Cultivate
love
strength
laughter
gratitude
connection
peace
joy
strength
laughter
gratitude
connection
peace
joy
Ariana K. Goswick, LMHC
I work together with individuals who are curious; curious about their patterns, curious about the possibility of relief, of healing, of strengthening, of social connectedness. Life is full of overwhelming experiences that can translate to distressing levels of sadness, anxiety, anger, regret, shame, disappointment, indecision and confusion. Together, we will explore the unique features and drivers of such challenges, and in doing so, cultivate capacity for long-lasting change.
I approach my clients from a Strengths-Based lens, and use a number of psychotherapy techniques, including psychodynamic, experiential, body-centered, humanistic, mindfulness-based-cognitive-behavioral, dialectical-behavioral, and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing).
I am keenly aware of how daunting it can be to find a new therapist. The saturation can overwhelm and leave one feeling that the right fit may be out of reach. For this reason, I offer no-cost, 15-minute phone consultations, to give you the opportunity to determine whether my style and approach best meet your needs. I have included a detailed list of the services I provide, areas of specialization, and populations I serve. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. I look forward to hearing from you!
I approach my clients from a Strengths-Based lens, and use a number of psychotherapy techniques, including psychodynamic, experiential, body-centered, humanistic, mindfulness-based-cognitive-behavioral, dialectical-behavioral, and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing).
I am keenly aware of how daunting it can be to find a new therapist. The saturation can overwhelm and leave one feeling that the right fit may be out of reach. For this reason, I offer no-cost, 15-minute phone consultations, to give you the opportunity to determine whether my style and approach best meet your needs. I have included a detailed list of the services I provide, areas of specialization, and populations I serve. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. I look forward to hearing from you!
Services Provided
Ages
Languages
- Individual Therapy & Counseling (In-Office & Remote)
- Group Therapy
- Clinical Supervision
Ages
- Teens (18+)
- Adults
- Older Adults
Languages
- English
Areas of Concern
- Abuse / Abuse Survivor Experiences
-
Adjusting to Change / Life Transitions
- Adoption / Reunion Experiences
-
Anger
-
Anxiety
- Attachment
- Body Image
- Caregiver Experiences
- Chronic Illness / Pain / Disability
- Codependency / Dependency
- Complex Trauma / Complex Post Traumatic Stress
-
Creative Blocks
- Depression
- Divorce
- Emptiness
- Family of Origin
- Family Conflict
- Fear
- Fertility
- First Responders
- Forgiveness
- Gender Dysphoria
- Gender Affirming Transitions
- Grief, Loss & Bereavement / Complicated Grief
- HIV / AIDS
- Identity Challenges
- Inadequacy
- Infidelity / Affair Recovery
- Irritability
- Isolation
- Jealousy
- LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex +) Experiences
- Life Purpose / Meaning / Inner-Guidance
- Military and Veteran Experiences
- Mood Instability
- Panic
- Perfectionism
- Phobias
- Polyamory / Non-monogamous Relationships
- Post Partum Depression
- Post Traumatic Stress / Trauma
- Prejudice / Discrimination
- Racism
- Rejection
- Relationships and Marriage
- Religious Experiences
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-Actualization
- Self-Care
- Self-Compassion
- Self-Confidence
- Self-Criticism
- Self-Doubt
- Self-Esteem
- Self-Love
- Sensitivity to Criticism
- Sexual Assault
- Shame
- Social Anxiety / Agoraphobia
- Spirituality
- Stress
- Terminal Illness
- Trauma/Complex Trauma
- Trichotillomania (hair-pulling)
- Trust Complications
- Values Clarification
- Women's Experiences
- Workplace Challenges
- Worry
- Worthlessness
- Young Adult Experiences
Types of Therapy
- Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) Therapy
-
Body-Centered Therapy
-
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
-
Collaborative Therapy
-
Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
-
Emotionally-Focused Therapy
-
Experiential
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
-
Motivational Interviewing
-
Narrative Therapy
-
Person-Centered Therapy / Rogerian Therapy
-
Positive Psychotherapy
-
Psychodynamic Therapy
-
Relational Psychotherapy
- Schema Therapy
- Trauma-Informed Therapy
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an interactive, evidenced-based psychotherapy technique, originally developed in 1989 by Francine Shapiro, to treat distress associated with traumatic experiences. Since then, the scope of use has broadened beyond severe trauma, to include a wide variety of overwhelming life experiences. While there are many therapeutic approaches that compare to the effectiveness of EMDR, research has shown that EMDR therapy can exhibit improvement in symptoms in less sessions than other treatment modalities.
Who can benefit from EMDR?
EMDR has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of PTSD. However, experiencing severe trauma (i.e, active combat in war or childhood physical abuse) is not a prerequisite to benefit from EMDR. Painful or overwhelming experiences, such as being teased in elementary school, experiencing the death of a pet, or severe anxiety with public speaking, can also be addressed through this treatment modality.
How does EMDR work?
Using an 8-Phase protocol, EMDR integrates elements of many effective psychotherapies including psychodynamic, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral (MBCBT), interpersonal, experiential, and body-centered. It is the bilateral stimulation (BLS) core component of EMDR, however, that distinguishes it from any other method.
BLS is visual, tactile or auditory stimuli occurring in a rhythmic pattern from the left hemisphere of the brain to the right. For example, visual BLS could involve watching a hand (as demonstrated here) or a moving light alternating from left to right and back again. Tactile BLS could involve experiencing alternating taps on each hand. Auditory BLS could involve hearing alternating tones.
BLS was discovered accidentally by Francine Shapiro, Phd, as she was walking in a park in the late 1980’s. While walking, Shapiro noticed that some distressing feelings about a particular situation suddenly subsided. When she reflected back on what happened, she remembered that she had experienced some spontaneous saccadic eye movements (rapid blinking). This led her to experiment further and discover that when a person deliberately focuses on a distressing memory, and then concentrates on bilateral stimulation, their distress is reduced both in the short and long-term.
Who can benefit from EMDR?
EMDR has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of PTSD. However, experiencing severe trauma (i.e, active combat in war or childhood physical abuse) is not a prerequisite to benefit from EMDR. Painful or overwhelming experiences, such as being teased in elementary school, experiencing the death of a pet, or severe anxiety with public speaking, can also be addressed through this treatment modality.
How does EMDR work?
Using an 8-Phase protocol, EMDR integrates elements of many effective psychotherapies including psychodynamic, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral (MBCBT), interpersonal, experiential, and body-centered. It is the bilateral stimulation (BLS) core component of EMDR, however, that distinguishes it from any other method.
BLS is visual, tactile or auditory stimuli occurring in a rhythmic pattern from the left hemisphere of the brain to the right. For example, visual BLS could involve watching a hand (as demonstrated here) or a moving light alternating from left to right and back again. Tactile BLS could involve experiencing alternating taps on each hand. Auditory BLS could involve hearing alternating tones.
BLS was discovered accidentally by Francine Shapiro, Phd, as she was walking in a park in the late 1980’s. While walking, Shapiro noticed that some distressing feelings about a particular situation suddenly subsided. When she reflected back on what happened, she remembered that she had experienced some spontaneous saccadic eye movements (rapid blinking). This led her to experiment further and discover that when a person deliberately focuses on a distressing memory, and then concentrates on bilateral stimulation, their distress is reduced both in the short and long-term.
What does bilateral stimulation (BLS) do?
While there is still a lot to learn about BLS, it can be said that it produces four main effects:
These effects are first experienced in the lower areas of the brain as a physiological response (i.e, decreased heart rate, tension), progressing ‘up’ the brain leading to changes in thoughts (e.g, shift from previously held self-blame to “It’s not my fault”).
While there is still a lot to learn about BLS, it can be said that it produces four main effects:
- Relaxation including decreased physiological disturbance.
- Thoughts become less focused on what had been causing the distress.
- The problem seems further away and less intense.
- Decreased worry
These effects are first experienced in the lower areas of the brain as a physiological response (i.e, decreased heart rate, tension), progressing ‘up’ the brain leading to changes in thoughts (e.g, shift from previously held self-blame to “It’s not my fault”).
What BLS & EMDR is not:
EMDR and the use of BLS is not a form of hypnosis. EMDR requires a client to be awake and fully present in the room. When processing distressing memories using BLS, clients recall challenging memories as if they are watching a movie or looking out of the window of a moving train. EMDR therapy does not erase the memory or event. Rather, it desensitizes the emotional impact the memory has on our emotional well-being, and reprocesses it so when we recall the memory, it can be viewed as merely an event that occurred in our lives without the accompaniment of emotional and physiological disturbance.
EMDR and the use of BLS is not a form of hypnosis. EMDR requires a client to be awake and fully present in the room. When processing distressing memories using BLS, clients recall challenging memories as if they are watching a movie or looking out of the window of a moving train. EMDR therapy does not erase the memory or event. Rather, it desensitizes the emotional impact the memory has on our emotional well-being, and reprocesses it so when we recall the memory, it can be viewed as merely an event that occurred in our lives without the accompaniment of emotional and physiological disturbance.
Is BLS safe?
For most people, BLS is relaxing and perfectly safe. However, because it involves direct sensory stimulation of the nervous system, bilateral stimulation can trigger unexpected responses in people with conditions which involve hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli, e.g, people with acquired brain injury (where the condition involves sensitivity to complex visual or auditory stimuli), migraine sufferers (usually when they have the migraine), people with Dissociative Identity Disorder (where different ego states may be activated by sensory changes). People with these kinds of conditions should only engage in BLS with the guidance of a trained EMDR therapist.
For most people, BLS is relaxing and perfectly safe. However, because it involves direct sensory stimulation of the nervous system, bilateral stimulation can trigger unexpected responses in people with conditions which involve hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli, e.g, people with acquired brain injury (where the condition involves sensitivity to complex visual or auditory stimuli), migraine sufferers (usually when they have the migraine), people with Dissociative Identity Disorder (where different ego states may be activated by sensory changes). People with these kinds of conditions should only engage in BLS with the guidance of a trained EMDR therapist.
More information:
For more information on the history, use, and evaluation of EMDR, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions Section of the EMDR Institute™ website:
www.emdr.com/frequent-questions
For more information on the history, use, and evaluation of EMDR, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions Section of the EMDR Institute™ website:
www.emdr.com/frequent-questions
References:
1. Shapiro, F., (1995). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols and Procedures (1st edition). New York: Guilford Press.
2. Shapiro, F., (2001). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols and Procedures (2nd edition). New York: Guilford Press.
3. Shapiro, F., (2002). Paradigms, Processing, and Personality Development. In F. Shapiro [Ed.]. EMDR as an Integrative Psychotherapy Approach; Experts of Diverse Orientations Explore the Paradigm Prism. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association Books.
4. Shapiro, F. & Maxfield, L. (2002). EMDR: Information processing in the treatment of trauma. In Session: Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58, 933-946. Special Issue: Treatment of PTSD.
5. Stickgold, R. (2002). EMDR: A putative neurobiological mechanism of action. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58, 61-7
1. Shapiro, F., (1995). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols and Procedures (1st edition). New York: Guilford Press.
2. Shapiro, F., (2001). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: Basic Principles, Protocols and Procedures (2nd edition). New York: Guilford Press.
3. Shapiro, F., (2002). Paradigms, Processing, and Personality Development. In F. Shapiro [Ed.]. EMDR as an Integrative Psychotherapy Approach; Experts of Diverse Orientations Explore the Paradigm Prism. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association Books.
4. Shapiro, F. & Maxfield, L. (2002). EMDR: Information processing in the treatment of trauma. In Session: Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58, 933-946. Special Issue: Treatment of PTSD.
5. Stickgold, R. (2002). EMDR: A putative neurobiological mechanism of action. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58, 61-7
6. van der Kolk, B.A. (2002). Beyond the talking cure: Somatic experience and subcortical imprints in the treatment of trauma. In F. Shapiro (Ed.), EMDR as an integrative treatment approach: Experts of diverse orientations explore the paradigm prism, Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association Books.
7. Siegel, D. (2002). The Developing Mind and the Resolution of Trauma: Some Ideas About Information Processing and an Interpersonal Neurobiology of Psychotherapy. In F. Shapiro (Ed.), EMDR as an integrative treatment approach: Experts of diverse orientations explore the paradigm prism, Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association Books.
8. MacCulloch, M.J., & Feldman, P. (1996). Eye movement desensitization treatment utilizes the positive visceral element of the investigatory reflex to inhibit the memories of post-traumatic stress disorder: A theoretical analysis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 169, 571-579.
7. Siegel, D. (2002). The Developing Mind and the Resolution of Trauma: Some Ideas About Information Processing and an Interpersonal Neurobiology of Psychotherapy. In F. Shapiro (Ed.), EMDR as an integrative treatment approach: Experts of diverse orientations explore the paradigm prism, Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association Books.
8. MacCulloch, M.J., & Feldman, P. (1996). Eye movement desensitization treatment utilizes the positive visceral element of the investigatory reflex to inhibit the memories of post-traumatic stress disorder: A theoretical analysis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 169, 571-579.
Group Therapy
THE THICK OF LOSS
Grief is a universal human experience, yet it is often coupled with feelings of loneliness and isolation. Using the peer support model, this group provides a welcoming environment for managing the painful feelings that accompany loss. Participants learn new ways to build on their natural resilience to cultivate healing, strengthening, growth, and social connectedness.
The Thick of Loss is an 8-week, closed group. Please email or call for registration information.
Grief is a universal human experience, yet it is often coupled with feelings of loneliness and isolation. Using the peer support model, this group provides a welcoming environment for managing the painful feelings that accompany loss. Participants learn new ways to build on their natural resilience to cultivate healing, strengthening, growth, and social connectedness.
The Thick of Loss is an 8-week, closed group. Please email or call for registration information.