Rewriting Your Age Story: How Positive Aging Mindsets Transform Your Brain, Body, and Confidence

Discover how self-directed ageism harms confidence, mental health, and the nervous system, and learn how positive aging mindsets improve brain health, emotional resilience, and overall well-being. Explore neuroscience-backed strategies to challenge the belief “I am too old” and reclaim a more empowered, joyful relationship with aging.

Have you ever said to yourself, “I am too old for that,” or “It is too late for me”? Do you find yourself shrinking from opportunities because you doubt your abilities or believe the window has passed? Do you ever catch yourself comparing your timeline to someone younger and thinking you missed your chance?

These thoughts are common, but they are also a form of self-directed ageism. And they can quietly shape the way you move through your life, your relationships, your creative expression, and even your physical and emotional well-being.

Today, researchers are discovering something profound. The beliefs you hold about your own aging not only impact your confidence but also influence the health of your brain, your nervous system, and even your lifespan.

This article explores the neuroscience behind age-related self-talk, how society conditions us to internalize ageism from childhood, and what you can do to loosen the grip of the belief “I am too old” and step into a more empowered, embodied relationship with your future.

Why “I Am Too Old” Is Seldom About Age

Self-directed ageism rarely stems from a person’s actual ability. More often, it begins with internalized messages absorbed from childhood.

We grow up hearing:
“You are too old for that.”
“Women should dress their age.”
“Men slow down after fifty.”
“Creative careers are for the young.”
“Dating is harder when you are older.”
“Success must happen early.”

By the time you reach adulthood, you may unconsciously believe that expanding, growing, or reinventing yourself after a certain age is irresponsible, unrealistic, or embarrassing.

But what if the limitation is not age at all?
What if it is a story, inherited rather than chosen?

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we often see clients dismiss dreams and desires with phrases like:
“I am too old to change careers.”
“I am too old to start dating again.”
“I am too old to learn something new.”
“I am too old to heal from trauma.”

Behind the words is usually fear. Fear of vulnerability, judgment, failure, or beginning again. The nervous system interprets risk the same way it interprets danger, and age becomes a convenient shield.

When we say “I am too old,” what we often mean is “I am afraid it will not work” or “I am afraid I will not be enough.”

The Neuroscience Behind Age Mindsets

The brain is a prediction machine. It uses past experiences and learned beliefs to anticipate what is possible for you in the future.

Research shows that negative beliefs about aging can impact:

     — Hippocampal health
    — Memory and learning
    — Stress hormone levels
    — Cardiovascular health
    — Overall longevity

In fact, a Yale study found that people with positive beliefs about aging lived an average of 7.5 years longer than those with negative beliefs (Levy et al., 2002).

Why would mindset affect the body so strongly?

Because your nervous system responds to your beliefs. When you think aging is decline, your stress response increases. Cortisol rises. Your body subtly prepares for limitation. This creates less motivation, more avoidance, and increased tension in the body.

Positive beliefs do the opposite. They expand your window of tolerance. They support neuroplasticity. They widen your capacity to learn, adapt, regulate, and connect.

In other words: Your experience of aging begins in your nervous system long before it shows up in your body.

How Self-Directed Ageism Shows Up in Daily Life

Self-directed ageism looks like small, quiet moments of self-restriction:

     — Feeling embarrassed to take a class filled with younger people
    — Avoiding new hobbies because you might be “behind”
    — Staying in relationships that do not nourish you because “dating at my age is too hard”
    — Hesitating to start a business or creative project because “younger people do it better”
    — Believing that healing trauma is a young person’s process
    — Holding back your voice, beauty, sexuality, or dreams because you fear judgment

Over time, these thoughts can create emotional and somatic consequences:

     — Numbness or disconnection
    — Shame and withdrawal
    — Depression
    — Loss of motivation
    — Reduced neuroplasticity
    — Increased stress reactivity
    — Feeling stuck

This form of internalized oppression affects not only your confidence but also your physiology. Shame and fear activate the sympathetic nervous system, which reduces cognitive flexibility and creativity.

Your body contracts around the belief that growth and joy are behind you.

Reframing Aging as Expansion Instead of Decline

The truth is that many people experience their most meaningful relationships, careers, and transformations later in life. Neuroscience now confirms that the brain continues to grow and change well into older adulthood.

Your body still has the capacity to:

      — Form new neural pathways
      — Heal attachment wounds
      — Strengthen emotional regulation
      — Build intimacy
      — Deepen creativity
      — Learn new skills
      — Experience joy, love, and purpose

Age is not the barrier.
The barrier is the narrative.

Somatic Strategies to Heal Self-Directed Ageism

Somatic therapy helps you reconnect with your inner experience and challenge old beliefs at the level of the body, not just the mind.

Here are science-informed practices that support this reconnection:

1. Notice where “I am too old” lives in your body

When the thought arises, where do you tighten?
Your chest?
Your throat?
Your belly?

Your body reveals the emotional roots of the belief.

2. Practice slow, grounding breath

Breathing slowly through the nose with a long exhale signals safety to the nervous system and reduces shame-based contraction.

3. Track the impulse beneath the fear

Often, beneath “I am too old” is an authentic desire.
Let yourself feel the longing without judgment.

4. Use gentle movement to expand your window of tolerance

Stretching, walking, yoga, dance, or somatic shaking can restore vitality and reduce the freeze response that often accompanies self-limitation.

5. Challenge the story with evidence from your own life

When have you grown unexpectedly?
When have you surprised yourself?
When has age brought wisdom, clarity, or strength?

Your lived experience is often more accurate than the story your mind inherited.

How Trauma Informs Age Beliefs

Trauma creates self-protective patterns that sound like:
“I should stay small.”
“I should avoid risks.”
“It is safer not to try.”
“Starting over is too dangerous.”

These patterns become fused with age beliefs. Trauma makes us forget that we can begin again at any time.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we help clients untangle trauma responses from identity. Through nervous system repair, somatic processing, attachment work, and trauma-informed coaching, we guide people back to the truth:

You are not too old.
You are becoming.

Shifting Toward a More Empowered Aging Mindset

Here are reframes that support your nervous system and sense of self:

     — “My age gives me strength, clarity, and depth.”
     — “It is not too late for anything that is meant for me.”
    — “My body is capable of learning and evolving.”
    — “I can grow at any age.”
     — “My timeline is my own.”
    — “I do not have to compare myself to anyone younger.”
    — “I honor the woman I am becoming.”

These statements are not empty affirmations. They reshape neural pathways and influence how your nervous system anticipates the future.

Recognizing Your Truth

Self-directed ageism is a learned response, not a truth.
Your age is not a limitation.  It is a resource.

With somatic tools, compassionate awareness, and a new aging narrative, you can reconnect with your desires, confidence, and sense of possibility. You can choose a story that energizes and expands you.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we support individuals in healing trauma, regulating the nervous system, and reclaiming a whole, vibrant relationship with themselves at every stage of life.

Your next chapter is not behind you.
It is here, waiting for you to say yes.

Reach out to schedule a complimentary 20-minute consultation with our team of therapists, trauma specialists,  somatic practitioners, or relationship experts and start working towards integrative, embodied healing today. 

📞 Call us at (310) 651-8458

📱 Text us at (310) 210-7934

📩 Email us at admin@embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

🔗 Visit us at www.embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

👉 Check us out on Instagram @embodied_wellness_and_recovery

🌍 Explore our offerings at Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/laurendummit

References 

1) Cuddy, A. J. C., Norton, M. I., & Fiske, S. T. (2005). This old stereotype: The pervasiveness and persistence of the elderly stereotype. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 267 to 285.

2) Levy, B. R., Slade, M. D., Kunkel, S. R., & Kasl, S. V. (2002). Longevity increased by positive self-perceptions of aging. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(2), 261 to 270.

3) Stewart, T. L., Chipperfield, J. G., Perry, R. P., & Weiner, B. (2012). Attributing illness to aging: Consequences of a self-directed stereotype for health and longevity. Psychology and Health, 27(8), 1021 to 1037.

Healing Self Alienation: How Trauma Disconnects You from Your True Self and Somatic Strategies for Reconnection

Discover the neuroscience behind self-alienation, how trauma disconnects you from your authentic self, and somatic approaches to heal emotional numbness, dissociation, and inner disconnection. Learn expert strategies from Embodied Wellness and Recovery to rebuild identity, purpose, and presence.

When You Lose Connection with Who You Are

Have you ever felt like you are watching your life from the outside instead of living it from within? Do you feel disconnected from your needs, desires, emotions, or sense of purpose? Have you caught yourself thinking, “I don’t even know who I am anymore”?

These are not signs of failure or inadequacy. They are symptoms of self-alienation, a deep and painful internal disconnection that often emerges in the aftermath of chronic stress, trauma, or years of survival mode.

In trauma recovery, this stage is often referred to as “the second suffering”. It is the moment you realize that you have been living far away from your genuine self.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we see this stage not as a setback but as a profound turning point. This is where real healing begins. This is where the nervous system finally has enough safety to show you what has been buried beneath defense, numbness, or perfectionism.

This is the stage where you stop living from the outside in and begin reclaiming your life from the inside out.

What Is Self Alienation?

Self-alienation is the internal disconnect that occurs when overwhelming experiences force you to separate from your own emotions, needs, or identity to survive.

It may look like:

     — Feeling emotionally numb or blank
    — Struggling to make decisions because you do not know what you want
    — Feeling detached from your body
    — Shape shifting to meet the expectations of others
    — Overachieving while feeling empty inside
    — Living in chronic fight, flight, or freeze
    — Losing connection to meaning or purpose
    — Feeling like a stranger to yourself

Instead of experiencing life through your authentic self, you begin functioning through a protective self, a version of you shaped by fear, shame, or the need to stay safe.

The Neuroscience Behind Losing Connection with the Self

Self-alienation begins in the nervous system. When the body experiences overwhelming stress, the brain shifts into survival mode.

1. Chronic stress suppresses the prefrontal cortex

This area of the brain is responsible for self-awareness, emotional insight, and conscious choice-making. When it goes offline, you lose clarity and connection to your values and desires.

2. The amygdala amplifies threat signals

Your brain becomes focused on danger rather than authenticity, exploration, or creativity.

3. Dissociation becomes a survival response

When fight-or-flight is not enough, your system may disconnect from sensations, emotions, or identity to protect you.

4. Polyvagal Theory explains how the body numbs out

A chronically activated sympathetic system (fight or flight) or dorsal vagal shutdown (freeze) keeps you far away from your true self.

You cannot feel authentic when your body is in survival mode.
Reconnection begins when the nervous system returns to a state of safety.

Why Trauma Causes You to Lose Your Sense of Self

Trauma is not only what happened to you. Trauma is also what happened inside you as a result.

Many people lose access to their true selves because:

     — They learned to please others to stay safe
    — Their emotions were dismissed or punished
    — They grew up in chaos or unpredictability
     — They internalized shame as identity
    — They were taught their needs were too much
    — They had to be the strong ones and suppress vulnerability
    — They adapted to survive emotionally, psychologically, or physically

These strategies may have been essential at the time. But later in life, they create a sense of emptiness, confusion, or helplessness.

Self-alienation is a brilliant survival adaptation.
But healing requires learning how to reconnect with what once had to be hidden.

Signs You Are Disconnected From Your True Self

You may be experiencing self-alienation if you relate to any of the following:

     — You can care for everyone else but struggle to care for yourself
    — You feel disconnected from your intuition
    — You have difficulty identifying your feelings
    — You rely heavily on external validation
    — You struggle to feel joy, excitement, or hope
     — You lose your sense of identity in relationships
    — You feel chronically tired, numb, or overwhelmed
     — Making decisions feels paralyzing
    — You feel a quiet grief that you cannot fully explain

These symptoms are not personality flaws. They are indications that your nervous system has been protecting you for a long time.

Somatic Approaches to Healing the Disconnected Self

Reconnection does not happen through intellect alone.
It happens through the body, where trauma is stored and processed.

Below are somatic strategies used at Embodied Wellness and Recovery to help clients reconnect with their authentic selves.

1. Embodied Awareness: Learning to Feel Yourself Again

Healing begins with sensation.
Gentle practices help you notice:

     — Warmth
    — Tension
    — Breath
    — Heaviness
     — Constriction
    — Openness

This teaches your nervous system that it is safe to inhabit your body again.

Even two minutes of slow, intentional presence per day begins to rebuild inner connection.

2. Pendulation and Titration

Borrowed from Somatic Experiencing, these techniques help you approach uncomfortable sensations slowly and safely, never overwhelming your system. You build capacity to feel without shutting down.

3. EMDR for identity reconstruction

EMDR helps:

     — Integrate fragmented experiences
    — Release shame
    — Build internal coherence
    — Restore access to the Self as a stable internal anchor

Many clients discover parts of themselves they never knew were missing.

4. Polyvagal Informed Practices

These include:

     — Grounding
    — Breath pacing
    — Orienting to the environment
    — Co-regulation through therapeutic attunement

These rebuild a sense of internal safety, which is the foundation for authentic identity.

5. Inner Child and Parts Work for Self Integration

IFS-informed approaches help clients connect with the younger parts of themselves who learned to hide, disconnect, or carry shame. Meeting these parts with compassion restores wholeness.

6. Somatic Boundary Work

When you learn to feel and express boundaries:

     — Identity strengthens
    — Authenticity increases
    — The nervous system feels safer
    — Relationships become more aligned

Boundaries are one of the clearest paths back to the true self.

Reconnecting with Purpose and Meaning

Self-discovery is not only emotional. It is existential.
Clients often begin asking:

    — What matters most to me?
    — What do I actually want?
    — What values do I want to live by?
    — What relationships feel nourishing?
   — What lifestyle feels aligned with who I really am?

These questions naturally emerge as the nervous system shifts from survival to expansion.

From this place, clarity becomes possible.

Why This Work Cannot Be Done Alone

Self-alienation often forms in the context of unsafe relationships.
Reconnection happens in the context of safe, attuned, co-regulating relationships, either with a therapist, coach, partner, or trusted person.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we help clients rebuild:

     — Internal safety
    — Nervous system resilience
    — Emotional coherence
    — A felt sense of self
    — The capacity to trust their truth

This is the foundation of long-term healing.

Coming Home to Yourself

Self-alienation feels painful because it pulls you away from the life you were meant to live. But the moment you recognize that disconnection, the path toward reconnection begins.

Through somatic practices, trauma-informed therapy, and compassionate relational support, it is not only possible to reclaim your genuine self but to feel safer, stronger, and more alive than ever.

Embodied Wellness and Recovery is here to help you rebuild that connection from the inside out.

Reach out to schedule a complimentary 20-minute consultation with our team of therapists, trauma specialists,  somatic practitioners, or relationship experts and start working towards integrative, embodied healing today. 

📞 Call us at (310) 651-8458

📱 Text us at (310) 210-7934

📩 Email us at admin@embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

🔗 Visit us at www.embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

👉 Check us out on Instagram @embodied_wellness_and_recovery

🌍 Explore our offerings at Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/laurendummit

References 

1) Badenoch, B. (2018). The heart of trauma: Healing the embodied brain in the context of relationships. W. W. Norton.

2) Levine, P. A. (2010). In an unspoken voice: How the body releases trauma and restores goodness. North Atlantic Books.

3) Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton

World Kindness Day: The Neuroscience of Compassion and 20 Simple Ways to Make the World Feel a Little Lighter

Discover the history, science, and significance of World Kindness Day, and learn 20 simple ways to nurture compassion, connection, and emotional well-being today.

Remembering the Power of Human Kindness

In a world where divisiveness often dominates the headlines and stress feels like a constant companion, have we forgotten the power of kindness? How often do we pause long enough to notice someone’s smile, lend a hand, or offer a moment of genuine empathy?

World Kindness Day, celebrated annually on November 13, serves as a global reminder of something profoundly simple yet biologically transformative: kindness changes the brain. It strengthens our sense of belonging, repairs our nervous systems, and connects us to others in deeply healing ways.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we see daily how compassion toward oneself and others acts as a bridge between emotional pain and connection, between isolation and healing. Kindness is not just a virtue. It’s a form of neural nourishment.

The History and Significance of World Kindness Day

World Kindness Day was initiated in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, a coalition of nations and organizations dedicated to promoting goodwill across cultures and communities. Its message is simple: kindness has no borders.

Since its founding, the observance has expanded to over 30 countries, encouraging acts of compassion in schools, workplaces, and communities. But beyond a feel-good holiday, its purpose runs deeper; it’s about remembering our shared humanity and how small, intentional actions can transform emotional climates.

The Science of Kindness: How Compassion Rewires the Brain

Modern neuroscience now confirms what spiritual traditions have taught for centuries: kindness isn’t just good for the soul; it’s medicine for the brain and body.

When we give or receive kindness, our brains release a cascade of neurochemicals, dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin that promote feelings of trust, safety, and well-being (Post, 2005). These are the same neurochemicals that help calm the amygdala, the brain’s fear center, and activate the ventral vagal system, responsible for social engagement and emotional regulation (Porges, 2011).

In other words, kindness helps our nervous systems shift from a state of fight-or-flight to one of connection.

Research also indicates that regular acts of kindness stimulate the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for empathy, moral reasoning, and emotional self-regulation (Layous et al., 2012). Over time, this strengthens our ability to experience compassion even in the face of stress, a practice known as neural resilience.

Kindness as Emotional Regulation and Trauma Repair

For individuals healing from trauma, anxiety, or depression, practicing kindness can be a subtle yet powerful way to repair the nervous system. Trauma often leaves the body in states of hyperarousal (anxiety, vigilance, reactivity) or shutdown (numbness, isolation).

Acts of kindness, whether giving or receiving, help reintroduce safety cues to the body. Something as simple as making eye contact, offering a hug, or writing a note of gratitude can activate the vagus nerve, which in turn lowers heart rate and promotes relaxation.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we integrate this understanding into our trauma-informed, somatic, and relationship-focused therapy. We teach that kindness is not weakness; it is an embodied practice that rewires the brain, restores safety, and deepens connection with others.

How to Celebrate World Kindness Day

Kindness doesn’t require money, perfection, or grandeur. It simply requires intention. This World Kindness Day, consider how your actions, no matter how small, might create ripples of connection and warmth in someone else’s life.

Here are 20 simple acts of kindness to inspire you today:

Everyday Acts of Kindness

1) Offer a genuine compliment to someone who appears to need it.

2) Hold the door open and smile; it matters more than you think.

3) Write a thank-you note to a teacher, friend, or mentor.

4) Let someone merge in traffic without frustration.

5) Leave a kind review for a local small business.

Emotional and Relational Kindness

60 Text a friend just to tell them you’re thinking of them.

7) Listen to someone without interrupting or offering advice.

8) Forgive someone, not to excuse their behavior, but to lighten your own heart.

9) Offer your seat, time, or empathy to someone who seems overwhelmed.

10) Check in with a neighbor or co-worker who’s been quiet lately.

Kindness Toward Yourself

11) Speak to yourself the way you would to a loved one.

12) Take a slow walk in nature and notice what feels peaceful to you.

13) Give yourself permission to rest without guilt.

14) Write down three things you’re grateful for right now.

15) Celebrate small victories instead of criticizing perceived shortcomings.

Kindness That Builds Community

16) Volunteer your time for a cause that aligns with your values.

17) Donate to an organization that uplifts others.

18) Support someone’s small business or creative project.

19) Plant a tree or help clean up your local park.

20) Tell someone how they’ve made your life better; it might change their day.

Why Kindness Feeds Connection and Healing

When we act kindly, we are not only improving someone else’s day; we are also repairing our own emotional architecture.

Kindness releases oxytocin, often referred to as the “bonding hormone,” which enhances feelings of trust and lowers blood pressure. It also decreases levels of cortisol, the stress hormone linked to anxiety and depression (Zak, 2017).

From a somatic perspective, kindness fosters co-regulation, a process in which one person’s calm nervous system helps another regulate their own nervous system. This is the same principle we use in trauma therapy, where empathy and attunement between therapist and client create neural safety and repair attachment wounds.

When kindness becomes a practice, not just an ideal, it helps us rediscover what it means to feel safe enough to connect.

Finding Hope in Connection

In times when the world feels divided or chaotic, it’s easy to underestimate the small, steady power of compassion. Yet neuroscience continues to show that what truly heals us, emotionally and physiologically, is connection.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we believe kindness is not only a social virtue but a therapeutic tool. Whether through somatic therapy, EMDR, or mindfulness-based practice, every act of compassion strengthens the neural networks that allow us to live more grounded, joyful, and relationally connected lives.

This World Kindness Day, take a breath, slow down, and ask yourself, “What’s one small act of kindness I can offer to myself or someone else today?”

Because sometimes, the simplest gestures carry the most profound healing power.

Reach out to schedule a complimentary 20-minute consultation with our team of therapists, trauma specialists, somatic practitioners, or relationship experts, and start working towards integrative, embodied healing today. 

📞 Call us at (310) 651-8458

📱 Text us at (310) 210-7934

📩 Email us at admin@embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

🔗 Visit us at www.embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

👉 Check us out on Instagram @embodied_wellness_and_recovery

🌍 Explore our offerings at Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/laurendummit

References 

1) Layous, K., Nelson, S. K., Oberle, E., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2012). Kindness counts: Prompting prosocial behavior in preadolescents boosts peer acceptance and well-being. PLoS ONE, 7(12), e51380. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0051380

2) Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W.W. Norton & Company.

3) Post, S. G. (2005). Altruism, happiness, and health: It’s good to be good. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 12(2), 66–77. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327558ijbm1202_4

4) Zak, P. J. (2017). The neuroscience of trust. Harvard Business Review, 95(1), 84–90.

Standard EMDR vs. Attachment-Focused EMDR: Which Is Right for You?

Curious about the difference between traditional EMDR and Attachment-Focused EMDR? Learn how a more relational, somatic approach can support healing from complex trauma and early attachment wounds.

Not All EMDR Is the Same

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful, evidence-based treatment for trauma. But what many people don’t know is that EMDR comes in different forms.

While standard EMDR is highly effective for single-incident traumas, those with complex trauma, developmental wounds, or relational issues often benefit more from Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR)—a more flexible, intuitive, and relational approach.

What Is Standard EMDR?

Standard EMDR follows an 8-phase protocol developed by Francine Shapiro. It’s structured, manualized, and research-driven.

Best for:

     – Single-incident trauma (e.g., accidents, assaults)
    – Phobias or panic attacks
    – Grief and loss

Key features:

     – The therapist is more neutral and directive
    – Sessions focus on identifying and reprocessing traumatic memories
    – Best for clients who are emotionally stable and securely attached

This method works beautifully for many, but not all.

What Is Attachment-Focused EMDR?

Created by Dr. Laurel Parnell, Attachment-Focused EMDR modifies the standard model to support clients with early attachment trauma, emotional neglect, dissociation, or complex PTSD.

Best for:

     – Childhood emotional abuse or neglect
    – Developmental trauma

     – Disorganized or insecure attachment
    – Complex PTSD and dissociative symptoms

Key differences:

     – The therapist is actively emotionally present
     – Uses nurturing, protective, and wise figures to build internal safety
    – Incorporates somatic resources to regulate the nervous system
    – Adapts the pacing to each client’s tolerance and readiness
    – Emphasizes relational repair as a core part of healing

In short, AF-EMDR makes space for the therapeutic relationship to become a healing agent.

Why It Matters for Complex Trauma

If you’ve experienced:

     – Childhood abandonment
    – Emotional invalidation

     – Ongoing relational wounding

... then you may have learned to survive through disconnection—from your body, your feelings, and other people.

In these cases, trauma healing requires more than a protocol. It requires connection, attunement, and co-regulation—all of which are central to Attachment-Focused EMDR.

What the Science Says

Attachment-focused EMDR is grounded in interpersonal neurobiology and polyvagal theory. Research shows:

Healing happens through relationships that are safe, attuned, and emotionally present—not just intellectual insight or mechanical techniques.

When a therapist offers right-brain-to-right-brain attunement (Schore, 2009), the client’s brain begins to rewire itself for connection, trust, and safety. That’s what makes this approach so powerful.

Which Is Right for You?

If you’re relatively stable and looking to process a single, distressing event, standard EMDR may be a perfect fit.

But if you’ve experienced years of relational or developmental trauma, or you’ve struggled with feeling disconnected, misunderstood, or overwhelmed in other therapies, Attachment-Focused EMDR may be the deeper, safer path to healing.

How We Do It at Embodied Wellness & Recovery

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we specialize in:

     – Attachment-Focused EMDR
    – Somatic trauma therapy
    – Integrative healing approaches for trauma, addiction, and intimacy issues
    – EMDR intensives for those ready to go deeper in a shorter amount of time

Whether you’re located in Los Angeles or Nashville or seeking virtual support, our team of trauma-informed clinicians will meet you with compassion, skill, and respect for your unique healing journey.

You don’t have to heal alone. We’re here to walk with you, to be your “empathetic witness.”

🪷 Learn more about our EMDR services
📅 Schedule a free 20-minute consultation with one of our top-rate EMDR providers
🌱 Explore our EMDR Intensives and Specialty Programs that Incorporate EMDR
📍 Serving Los Angeles, Nashville, and clients nationwide (via telehealth)

📞 Call us at (310) 651-8458

📱 Text us at (310) 210-7934

📩 Email us at admin@embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

🔗 Visit us at www.embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com

👉 Check us out on Instagram @embodied_wellness_and_recovery

🌍 Explore our offerings at Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/laurendummit

References

Parnell, L. (2013). Attachment-focused EMDR: Healing Relational Trauma. W. W. Norton & Company.

Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

Schore, A. N. (2009). Right-brain Affect Regulation: An Essential Mechanism of Development, Trauma, Dissociation, and Psychotherapy. The Neuropsychotherapist, 1(3), 1–13.

Shapiro, F. (2017). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures (3rd ed.). The Guilford Press.

Siegel, D. J. (2012). The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.