3 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jun 12, 2025 8:20:57 AM
There’s a kind of fear that hides in the ordinary. A doorknob. A grocery cart. The memory of a word. Contamination OCD is not about being tidy—it’s about terror masquerading as hygiene. It’s about a nervous system that screams danger where others...
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5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jun 12, 2025 8:07:45 AM
There’s a particular pain that comes not from sin itself, but from the fear of it. A weariness that settles into the bones, not from wrongdoing, but...
4 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jun 5, 2025 8:24:32 AM
Some fears arrive like thunderstorms—loud, visible, and unmistakable. Others creep in quietly, like fog—unwelcome, disorienting, and hard to explain....
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: May 31, 2025 2:06:35 PM
There is a particular kind of suffering that lives within people with POCD—a heavy, choking, and insessient nagging of what ifs. If these sufferers...
6 min read
KD Holmes, MS, LPC & Tyler LaFleur RN, BSN, CPT, CEP, CFMP, MLAS: May 31, 2025 12:42:51 PM
Conventionally, most people understand the concept of how our bodies operate. The brain, as the central processor, conjures up the command for an...
7 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Nov 29, 2024 3:00:53 PM
After 48 years and countless therapists, I've come to challenge the traditional narratives surrounding mental health. Therapy often begins with...
6 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Mar 20, 2024 8:02:54 AM
In today's fast pace and often unrelenting world, where success is measured through tangible achievements and milestones, it is imperative to focus...
7 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Mar 10, 2024 10:09:18 AM
I am told by my clients I am gentle, approachable, easy to talk to, and silly. However, working in a room with just one other person can make it...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Feb 11, 2024 3:41:50 PM
The sorrow over my father's death lingers, a deep ache in my heart, triggered by reminders. Today is one of those days, the anniversary of his...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Dec 2, 2023 4:15:54 PM
One of my most cherished memories of my grandfather, Pappa Joe, is the time we all gathered and had a blast breakdancing. Of course my grandmother...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Oct 29, 2023 2:21:46 PM
One of the fundamental pillars of my therapeutic approach focuses on adults who find themselves entangled in the intricate web of anxiety and...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Sep 22, 2023 7:48:02 AM
Trauma changes the brain, leaving a lasting imprint on a person’s mental and emotional well-being. It doesn’t merely exist as a distant memory;...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: May 21, 2023 8:19:56 AM
Have you buried a dream so deep within that you’ve forgotten it altogether? A dream that once seemed so unattainable that even thinking of it became...
4 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Apr 14, 2023 1:44:00 AM
Many seek therapy because they are blocked in some way. Some blocks are like the road has ended at a steep cliff with no bridge to cross over to the...
4 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Mar 6, 2023 9:34:52 AM
Among the plethora of new terms circulating on social media, one that currently stands out to me is Neurodiversity. This term has not only fostered...
6 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Feb 2, 2023 11:06:10 AM
Many clients ask me, “What exactly is ERP?” Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP, may sound formal or technical, but at its core, it is a...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Dec 2, 2022 8:33:24 AM
Surviving the Holiday Stress (a.k.a. the Zombie Apocalypse) The holidays can be a magical time, with sparkling lights, festive music, and gatherings...
3 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Oct 31, 2022 4:31:44 PM
As I am trying to unpack a person's struggle I often think...What is it like to be you? What is it like to have your upbringing, to have your brain,...
6 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jul 25, 2022 5:27:20 PM
Have you ever had a thought that keeps popping into your head, uninvited and unwelcome? These thoughts can manifest as disturbing images, unsettling...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jul 25, 2022 12:22:00 PM
I began working with individuals who have OCD about 10 to 12 years ago. My journey into understanding OCD began in my graduate program, where I was...
8 min read
KD Holmes, MS, LPC & Tyler LaFleur RN, BSN, CPT, CEP, CFMP, MLAS: Jul 12, 2022 11:55:49 AM
During my first session with a client (also known as “the intake session”) I always ask no matter what the mental health issue—
3 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jul 25, 2021 10:11:26 AM
Many of the individuals I work with (myself included) are plagued by an obsessive brain. Obsessive brains are repetitive and stuck, living in a...
8 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jul 12, 2021 7:40:07 PM
It’s been a long time since I had an adventure. I have been consumed by my day-to-day responsibilities of my relationship, work, family. I try to fit...
6 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: May 26, 2021 10:15:56 AM
Many of my clients are often surprised to discover that I experience social anxiety. Watching my videos or listening to me speak, you'd probably...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Feb 23, 2021 8:48:17 AM
I wish I could say that a moment of profound inner wisdom led me to recognize the need to rein in my overachieving tendencies and gracefully begin...
6 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Feb 1, 2021 10:34:20 AM
Overachieving is a complex web of behaviors, personality traits, mental health challenges, historical influences, and social interactions. It’s not...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jan 18, 2021 3:29:17 PM
Overachieving is comprised of emotional urges, habits, and so much lost time. I was constantly consumed by the urge to achieve, while outwardly it...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jan 10, 2021 10:38:55 AM
This specific type of anxiety and depression can be particularly challenging to address because it feels intertwined with what many overachievers...
6 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Nov 24, 2020 9:30:53 AM
The holiday season can be a magical time filled with laughter, joy, and cherished traditions. However, beneath the surface of all the joy and...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Oct 20, 2020 9:48:28 AM
I’ve been called "nervous" for as long as I can remember. Even as a child, the label stuck. Looking back, I’d venture to guess that the large doses...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jan 31, 2020 11:57:55 AM
Recently, I relearned the concept of inhibitory learning, and once again, it reshaped the way I view certain challenges. There’s something...
4 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Jan 16, 2020 9:45:02 AM
Shock It's hard to imagine that a man that looked like this, could die. I don’t think anything can prepare you for the death of a parent. Whether...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Dec 5, 2019 9:40:28 AM
Many people unknowingly live with what I call "Trauma Brain." It’s an invisible force driving their actions, emotions, and even physical symptoms,...
7 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Nov 22, 2019 10:57:37 AM
Therapy is a space where people seek understanding, change, and clarity for diverse challenges. Often, these challenges come in the form of symptoms,...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Nov 22, 2019 10:57:17 AM
Therapy is not one-size-fits-all. Finding the right therapist is more nuanced than selecting someone from a list. It’s a deeply personal decision...
6 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Nov 21, 2019 2:48:54 PM
What is Depression Treatment? The word “treatment” can feel so clinical, can't it? Yet, depression, in all its shades and complexities, truly is a...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Nov 5, 2019 10:03:51 AM
Anxiety can feel like an invisible weight, pressing on your chest, disrupting your thoughts, and creeping into every corner of your life. It doesn't...
7 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Oct 30, 2019 7:26:13 PM
Do I Have an Anxious Mind? If the title above resonates with you, it’s likely that your mind is no stranger to relentless thoughts and constant “what...
5 min read
KD HOLMES, LPC, EMDR CERTIFIED, BTTI TRAINED: Oct 18, 2019 10:56:35 AM
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) isn’t just feeling sad. It’s gripping, immobilizing, and a challenge that leaves a lasting mark on a person’s quality...
