IQC Counselling & Psychotherapy
Ian Carpenter
Reg Clinical Counsellor
+61 7 477 522 659
IQC Counselling & Psychotherapy
Ian Carpenter
Reg Clinical Counsellor
+61 7 477 522 659
Mental Health Services
Acute Stress Disorder
Acute Stress Disorder
Acute Stress Disorder
Acute stress, frequently rooted in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) like abuse and neglect, creates a devastating cascade of lifelong consequences. Survivors face dramatically increased risks: 4x for chronic bronchitis, 7x for alcoholism, 2x for heart disease, smoking, and cancer, 4.6x for depression, and a staggering 12x for suicid
Acute stress, frequently rooted in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) like abuse and neglect, creates a devastating cascade of lifelong consequences. Survivors face dramatically increased risks: 4x for chronic bronchitis, 7x for alcoholism, 2x for heart disease, smoking, and cancer, 4.6x for depression, and a staggering 12x for suicide attempts. Socially, relationships become strained and difficult to maintain.
Biologically, the constant stress state fuels systemic inflammation. This damages neural circuits crucial for memory, decision-making, and emotional control, while simultaneously weakening the immune system, leading to greater vulnerability to illness. This creates a vicious cycle: impaired brain function worsens stress responses, further amplifying inflammation and health risks, significantly increasing the likelihood of early death.
Healing is possible. Empathetic therapy, mindfulness practices, and specifically EMDR are powerful tools. They help survivors build resilience, regulate emotions, and most importantly, process those unprocessed traumatic memories that keep them imprisoned in the past, allowing them to move towards healthier, more fulfilling lives.
PTSD
Acute Stress Disorder
Acute Stress Disorder
Lifelong Consequences of Unprocessed Trauma:
· Cognitive Impairment: Trauma can disrupt attention, memory (especially working memory), executive function (planning, decision-making), and information processing.
· Relationship Instability: Core symptoms like emotional dysregulation, avoidance, hypervigilance, mistrust, and negative self
Lifelong Consequences of Unprocessed Trauma:
· Cognitive Impairment: Trauma can disrupt attention, memory (especially working memory), executive function (planning, decision-making), and information processing.
· Relationship Instability: Core symptoms like emotional dysregulation, avoidance, hypervigilance, mistrust, and negative self-beliefs ("I am unlovable") severely impact intimacy, communication, and the ability to feel safe in relationships.
· Without Processing: This is crucial. Without effective intervention, the traumatic memory remains "stuck," unintegrated into the person's broader autobiographical memory. It retains its raw emotional and sensory intensity, easily triggered by reminders, perpetuating the cycle of distress and dysfunction.
EMDR's Evidence-Based Approach:
· Beyond Talk Therapy: EMDR doesn't rely solely on verbal narration or insight (though these can play a role). Its core mechanism involves bilateral stimulation (BLS) – typically eye movements, taps, or tones – while the client focuses on aspects of the trauma.
· Processing Core Beliefs: EMDR specifically targets the disturbing emotions and negative self-beliefs formed or solidified during the trauma ("I am not safe," "I am worthless"). These beliefs drive the dysfunctional behaviours and emotional reactions.
· Adaptive Resolution: The goal isn't forgetting the trauma, but transforming the memory so it's no longer debilitating. The negative belief shifts to an adaptive one ("I did the best I could," "I am safe now," "It wasn't my fault"), and the associated distress (emotional & physical) significantly reduces or resolves.
· Grounding & Stress Reduction: EMDR protocols heavily emphasise preparation, including teaching clients numerous grounding and self-soothing techniques. This ensures you can manage distress during and between sessions and feel safe throughout the process.
Key Strengths of EMDR: direct targeting goes straight to the core of the emotional and belief-based wound. The bilateral stimulation is thought to mimic REM sleep, facilitating the brain's natural adaptive information processing. A holistic approach that addresses thoughts, emotions, and body sensations connected to the traumatic event.
Men's Health
Acute Stress Disorder
Depression: Compassionate Counselling for Depression: Supporting Your Journey to Healing
Men often avoid seeking mental health support due to societal pressures around masculinity and fear of vulnerability, leading to unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance abuse. Common challenges include depression, obesity, diabetes, and ADHD, often presenting as anger, fatigue, or social withdrawal. Tragically, middle-aged men face di
Men often avoid seeking mental health support due to societal pressures around masculinity and fear of vulnerability, leading to unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance abuse. Common challenges include depression, obesity, diabetes, and ADHD, often presenting as anger, fatigue, or social withdrawal. Tragically, middle-aged men face disproportionately high suicide rates—four times that of women—highlighting an urgent need for accessible, stigma-free care.
Depression: Compassionate Counselling for Depression: Supporting Your Journey to Healing
Depression: Compassionate Counselling for Depression: Supporting Your Journey to Healing
Feeling overwhelmed, hopeless, or stuck? You don’t have to face it alone. Our compassionate counselling offers a safe space to navigate challenges, rediscover hope, and regain control. With a personalized approach, we’ll explore your feelings, address underlying causes, and build tools for well-being. Take the first step toward healing. Contact me for an introduction to my services.
Anxiety: Discover Relief Through Counselling: Effective Anxiety Treatment
Feeling overwhelmed, worried, or unable to relax? Anxiety can disrupt daily life, making even simple tasks difficult. Counselling offers a compassionate, effective path to peace of mind. Using techniques like CBT and mindfulness, it helps uncover anxiety’s roots, build coping strategies, and foster resilience. Take the first step toward balance—you don’t have to face it alone.
Unlock growth through creative therapies
Creative therapies like Art, Interactive Drawing Therapy (IDT), Origami, and Lego provide innovative pathways for personal growth and well-being. Lego, particularly effective for NDIS clients, fosters communication through hands-on, non-confrontational engagement. IDT enables verbal and non-verbal clients to express emotions using col
Creative therapies like Art, Interactive Drawing Therapy (IDT), Origami, and Lego provide innovative pathways for personal growth and well-being. Lego, particularly effective for NDIS clients, fosters communication through hands-on, non-confrontational engagement. IDT enables verbal and non-verbal clients to express emotions using color, metaphors, and creativity, while mindfulness art merges creativity with meditation, promoting calm and self-discovery. These approaches empower individuals to explore emotions and build resilience in safe, expressive ways.