting change.

Anxiety has big effects on the way you think, feel, and interact with others. Getting to the root cause of anxiety and processing it often alleviates current symptoms of anxiety, such as over-thinking, feeling on-edge, irritability, pain in your chest and tummy. In addition to exploring and processing the past, we'll also explore ways to manage the symptoms of anxiety when they occur with tools like mindfulness, grounding, meditation, and reframing/refocusing your thoughts.

I utilize a mindfulness approach in the beginning phases of therapy to challenge my clients to live in their present moment. Mindfulness is about being open and aware to your experiences in the world around you. If we aren't mindful, life passes us by. Conversations will surround what you're learning, accomplishing, enjoying, or grateful for. Through mindfulness, you will get in touch with your thoughts and feelings learning more about yourself as you go through your day!

You'll get used to me asking questions like, "Where do you feel that in your body?" "How connected is that thought to your physical experience right now?" "What movement can you do to connect or release this?" In session, I might encourage you to take a break to stretch or walk around while we're doing an exercise or just in conversation. You'll also see me doing the same thing: talking with my hands, standing, swaying, and deep breathing!

EMDR is my first love and passion in my therapeutic approach! I have been doing EMDR for over 2 years and had the honor of working with close to 100 people specifically with EMDR. My previous clients have gone from limiting beliefs such as, "I'm trapped; I can't trust people; I'm not safe; I'm not lovable." to adaptable beliefs like, "I'm free; I can forgive and learn to trust appropriately; I'm safe with my friend or partner; I love myself."