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The Honest Work of Coming Undone: A EMDR Trauma Therapist's Take on November
What are you letting be messy this November? And what does that mess feed?
jcardozalmft
Nov 512 min read
Unexpected Journeys: Recognizing the Hidden Faces of Menopause This October
October is Menopause Awareness Month—a time to shine light on a transition that affects millions, yet remains shrouded in silence and misconception. While many conversations center on the "natural" menopause journey, there's a population whose experience often goes unrecognized: those who enter menopause through surgery, medical treatment, or unexpectedly early.
jcardozalmft
Oct 89 min read
Menopause, Meaning & Rewiring the Nervous System for Joy
Your brain is literally rewiring itself during menopause transition. It's adaptive reorganization that can support a more integrated, embodied way of being.
The brain that learned to survive can also learn to thrive. Joy isn't frivolous—it's neurologically essential. This is where sovereignty becomes possible: the embodied kind.
Discover the Four Pillars of Nervous System Joy and practical tools for rewiring toward authenticity, agency, and embodied well-being.
jcardozalmft
Sep 28 min read
Midlife Burnout Recovery – The Weight of Menopause, Trauma & Invisible Labor
“You’re not losing your mind. You’re being asked to reclaim it.” Midlife isn't the end of the road - it's the curve in it Midlife is not...
jcardozalmft
Aug 135 min read
Mental Health, Perimenopause, and the Mind-Body Connection
Menopause isn’t just about hot flashes — for many women, the first signs are burnout, anxiety, or brain fog. In this post, LMFT Julie Cardoza shares how trauma-informed therapy, EMDR, and a mind-body approach can support emotional health during midlife.
jcardozalmft
Aug 132 min read
Menopause, Trauma, ACE's and The Midlife Body
Why Healing at Midlife Requires a New Conversation By Julie Cardoza, MS, LMFT, RYT, EMDRIA Approved Consultant “Menopause is not just a...
jcardozalmft
Aug 56 min read
The Menopause-Brain Connection
If you’ve ever asked, “Why can’t I handle stress like I used to?” or “Why do I feel foggy, off-balance, or like someone else entirely?”—you’re not alone. And you’re not broken.
jcardozalmft
Jul 285 min read
Unmasking Midlife Why the FDA Hearings Signals a New Era in Menopause and Women’s Health
“ There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”— Maya Angelou One of the menopause I rarely get political, but...
jcardozalmft
Jul 215 min read
The Menopause-Brain Connection: Lifespan Insights on Hormones, Trauma, and Identity
I’m a trauma-informed therapist—and I’m unmasking midlife.You may not know it, but last Friday marked a transformative moment in women’s health—and I don’t just mean hormones. I’m talking about whole-body health: mind, body, and spirit.
For decades, women have been handed prescriptions, shame, or silence when it comes to midlife change. But on Friday, July 18, 2025, the FDA made a move that shifts the conversation.
jcardozalmft
Jul 212 min read
The Life Mandala as Nervous System Medicine: A Polyvagal Approach to Midlife Integration
By Julie Cardoza, LMFT, RYT, EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Do you remember the View-Master? Hello 80's! The View-Master of Memory: Finding...
jcardozalmft
Jul 810 min read
Burned Out or Lit From Within?
As the summer solstice approaches—the longest day of the year and a symbolic peak of the element of fire, illumination, and transformation—I find myself reflecting on a theme I hear often from clients and colleagues:
jcardozalmft
May 266 min read
Somatic Adjuncts to Polyvagal-Informed EMDR: Tools to Support Nervous System Regulation Between Sessions
As EMDR clinicians, we know that healing trauma isn’t just about accessing memories—it’s about helping clients stay within their window...
jcardozalmft
Apr 162 min read
How Can Natural Tools Complement Polyvagal-Informed EMDR Therapy for Anxiety Relief in Midlife (Perimenopause)?
Anxiety can emerge at any stage of life—but during midlife and perimenopause, it often arrives in unexpected waves. For many women, this chapter brings profound shifts—physiological, emotional, hormonal, and relational. If you're noticing increased anxiety, irritability, or overwhelm, you’re not alone—and you’re not broken.
jcardozalmft
Apr 164 min read
5 Benefits of ongoing EMDR Consultation
You've completed your consultation hours and have your EMDR Basic Trained status, now what? You have the basic understanding of EMDR , the process and phases but is the investment in ongoing consultation of any benefit to you?
jcardozalmft
Apr 162 min read
Understanding the Polyvagal Theory: Breaking Down the Basics
Understanding and applying the principles of the Polyvagal Theory can empower you to navigate life's challenges with greater ease
jcardozalmft
Apr 162 min read
What can I expect in an EMDR Therapy Session?
EMDR therapy is a treatment approach based in the neurobiological understanding health and healing. It is an integrative, mind-body...
jcardozalmft
Apr 164 min read
Unpacking Unhelpful Thinking Styles: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy -Informed Overview
Rooted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), these styles are essentially mental habits—ways our minds try to make sense of the world, especially under stress. But left unchecked, they can cloud our perspective, increase anxiety, and limit our ability to respond with clarity and compassion.
jcardozalmft
Apr 163 min read
Understanding the EMDR Therapy Journey to Healing
The EMDR Therapy Journey
EMDR therapy consists of eight phases, each integral to the healing process. Safety is the cornerstone of this journey, ensuring clients feel secure as they explore their experiences.
jcardozalmft
Apr 162 min read
Top 10 Tips for Sleep and Wellbeing
A woman in her middle years, wearing a green shirt, gets ready for a peaceful sleep by putting on a green sleep mask that matches her...
jcardozalmft
Apr 162 min read
The Menopause Transition and Mental Health: Seeking Therapist Input on Holistic Approaches
The intersection of menopause, mental health, and trauma healing represents one of the most significant yet under-addressed areas in clinica
jcardozalmft
Mar 143 min read
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