*These directories are secular, however many include filters for religion. For the ones that don’t, an internet search for “Christian (technique) practitioner” can lead you to the private websites of Christian practitioners.
**Many practitioners offer a free 15-30 min consult to chat with them first before booking or paying for a full session. This is a great opportunity to meet them and see if you connect with them and their style before trusting them with your mental health.
***In the US, therapists must be licensed in your state for you to be eligible to work with them (this includes EMDR). Trauma coaching has no restrictions on location, meaning you can work with anyone, regardless of location (this includes SE, EFT and TRE).
Therapy is a great place to begin exploring your mental health. You’ll have someone listen to you unconditionally (no interruptions or judgements), and help you uncover what may be going on under the surface with your mental health.
Regular Therapy can help you learn about and work through issues that your family and community may not have been perfect with. These issues include: attachments (how we relate and bond to others), boundaries (how we protect ourselves even when it disappoints others), behavioral patterns (why we do the things we do), and more.
Trauma-Informed Therapy is regular therapy with someone who has additional training in trauma. This means they understand how trauma affects your brain and body. They can also help you understand if you have trauma and what that means for your life.
You can learn more about the differences between these types of therapies here.
If you’re wanting to heal trauma, you’ll need to find someone trained in a trauma healing technique (like EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, EFT or TRE). Currently in the US, EMDR is the only technique that therapists can use with insurance. Directories for all of these techniques are listed below.
This directory is with Psychology Today, one the main national directories in the US. If you’re outside the US, a simple internet search can lead you to local directories in your area.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a technique that releases the symptoms and emotional distresses you might be carrying from experiences in life that might have been negative (often referred to as trauma).
EMDR uses eye movements (known as bilateral stimulation) to release the negative emotions and internal associations with the negative memories, such as those of abuse. It’s an incredible way to release the pain from the memories and transform them on an emotional level, leaving you empowered in your life.
EMDR is the only trauma healing technique currently accepted by insurance in the US.
This directory is with EMDR International Association (EMDRIA), the main global directory for Certified EMDR Therapists.
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a holistic way to resolve the symptoms of trauma and relieve chronic stress. It works by releasing the traumatic shock brought on by physical and emotional abuses, including early developmental traumas (traumas from early childhood).
It was developed and fine-tuned by Dr. Peter Levine, one of the leading psychologists and trauma experts; and was the original trauma healing technique available in the therapy industry.
This directory is through Somatic Experiencing International, the global directory of Certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioners.
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT, Tapping) is a holistic technique that fuses psychology with acupressure to heal emotional pain and trauma. It guides you to the core trauma, limiting beliefs and emotions causing your mental health issues, disorders and dysfunctions; and releases them. This frees you from the pain causing these issues, often times reducing their severity, or healing them entirely (if trauma was the only root cause).
EFT can be used for a wide range of mental health issues including trauma and PTSD.
This directory is through EFT International, the main global directory of Certified EFT Practitioners.
Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercise (TRE) is a simple series of exercises that help your body release deep muscular patterns of stress, tension and trauma. It safely activates a natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating your muscles that releases muscular tension, which calms down your nervous system. When this muscular shaking or vibrating mechanism is activated in a safe and controlled environment, your body has the ability to shift back into the state of rest and digest.
The accumulation of stress, trauma and lack of tension release creates a dysregulated nervous system. This can foster conflict, hostility and aggression among us humans.
This directory is through TRE for all, Inc., the global directory for Certified TRE Practitioners.
You deserve to be ok. Having suicidal thoughts, feeling out of control, feeling helpless or hopeless, and/or being completely alone in that is terrifying. Please use these resources as many times as you need. Getting help of any kind brings someone else into your mental health so you’re not alone in it, and brings you the professional support to help you safely through it.
As always, pray. Pray for Jesus to bring you the right person at the right time, and the right help that you need in this moment. He’s there, even if you can’t hear or feel Him. Stay talking to Him while you reach out for help. You’re not alone in this.
If someone you love is struggling and you don’t know how to help them, please guide them here gently. Offer to help them find the right resources for them, honoring that they may need to go slower than you think or not have you help them. Please don’t force anything on anyone. Don’t get in over your head trying to help anything you don’t have the specific knowledge of how to help with.
Beautiful ways you can show up now:
As always, pray. Pray for Jesus to give you the right words at the right time, along with guidance on when to give them space. Pray for God to guide you to the right resources to help them, and for Him to carry them through and out of this mental health crisis. He is the Savior of the world, the Almighty King and the only One who can save them. Just keep pointing your eyes, ears and heart to Him.
