Nested Hearts Therapy

"We are wounded experientially, and we heal experientially." (Thomas Zimmerman).

Thomas Zimmerman, an esteemed EMDR trainer who created the Four Blinks Flash technique. This is a modified and very accessible trauma treatment that can be used with the absolute most complex trauma. He is a man of generosity, he trains people for free regularly in this technique because he believes that everyone should have the tools to heal. He has just released a book about EMDR that is available on Amazon but it's also available to read online for free.

As he writes:

"We once had a front-row seat to suffering; now we have a front-row seat to deep and astonishing healing. Even EMDR therapists struggle to explain clearly what we witness when we see clients recover from horror. Often, it simply feels like magic. One of the core arguments of this book is that magic is the least helpful, compelling, or sustaining metaphor. Once we see healing clearer, we can describe it better. We can be more precise about how our nervous systems learn. We can discover new and more efficient ways to heal"

Thomas Zimmerman: EMDR With Complex Trauma

You can purchase it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DLJSQHB4

Or download the chapters here: https://emdrwithcomplextrauma.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGSGxhleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQEZs_-Ic1ZodH7E-kD4t0MEvMIN763urP-uvGCEIxxDKWsncrjBB4dsiw_aem_4P92UBB2g0PJJCeJw5nu6w

EMDR With Complex Trauma EMDR therapy is a remarkable evidence-based approach to psychotherapy. However, it is not easy to do with many clients with complex trauma. Clients with complex trauma often struggle to develop the essential resources, have difficulty tolerating distress, and may initially lack much of the adapti...

The power of Relational Integrative EMDR, I have been given permission to share this feedback from a Psychologist I have been working with online. "I've been in this dark place for over a year.. meanwhile having fortnightly psychology sessions to get through it. And in the space of 2 sessions my whole being has lightened". Often the words I hear from clients after EMDR is "it's like magic!". I do have a disclaimer the results are not always this fast for everyone, complex relational trauma does take a lot longer. However this is an example of when you have all your resources in place but talk therapy just won't shift the stuckness that trauma can leave in the body, EMDR can create that shift. I have capacity to see people for intensives in January during the school break as many of my child clients go on holidays. Available Online and In Person. If you want to book in a series of sessions with me please email [email protected] Victim Services funding accepted.

Wow, coming up to 2 years in private practice 8 people away from having 500 followers. I am really grateful to everyone's support. I am at capacity but I am still allowing some online referrals as I begin to move to offer increased support online for Parent Coaching and Adolescent and Adult Therapy Sessions offering Relational EMDR. If you could do me a massive favour to help me reach 500 followers and share and/or follow and like my page if you haven't already. While I work in person in Lismore and Kyogle in Northern NSW, Australia. I can work online with anyone who has a computer and internet connection across the world. Thank you!

🌟 Nurture Growth, Healing, Connection 🌈

Embark on a journey of self-discovery and well-being with Nested Hearts! 💖

✨ Services:

Play & Expressive Therapy 🎨
Counselling & Social Work 🤝
Trauma Specialist (EMDR) 💙
Therapeutic Groups 👥

👶 Children 🧑 Young People 👩‍🦰 Adults 👪 Families 👥 Groups

Taking bookings now for adult therapy only - Limited spaces available Mondays in Kyogle In Person or Online and Fridays in Lismore or Online.

NDIS & Victim Services Provider

📞 Contact us: 0413 629 703
📧 Email: [email protected]
🌐 Visit: www.nestedhearts.com

Nurturing growth, healing, and connection! 💗

Thinking of all those around the world impacted by natural disasters and remembering the big flood we had in our town of Lismore back in 2022! Almost 2 years later reflecting on the power of play and art in the healing process, and sharing this beautiful artwork and reflection from a good friends daughter (with permission to share). This is part of Flood Rats After the Rain exhibition at SCU Lismore (up for one more week). My friends family took to the road after their house was flooded, bought a caravan and turned lemons into lemonade as she said! Her daughter took to playing out their transition on the road in her very own toy Sylvania caravan. Thanks for sharing with us Saktika how play has helped you heal!

Generation Mindful 🧡

We all experience challenges to our mental health at some point in our lives. We all have mental health just as we have physical health. We are not just a body, we are a mind, body and spirit!

If you are feeling overwhelmed by thoughts or feelings, a therapist can help. You don't have to suffer like this.

The power of play therapy to support children impacted by family violence. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-10/support-for-young-children-affected-by-domestic-violence/104146270?fbclid=IwY2xjawF0f4VleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHXgn7JKpXQp9Gcfpcj-aF6z1aBhePRIp-VkbqiRQk6TtzkrTzF_HmpgGFg_aem_CnKUzDFP0UGp2tjTmyxdcg

Claire's son had violent meltdowns so bad she called the police. Here's what she wished she knew then Claire thought that she'd escaped domestic violence after leaving her abusive partner, but she then struggled to find help with the violent meltdowns from her trauma-affected son.

Three days of training completed in Part Two of Relational Integrative EMDR. So grateful for this opportunity to connect with such a special practice and community of beautiful humans. A deeply compassionate and transformative practice.

I'm away from my practice all week engaging in both Professional and Personal Development in the Hunter Valley..... Engaging in Part 2 training in Relational Integrative EMDR - Intergenerational Trauma, Dreaming & Spirituality. So grateful to have found this practice and the opportunity to learn from Michele and Amy at Seva Training

What a gift it is to our children to role model how we problem solve and navigate life but also to show them how human we are, expressing feelings, sometimes messy, making mistakes and solving problems, being with feelings, apologising, showing them how to do break and repair... we are human and to hide our humaness from our children wouldn't really set them up for an authentic life! What would being a "perfect" person promote in children "perfectionism?" that wouldn't be very healthy!

I'm not always perfect... will this impact my children?

By role modelling a wide range of feelings, children see that the 'messiness' of being human, and of relationships, is nothing to be afraid of.

Feelings are normal and everyone experiences them.

Feelings are our body’s way of communicating something important to us!

It is not 'wrong' to not be happy all of the time!

When we show children that we can move through our difficult emotions, it tells them this is something they can do too!

In child and adult therapy, its about allowing others to feel, be with their feelings, making friends with all feelings, knowing their feelings that is the work. No one needs fixing.

Givin the goods

It's freeing when we shift from a disorder-based model to a strength-based model in education, mental health, and parenting. That's why I use the child's social-emotional development & not simply the DSM diagnosis to make treatment suggestions & decisions.
Alt text: Photo of a child dragging a stuffed animal with overlay text saying "when we begin to see children's behaviors as protective reactions rather than judging or pathologizing them, we help give our children a strong sense of self, grounded in a respect for their bodies' reactions, which is a buffer to becoming harsh self critics"

Last weekend I attended the professional development day with EMDRAA on how to use EMDR when working with complex family violence cases. What a rich learning day, it was filled with presentations from 6 diverse presenters. It was great to see half the presenters were trained in Relational Integrative EMDR, a way of working that I am trained in that integrates an attachment-informed, Parts and somatic approach to therapy that is particularly attuned to working with relational and attachment trauma experienced in family violence. Next week I am going to the Hunter valley to participate in Part 2 of this specialised training, focusing on Intergenerational trauma, spirituality and dreaming. I look forward to sharing when I return. Learning fills my cup, and this practice has been both a professional and personal journey of discovery!

The science of play therapy! I did training in cognitive reprocessing in play therapy a few years ago with Katherine Psychology and Play Therapy Australia whose work is discussed in this article. This was before I became an EMDR therapist. The interesting thing is that still for children of a certain age, play therapy is the absolute most appropriate intervention as children have this innate drive towards healing, in play and in relationship with an attuned and present therapist they find ways to experience disconfirming experiences, where experienced trauma may have left them experiencing schemas such as "I am unlovable" "I am bad" "I am not safe" through play they find ways to play out and feel in relationship their goodness, reestablish safety through story and through their relationships. Now that I am an EMDR therapist this is often the goal of therapy to help reprocess trauma and reestablish these adaptive beliefs but for children they do it naturally through play! This is a great article to understand just how powerful play therapy is when working with traumatised children.

So much enthusiasm from the ECA (NSW) North Coast last week when I presented at their Far North Coast meeting in Lennox Head at the lovely ST Anne's Long Day Care Centre. Early childhood educators are such an important part of a child's development as they are facilitators of play, nurturing the social and emotional skills of our little humans.

🌟 We had another great evening at our recent ECA Far North Coast Meeting. We'd like to thank Sarah from Nested Hearts Therapy for coming to share with us her knowledge and experience about Play Therapy and for providing us with skills we could use in our everyday practice.

We'd also like to thank St Anne's Long Day Care Centre for hosting this meeting.

Play is the therapy, free child centered play provides the opportunity for development and emotional and social growth! Nurture this!

So good!! ❤️❤️

The power of allowing our kids to fail. Great advice Maggie Dent

For those interested in EMDR (eye movement desensitisation reprocessing) a specialist evidence based trauma and trans diagnostic mental health treatment. I now have the EMDR kit, three different bilateral options for reprocessing sessions including using the lightbar with the eyes or the hand buzzers and headphones for physical or auditory bilateral stimulation. Allowing clients to find what works for them, one, two or three at a time. Everyone is different in their preferences but have had the privilege to witness some incredible reprocessing sessions using these tools. For those adverse to these more techno options, there is always the option of more gentle and natural tools, clap sticks and drumming have also been used.

We often think trauma is about ‘𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚’. And it is.

What can sometimes be forgotten however, is that trauma is also, ‘𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚’.

We come into the world with biological expectations to grow, develop and flourish into our full potential.

Many of us grew up however, without having our needs for love, touch, affection, independence, closeness and attunement met.

Healing then becomes about ‘𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙣𝙚𝙜𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙’.

Knowing what’s been neglected can be difficult to put language around because this affects very early physiology. However the heart knows what’s been missing. Can you ask your heart, ‘𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓭𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓯𝓸𝓻?’

Can you turn this into a journaling prompt?

Or, can you drop down into the body and allow a response to arise from within?

When we know what we long for deep down, we can begin to find ways our Self can meet these basic biological attachment needs and begin to nurture what was neglected.

With love,
Monique 💞

How can we use moments of rupture and when we struggle as important opportunities for growth and reconnection .The power of rupture and repair in relationships. Thanks Robyn Gobbel - Trauma, Toxic Stress, & Baffling Behaviors