Dopamine has been dubbed “the reward chemical”. However, neuroscience shows us that the chemical activities that dopamine is involved in is actually more like the train signalling system. Here is the metaphor: In a Neurotypical Brain When a task appears, the brain sends a dopamine signal. That signal says: “This task is worth starting.” The signal turns the green light on. The passengers (AKA: your thoughts, motivation, focus, and emotional energy) get onto the train And the train leaves the...

What Actually Happens in Trauma-Focused Therapy? (Part 4 of 4) When people hear the words trauma therapy , they often imagine talking through painful memories in detail. But trauma-focused therapy isn’t really about retelling the story. The focus is actually about helping the brain and body finish processing experiences that were never fully processed at the time a distressing/traumatic event occurred. When something overwhelming happens, the nervous system moves into a stress response —...

What Therapy to Have When You Don’t Want Therapy (Part 3 of 4) You may not know this- but sometimes people come to therapy knowing they want things to change…but feeling unsure about whether they actually want to talk about the past. That hesitation makes a lot of sense, and is very common. For many people, the idea of revisiting painful experiences can feel overwhelming or simply too much. Some worry it will make things worse. Others already know how intense it can feel when certain memories...