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.

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.

Why Healing at Midlife Requires a New Conversation By Julie Cardoza, MS, LMFT, RYT, EMDRIA Approved Consultant “Menopause is not just a...

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.

“ There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”— Maya Angelou   One of the menopause I rarely get political, but...

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.

By Julie Cardoza, LMFT, RYT, EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Do you remember the View-Master? Hello 80's! The View-Master of Memory: Finding...

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:

As EMDR clinicians, we know that healing trauma isn’t just about accessing memories—it’s about helping clients stay within their window...

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.

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?

Nature Mandala inspired through Morning Altars tm practice About this Morning Altar ™ Mandala   Each altar that finds its way through my...

Trauma-Informed (TI) Yoga, invites choice, connection and context. These are the 3 principles of creating nervous system safety. This provides a way of restoring the relationship of the body and mind. In TI Yoga, there is emphasis on being curious in the awareness of the sensations of our body in the present moment with invitational language.

As there is may often a relationship of Trauma and OCD, EMDR can be utilized as a possible treatment option in a two-prong approach with OCD and Trauma. In my practice I offer ICBT for treatment of the OCD and then additionally work within the eight phases of EMDR working with a neurobiological approach in treatment of the trauma factors that may underlay or co-incide within the nervous system. Typically EMDR helps resolve traumatic material, can aid in desensitizing vulner