therapy — Blog — Miss Magnolia Says

He's Not Here Anymore: The Case for Sitting Still

You know, that frustrating endless middle stage of enlightenment and growth where you know exactly what your problems are and why you have them, but you simply cannot stop doing the problematic things and you drive yourself absolutely pistachios?

That’s where I’m at. I’m sitting right smack in the middle of island Can’t-sit-still-but-definitely-really-want-to.

My therapist asked what my self talk sounds like when I sit down on the couch and get right back up after six minutes because I can’t stop picturing the dishes in the sink and also I just remembered that if I throw in a load of laundry now, I can have it finished and folded before bedtime. She asked me what thought runs through my head that makes me get up and do and sit down and then get up and keep doing.

I told her that it isn’t a thought at all. It’s a feeling, a prickle.

An anxious current of have-tos and shoulds and how-dare-you-relax-when-I-have-been-working-all-day? And while I know the prickle is anxiety and guilt and shame handed directly to an unsuspecting child me in a package labeled “HERE!” that was shoved into my arms by my father and his father, still, up I go.

Emily RoseMarch 6, 2023moving on, healing, healing trauma, healing childhood trauma, progress, therapy, EMDR, EMDR therapy, trauma therapyComment

Writer's Block, the Tiger, and EMDR

In writing my memoir, I have at times felt re-traumatized in the paragraphs I have produced.

Many feelings have come up that make me feel as if I am back in the ring and I don't think I need to tell you that it does not feel good.

Emily RoseAugust 6, 2022writer's block, emdr, therapy, stress, trauma, healing trauma, trauma recovery, memoir writingComment

The Inspirational Quote that Pissed Me Off then Changed My Life

Sometimes the messages we need to hear don’t come in pretty packages. They are rough around the edges and direct, as if someone dropped a weighted box in your lap and said, “Here. This is for you,” and the sensation of this weight in your lap jolts you into a new kind of awareness.

How to Manage Anxiety

My Little Slice of Life, Self Reflection and Pe...August 24, 2020anxiety, anxiety tips, anxious brain, anxious mind, generalized anxiety disorder, group therapy, managing anxiety, mental health, mental wellness, panic attacks, panic disorder, therapy Comments

How to Find A Therapist You Actually Like

So you've tried a few therapists, but haven't felt like you're getting much out of therapy yet and you aren't really "clicking" with them.

Let me tell you from experience, this totally sucks. Check out these tips for ways to find a therapist you actually like to talk to!

Let's Talk about Therapy

Therapy can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. It can mean a shopping trip (retail therapy), or a trip to your cabin Up North (lake therapy), or exercise therapy to work of energy and clear your mind when your thoughts are jumbled.

I'm here to talk about therapy, therapy. The kind where people imagine the person laying on a chaise-like couch and talking to a bearded man in a sweater vest who is taking copious private notes.

To be clear, that has not been my experience, but now you know the gist.

My Little Slice of Life, Self Reflection and Pe...June 9, 2020finding a therapist, therapists, therapyComment