ILLUMINE PSYCHOTHERAPY AND COUNSELLING Counseling: Your Path to Healing

Unprocessed memories from painful and traumatic events can continue to have  significant negative impacts on your neurophysiology causing chronic disruptions in sleep quality, emotional regulation and relationships.  

EMDR therapy is an effective and evidence-based psychotherapy endorsed by World Health Organisation, Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health and Medicare Australia for treating  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and anxiety, panic attacks, depression, phobias, insomnia, complex grief reactions, addictions, chronic pain, self-esteem, performance anxiety and relational issues. 

EMDR  therapy explores how the past is driving your present behaviours and perpetuating your negative core beliefs about yourself and the world.  EMDR utilises the natural healing ability of your body and mind to accelerate the resolution of the impact of the adverse life experiences on your current functioning bringing about positive changes in your outlook, emotional health and relationships.

Click on the video to learn more about how EMDR therapy can help you. Visit www.emdraa.org  for more information.

Neurofeedback therapy, also known as Neurotherapy or  EEG biofeedback,  is an evidence-based, non-invasive and drug free treatment. It involves training brainwaves to optimize brain functions and regulate the nervous system to enhance health and mental health outcomes.

Neurofeedback therapy has been around since the 1960s and is based on premise of neuroplasticity that the brain is highly malleable. Healthier brainwaves are critical for optimal concentration, performance, emotional regulation, social communication skills and health/mental health outcomes.

 Neurofeedback aims to address brain dysregulation and has been used for conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,  attention deficit (ADD)/ ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, Depression, insomnia/ sleep disorders, headaches and migraines , Acquired brain injury, cerebral palsy, cognitive decline.

In November 2021, the American  Academy of Paediatrics recommended EEG Biofeedback as a top level treatment for ADD/ADHD.

A neurofeedback session involves placing electrodes on your scalp to obtain real time measurements of your brainwaves (EEG).  When your brainwaves moves into an healthier range, EEG rewards your brain with positive  feedback. With regular training during the the initial phase of training,  the brain consolidates these changes to produce sustained improvements in overall changes in health and mental health.

As per Protocol guidelines, consistency in training bring forth better efficacy in outcomes. Commitment to an initial block of 20 sessions at a minimally weekly basis is recommended. At the completion of 20 sessions, an assessment and discussion would ensue to determine whether it would be useful to continue with brain training.  Neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and ASD,  chronic health and mental health presentations may require 40-60 training sessions for sustained results.

More Information on  the Infra Low Frequency Neurofeedback can be found 

on EEG institute website

http://www.eeginfo.com/what-is-neurofeedback.jsp

Depression and anxiety often presented as symptoms when an individual are experiencing significant and longstanding interpersonal difficulties. 

Psychological and emotional distress are viewed in the contexts of relational/ attachment and trauma history.  

  Therapy seeks to  help address problematic beliefs, communication/behaviours patterns and dysfunctional relationship patterns which contributes to revolving vicious cycles of interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts

Therapy seeks to improve personal and collective capacity to engage in healthy mindset,  enabling engagements in quality and satisfying  relationships,  towards virtuous cycle of change and growth for greater fulfilment and connections.

Whilst personal/interpersonal crises can be overwhelming, with the right guidance and support from an experienced and trained therapist, crises can become catalysts for change and growth. 

Therapy is past, present and future focus looking at entrenched negative beliefs of self and the world; relational/attachment patterns/ styles addressing interpersonal conflict, grief and loss, roles and life transitions/adjustments  to promote insights, skillset and relational fulfilments.  . 

 Magdalen's professional journey as a mental health clinician started in 1992. Over the last 30 years, she has trained and worked in clinical, management and teaching roles at varied settings in health, mental health, educational and community settings  across Singapore, Australia, the UK and New Zealand.  
Her training have included: 

• Master of Science in Family Therapy  awarded by Institute Psychiatry, King's College London where she trained under the Maudsley Adolescent Eating Disorder Team in 1995/1996. Her research thesis examined attachment patterns in adolescents with eating disorders
• Psychiatric rehabilitation  training provided by the United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA) where she obtained certified psychiatric rehabilitation practitioner status in 2006
• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) . Specific EMDR training included: Flash Technique; EMDR and chronic pain; EMDR and Storytelling Method
• Internal Family Systems
• Schema Therapy
• Ego State Therapy
• Small Figures Work 
• Clinical Neurofeedback (Othmer Method, EEG Institute, USA)

She is  passionate  about providing support and supervision  to counselling trainees, mental health, community health or health/allied health professionals wishing to increase their capacity in clinical competency and ethical, safe practices in their work with their field of practice.