The Perinatal Mental Health Library
a collection of resources and information to help support your emotional well-being.
FEATURED POSTBirth Trauma & Your Baby’s Birthday
If you’ve faced traumatic or distressing experiences during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum, it makes sense that your baby’s birthday feels really hard…
EMDR Therapy During Pregnancy & Postpartum
Traumatic stress is a response to a frightening or life-threatening experience---real or perceived. It's not a sign of weakness, and it's also an involuntary neurobiological reaction.
You may have negative feelings about your pregnancy, your baby's birth or your own body. And having a history of trauma also increases the risk of traumatic stress and PTSD. Current research is indicating that rates of PMADs, perinatal PTSD and traumatic stress have increased during the pandemic.
In my practice, I use EMDR to help women and new moms heal from trauma before, during and after pregnancy. EMDR can be used alone or with other therapies to relieve symptoms that can cause you to feel overwhelmed, stuck or hopeless.
Trauma+Dissociation
DISSOCIATION IS SOMETHING THAT OCCURS DURING A TRAUMATIC EVENT AND IS A SYMPTOM OF TRAUMA/PTSD THAT’S VERY OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD AND UNRECOGNIZED. KNOWING THE SIGNS OF DISSOCIATION CAN HELP YOU BEGIN TO HEAL FROM YOUR TRAUMA AND HELP YOU CONNECT WITH YOURSELF, YOUR BABY AND THE PEOPLE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU.
What Is EMDR Therapy?
Many traumas can be resolved without any help. However, some traumatic experiences can interfere with our brain’s natural ability to recover. When the stress of an event continues to cause you to feel overwhelmed with flight, fight or freeze responses, or if reminders of the events create the feeling that it’s happening all over again, EMDR can help to process through and decrease the distress associated with the memory.
What Is Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD)?
UNRESOLVED TRAUMA IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON REASONS PEOPLE SEEK THERAPY, AND THE EFFECTS OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA CAN EXPLAIN WHY YOU'RE STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW.
Getting Help for Postpartum Anxiety(Perinatal Anxiety)
WHEN YOU VENTURE INTO PARENTHOOD, IT'S NATURAL TO EXPERIENCE SOME LEVEL OF ANXIETY. SO HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR ANXIETY HAS BECOME A PROBLEM?
Do You Know Your Risk Factors for PMADs?
LEARNING TO CARE FOR YOUR EMOTIONAL &PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING DURING PREGNANCY & POSTPARTUM IS EVERY BIT AS IMPORTANT AS HOW YOU CARE FOR YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH.
A note from the author:
Common themes that come up in my work are reflected in these articles, and I hope they help as you face the challenges that the family building years can bring.
~Holly

